December 17, 2025

Friends,

I hope this letter finds you well and that you are having a meaningful Advent. My prayer is that you have been able to experience some of the joy that comes in this season through the worship, concerts and other opportunities that help us to get into the Christmas spirit.

In preparation for our Christmas Eve services I want to let you know of our Christmas Eve Offering and to provide a report on our use of the funds this past year.
This year we will again be dividing our Christmas Eve Offering between our local ministry to Parkview Elementary School and internationally through our mission partners in Haiti.
For Parkview, we have continued to use the majority of the funds donated for the 40 Thanksgiving boxes that are given out before Thanksgiving. With your generosity we have been able to purchase the 40 hams and 40 pumpkin pies that are contributed along with the canned goods that we as a church collect. As you can imagine, the cost for the hams and pies have increased over the years and I am grateful for your generosity as we have been able to maintain our partnership with Parkview. In addition to Thanksgiving, we also do staff and teacher support and encouragement in the spring months. I know our generosity greatly enhances and makes possible part of what Parkview is able to do, and I am proud that we are able to continue our partnership in ministry with them.

Internationally, we will be continuing our support of our ministry partners in Haiti. In 2024, our Christmas Eve Offering goal was to raise the funds to hire a second gardener along with the installation of water catch systems. We met our goal and last January we were able to hire an additional gardener named Jean-Paul and he quickly got to work on his own garden and the gardens for 5 other families. For the first 3 months of 2025 it was exciting to see the photos of both our gardeners/mission partners, Lucien and Jean-Paul and the gardens they were working on.

At the end of March Haiti was thrown into chaos. Gangs from Port au Prince moved outward from the city into the region where our ministry partners lived bringing turmoil, death and destruction. Most people fled into the countryside and abandoned their homes, including our mission partners. As we slowly heard from the supervisor of our mission partnership Wilfred, we learned that it took time for him to locate both our gardeners. First he found Jean-Paul who had returned home and had continued working the gardens through it all. Fortunately, Jean-Paul lives in an area off the main roads, so he was able to return home and continue working on the gardens under his care.

Lucien and his family were harder to find, they had fled to a remote location in the mountains. When Wilfred found Lucien, he did not know what he was going to do in terms of moving home. A couple of months ago, Lucien let Wilfred know that he unfortunately would not be returning to his home and he could no longer garden for us. The mountainous location is too rocky and he is unable to garden there.  

With this news, Wilfred contacted us to see if he should find another gardener for us to partner in ministry with. We said yes.

In November, Wilfred let us know he hired another gardener named SonSon. SonSon may sound familiar, over the past 2 years he has been one of the men who have been installing water catch systems for us. SonSon has quickly gotten to work on his garden and the gardens for 5 other widows/families. Please join me in praying for Jean-Paul, SonSon and all the families who have the gardens they are working. We also pray for Lucien and his family as they rebuild their life in their new location.

I also want to offer an update to the water catch systems, with all the uncertainty none were installed in 2025. No one was willing to consider making improvements to their homes with the knowledge that they might have to flee suddenly. However, God opened another door in providing water for the people of Haiti, especially those displaced by gangs.

This opportunity was to partner with a church in Idaho to drill a solar powered well. This well is located on church property and provides safe drinking water. Many of the residents in the area get water from the well, including an orphanage where Wilfred works as head gardener. Earlier this year the well was drilled and has provided access to safe, clean drinking water for an entire region. Not just an individual family home.

With your 2025 Christmas Eve offering we will continue all of these exciting ministries. We will be in partnership with our neighbors of Parkview. We will also be in partnership with our ministry partners in Haiti as we provide food through the 2 gardeners and their gardening. We will also resume installing water catch systems on homes to provide more safe, cleaner, and drinkable water.
Thank you for changing lives through your generosity!

I invite you to plan ahead in making a special contribution toward our 2025 Christmas Eve Offering. These ministries are important ways that we are able to share the love of Christ and change the lives of others. There are many ways to give. You can make a contribution in-person at the 4pm or 6pm Christmas Eve service. You can also make an electronic contribution. If you don’t want to forget or will be out of town for Christmas Eve, you can make your contribution now. Just make sure to designate your gift “Christmas Eve Offering”

Friends, thank you for your generosity and your continued willingness to designate our Christmas Eve Offering for ministry to others. I am so proud of our church and the opportunity that we have to change lives for Jesus both in our backyard and in the country of Haiti.

I hope to see you on Christmas Eve and Merry Christmas!
Pastor Jeb