by Lillis Ward and Beth Crow
The Church of the Nativity identifies itself as a community that cares for each other and for the larger society. This was so well demonstrated during this year’s Week and Day of Giving. The spirit of the season could be felt throughout Estill House this past Sunday through the conversations with outreach representatives, the amazement over the many beautiful homemade items, and of course chatting amongst friends.
This year’s Week and Day of Giving brought in more funds than any other year, with estimates bringing the total to over $26,000. There were 15 different organizations represented on Sunday; all seemed deeply appreciative of Nativity’s support. One visiting representative commented that she didn’t know of any other church in the area that puts on an event such as ours. What a compliment to Church of the Nativity.
Nativity’s Outreach Team provided the foundational support for this annual event, without which its continued success would not be possible. It takes a whole church family to put this kind of event together. We are deeply thankful first and foremost to all the organizations who were a part of this year’s Day of Giving and the work they do to serve others. A huge thank you to all those who gave of their time and talents and donated items towards the raising of funds for the Hurricane Helene Relief effort. Thank you to all who contributed refreshments for Sunday morning and to those who served and cleaned up. We deeply appreciate those who came on Saturday and helped on Sunday in setting up Corlett Hall and putting it back together. Thank you to members of the Outreach Team who assisted on Sunday — whether by hosting some of the tables or counting funds at the end of the day.
Nativity is a very special place because of its people; all who helped put this event together and all who came and supported it reflect God’s love and message of caring for our neighbors. Thank you all so much!