Today is Epiphany – the day in the life of the Church when we celebrate the visitation of the Magi. Many congregations included the hymn "We Three Kings" in their worship service yesterday, singing about the gifts these visitors from the East brought to the Christ child—gifts that pointed to who Jesus was and how God would work through him.

Congregations around the Dakotas lived this spirit of generosity throughout this holiday season in various ways, all of which pointed to a generous God who comes to be present with us and bring us light and peace. 

Slippers with Grippers

Members of Ellendale PUMC pack the "Slippers with Grippers" gifts for area nursing home residents. (Photo courtesy of church Facebook page)

Connection with local nursing homes opened the door for a new giving opportunity for three churches this Christmas. Pastor Becca Hafner has been serving her first appointment at Edgeley Wesley and Jud, North Dakota, since July 2023. Ellendale United Presbyterian/UMC was added to the appointment this past July. The churches chose a creative way to bless others in their community and surrounding area through their "One Thing" monthly mission this December.

"I was talking with one of the nursing home staff members about what they might need or if there's something we could do," explained Pastor Becca. "So we came up with the idea of giving each resident a pair of slippers."

The idea was grounded in the hope of blessing residents who might not get a Christmas gift from someone or who didn't have a relative nearby. Together, the three congregations collected nearly 60 pairs of "Slippers with Grippers," an amount nearly equal to their weekly worship attendance.

The church members delivered the cozy footwear to around 50 residents of the Benedictine Living Community in Ellendale, as well as a few people with church connections who reside at nursing homes in Edgeley and Jamestown. One more delivery is planned to a church member at the care center in Lisbon, North Dakota.

In addition to delivering the slippers, the congregation members brought some new jigsaw puzzles to the Ellendale nursing home and shared Christmas carols with residents and staff. The group ended the night back at the church for dinner and fellowship. 

"It ended up really nice, and we had a great time," said Pastor Becca. 

Reverse Advent Calendar

Dianne Koll from St. John's United Methodist Church in Wimbledon, N.D., ran across a sheet of paper she'd had for the longest time that sparked a new idea for Christmas giving – a reverse Advent calendar. 

"I had picked it up and kept it for a couple of years, and this year, I just thought it'd be kind of interesting to do," said Diane. She decided to put the list out by the bulletins at church to see what happened. 
The result was another church member taking the flier to the little country store in town where he volunteers. The manager asked him to leave the list, created a collection shopping cart, and offered a 5% discount on products purchased for the reverse Advent. 

195 items were collected as part of the Reverse Advent Calendar. (photo courtesy of Rev. Jeanne Sortland)

The church and community members responded abundantly.

"When it was all said and done, we were so surprised," said Diane. "Our church is really getting quite small—we're lucky to get double digits attendance on Sundays—and we got 195 items!" 

Pastor Jeanne Sortland blessed the items, and Diane delivered them to the Salvation Army in Jamestown. "We were very pleased with the response,"  said Diane.

Sharing Christmas

Sioux Falls Hilltop collected gifts for a local non-profit mission - Sharing Christmas (photo courtesy of church Facebook page.)

Hilltop United Methodist Church in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, chose to spread the spirit of generosity during the Christmas season in several ways. For many years, the congregation has participated in the "Sharing Christmas" program, an ecumenical community ministry facilitated by The Community Outreach, a local non-profit. 

In the past, the model for this ministry was to have volunteers "adopt a family" to purchase gifts for and deliver them to their door. In recent years, they have shifted to setting up a "shopping" center stocked with donations from churches like Hilltop, where participants can purchase gifts priced at 10 cents on the dollar for the children in their lives, ages birth through 18. This format gives a greater sense of dignity to individuals who rely on the mission to give their kids a memorable Christmas.

"It gives parents the opportunity to select a gift they know their child will like and go home knowing that they had purchased it for their kids," said Pastor Rodney Knock.

Youth from Hilltop UMC in Sioux Falls, S.D., shared in the giving spirit of Christmas.

The youth from Hilltop also joined the congregation's giving efforts. Throughout the year, the middle and high school youth hold various fund-raisers. This holiday season, they used some of those funds to purchase gifts for kids in the community. They shopped for toys and gifts to add to the congregation's "Love Gift" for the Union Gospel Mission in Sioux Falls.