If you want to be involved in your community this Christmas, here are some ideas for you. Show the ‘Christmas Spirit’, promote your Rally in your local newspaper, encourage your church to get involved by financial, expertise etc support and bless your community
Get each Rally member to bring a small gift. Wrap them, label with age suitability, and place under a tree or in a decorated box you have provided. Donate to a suitable organisation eg. Retirement Home, Food Parcel group.
Carol singing – Teach some carols at Rally. Ask for singing and music help from your church. Together perform on the street in your town/city one afternoon. Ask the local Council for permission and find some business/s who are happy to have you singing outside their shop.
Decorate a float for the local Christmas Parade. If you are interested in doing this, check out Leader Mag, No 4, 2005 for ideas.
Make bookmarks and give to a Retirement Home for sharing with their residents at Christmas celebrations.
Each Rally Leader and Member to bring a cake. Decorate it at Rally. Wrap it in cellophane. Tie with bow. Attach a card that reads “In appreciation from the Leaders and members of the ?? Rally for all the work you do and the wonderful benefit you are to our community. Have a blessed Christmas” (or similar). Leaders
deliver cakes to local school teachers, police, Fire fighters, St John Ambulance officers etc.
Make up a food parcel/s. Ask members all to bring 1 non-perishable food item to donate. Gift it to the local Foodbank, Womens Refuge Centre or a local family/s that you know is in need. Leaders make cakes or uffins. Decorate (a jaffa and mint leaf lolly creates a Christmas holly look). Cut the cake into generous slices. Wrap muffins or cake slices in cellophane or gladwrap. Decorate with a ribbon to which is attached a Christmas related) Bible verse. Organise with The Warehouse or Woolworths to give away these as a Christmas blessing one afternoon or Saturday morning.
Ask a local business if you can set up a Nativity scene display in their window. Use Rally artwork, making
the Nativity articles as a hobby together. Place a notice saying the display is by your Rally.
Christmas Shoe Boxes – Radio Rhema and other communities offer the chance to fill shoe boxes with gifts. They are then sent overseas. You need to contact them to find what can and can’t be in the boxes.
The Warehouse or Woolworths to give away these as a Christmas blessing one afternoon or Saturday morning. Give to mothers as they come out and say ‘Happy Christmas’. You could also purchase candy canes and attach the candycane story to each one. Give these to children. All Rally members and Leaders to be in uniform. Have some join the Action Brochures to give to any parents interested in your organisation.
If you use any of these ideas, or come up with other creative ways to be involved in your community this Christmas, please send a photo and information to the Editor. We can publish these in our News section or as ideas for next Christmas
Games, Memory Verses, Brain Teasers & Bulk Cooking. Some of you may have the Games or MV books put out by Bryan Harman. They are not available any more in book form – BUT the above 4 books have been made available on a CD disk. COST: $15. Profits go to Mission work. To purchase, please contact Denis & Joy Wallace on email denisandjoy@gmail.com or ph 07 888 0869
