The leaves were turning colors. The crisp fall air invigorated our senses. Homes permeated with the aroma of fresh-baked breads and homemade pies. Thanksgiving was upon us, and Christmas would be here soon! Life was grand. Yet, there was something that dampened our spirits.
- Christmas trees & lights
- family
- eggnog
- Santa Clause
- colorfully wrapped presents
- toys, toys & more toys
- bright-eyed children
- naughty or nice
- candy canes
- shopping in crowded malls
- maxed-out credit cards
- stress, stress & more stress!
Christmas has taken on an entirely different flavor from the one proclaimed by the angels over 2,000 years ago. In place of glorifying God, we glorify man! And peace has been replaced by anxiety.
A small group of us met to discuss what to do in the face of such darkness. With the support and prayers of our congregations, what began as an idea became reality.
What our townspeople really needed was to know Christ. And we knew that many weren’t going to set foot in our church for the Christmas program. We had to go to them. So, we decided to deliver the book, What are Christmas and Easter all about?, along with our church’s Christmas calendar of events, from house to house. Our cost was only $1.40/household, and with the help of two other churches, we aimed to reach one town of approximately 4,000 (1,300 homes) and a nearby village of about 450 people (150 homes). Almost 1,500 packages were prepared and organized—books placed in bags, packages counted and boxed up for easy delivery.
But who would deliver them? This was a perfect opportunity for the youth groups to get involved. So, over the course of two nights, all 1,500 packages were delivered. Every household could now sit down and read the compelling story of the Bible (with full-color pictures!), culminating in the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus. The true message of Christmas had been delivered right to their door.
Three weeks later…
"You know those books you delivered to all the houses in town?" A lady had caught my attention after church on Sunday. "Well," she continued, "I have a story to tell you."
I was eager to hear. "Please do," I said. She went on to share:
My neighbor and I went for coffee a couple weeks ago. As we talked, right out of the blue, she said "You’re not afraid to die, are you Helen?" It took me by surprise, but I answered, "Well, I don’t want to die, but I’m not afraid to." She replied, "I’m scared to death of dying." I asked if she had gotten the book that had been hung on her door, and she had. After suggesting she read it, I assured her that she would find answers in the book to her questions.
A week later, she invited me for coffee again. As we sat down together, she explained to me how the questions surrounding her fears had been answered by the book.
Helen’s friend found answers to her greatest fear—death. The answers were there all along. She just hadn’t known where to find them until a friend pointed her to What are Christmas and Easter all about? And just like that, the lights came on.
You, too, can turn on the lights in your community.
For less than the cost of a Christmas card, you can give the gift of the gospel. We’ve created a step-by-step guide for you to spread the message of the Bible in your community using What are Christmas and Easter all about?
Turn on the Lights: Step-By-Step…
Distributing a book to every household in your community (or a segment of it) requires careful planning. Here are some questions that will need to be answered (with some helpful tips) in order to facilitate the outreach:
1. Would my local church want to do this as an outreach?
If the outreach will be done by your local church, it will likely require church leadership to provide approval, direction and oversight. Often, oversight is given to a congregant who is very evangelistic or missions-minded.
2. Are there other local churches that might join with us in this outreach?
If there are like-minded churches who you think might want to join with you in the outreach, send the pastor and/or leadership a link to this webpage and give them a call to follow up. You can drag the following link into your email:
3. To what areas do we want to distribute?
Your goal may be to give a book to every household in your town or to a smaller segment of your city (e.g., the neighborhood surrounding your local church). Joining with other local churches may be a way to reach a larger area.
4. How do we know how many books to purchase?
Contact your local newspaper for routes and number of homes per subdivision. Otherwise, if you would like the books placed in everyone's mailbox, inquire at your local post office for postal code counts and costs.
5. What do we do with the books at each house?
A small plastic bag is a good solution to package the book in. Contact the nearest GoodSeed office to inquire about availability of bags (Note: Some of our offices do not carry bags). The bags may be hung on the home's doorknob or placed on the porch.
6. How do we deliver the packages?
There are many different ways to get the books to people's houses, but here are a few ideas: 1) church youth groups, 2) parents and children, or 3) hire the newspaper to do it for you.
7. Where do I purchase the books?
You may purchase What are Christmas and Easter all about? here.
