The Outreach Committee is sponsoring a “reverse Advent calendar” to prepare our hearts for the celebration of Christ’s birth. We continue to work with the Department of Indian Work and the DIW food shelf to gather the most-needed food and personal items for those in need.

Please bring all items to the church by Thursday, Dec. 17. (Call ahead to make sure someone is in the building.)

Here’s how the calendar works: Each day your family can purchase or set aside an item to donate. Our list suggests a different item for each of the 15 days of the Advent season, but please feel free to use it as a guide and personalize or alter the list to fit your family’s values and budget. Perhaps as you can prepare a special space in your home where you can bring this offering, pause and lift up a prayer of Thanksgiving for all you have received and can freely give to others.

“Loving God, as we feel the pressure to keep pace with an increasingly hurried and greedy world, let us pause today to remember your constant presence and abundance in our lives. You have called us to be a people who rise above the frantic, consuming nature of our surroundings. Let us reflect the peace of your Spirit today. Amen.”

You can also give money to the food shelf through Falcon Heights Church’s donation portal . Select “food shelf” as the fund to receive your gift.