The Lehigh Mission District Lutheran In-Gathering is held annually on the first Wednesday of December. This year it is December 5. All churches in the Lehigh District take part in this worthwhile cause. In-Gathering is providing Christmas gifts, small items and monetary gifts to local institutions. Those institutions
receiving these gifts are: The Allentown Rescue Mission, Daybreak, The Sixth Street Shelter, Turning Point, Sharing Life, Boys and Girls Clubs of Allentown, Bright Hope Pregnancy Support Centers, Bethany Christian Services (Refuge Resettlement), Cedarbrook (Allentown and Fountain Hill), Keenan House and The Topton Home. Lists of small items needed for these institution are in the green insert in this newsletter.
We ask that you consider donating some of the small items listed under the various institutions. Also we encourage you to follow the directions on the list as to “New” or “Good Used” condition. When bringing your items to church, please clearly mark your bags or boxes with the name of the institution your contribution is for. Place your bags or boxes in the box marked In-Gathering in the cloak room.
Here at St. John’s we hang little stockings on a tree by the first Sunday in November; this year that would be November 4. Each of these stockings will have a name and the name of the institution. Inside the stocking you will find a paper with the name, age and gift suggestion for that person. We encourage you to take a stocking and purchase a gift for the person shown. When choosing a stocking from the tree, we ask that you sign your name and phone number on the Master List next to the person’s name. Please wrap the gift carefully and mark the gift with the name and institution and fasten it securely to the box. Do not use the little stocking as your gift card unless you tape it to the box. Boxes are preferred to gift bags. This makes it easier to pack boxes for delivery. We handle many gifts at In-Gathering and in packing these gift tags could come off and items could fall out of gift bags. If you are buying gift cards, please put the gift card in a box and wrap. Envelopes can get lost in packing.
Please bring your wrapped gift to church and place under the tree by Sunday, November 25. We then ask you again to sign your name on the Master List indicating the gift was placed under the tree. If you prefer not to buy a gift, perhaps you would help by taking a stocking marked donation, from the tree. These monetary gifts will be used for the benefit of people in our local institutions.
On In-Gathering Day, Wednesday, December 5, members of the churches in our district gather to sort all the small items brought in (and there are many) and check all wrapped gifts to see that each person, child or adult, on the lists received from the institution, will receive their gift. After the work is finished, a short service will be held with a speaker from one of the institutions. Lunch is then served to all the workers.
This is a huge project and we appreciate all the help from our church members. If you have never seen this in operation, take a few minutes of your time that day and stop in and see the action. You may decide to join us in the future.
Also, we would appreciate any cookies you might want to donate for the 5th of December.