Christ's Love through Project Magi

by Pam Chen - GUM Newsletter, Winter 2009

  It’s always exciting to me when that time of the year comes to select one of the Project Magi gift tags from the Advent tree in our church foyer. It means that me and my family are given an important opportunity, during the Christmas season, to be prayerful of the many children in our city who lack many of the resources that I too easily take for granted, especially at Christmas time. We have the privilege of praying for a particular child, or his or her family or classmates, and to remember them while we prepare, and set out, to shop for their gift. Through Project Magi, we share in Christ’s generosity by extending it to others in our city. We have an opportunity to long for things to be different for many children and families that are encountering struggle, especially in these harsh economic times. And it allows us to reflect God’s heart to those around us. What a joy this is for my family and congregation.

When my kids were much younger, what seemed to matter most to them was whether they liked the particular gift on the tag we were going to shop for. My husband, Josh, and I had to explain to them that what was more important was that we, as a congregation, were sharing the love of Jesus with a family that, for a variety of reasons, is unable to buy presents, let alone make ends meet. It was a good reminder that having wrapped boxes under a Christmas tree is not a given for many families in our city. As our kids have gotten older, Christmas can still so easily become all about wish lists of all the things we want to have. Therefore, Project Magi helps us remember a broken world in need of a Savior, and the incredible gift of Jesus who brings the light and hope of salvation.

And so this ministry to our community represents a significant Advent activity for me and my family. We like hearing stories from folks who delivered the gifts and how God used presents to touch lives. We give thanks to God for giving us Jesus. We are reminded, amidst places of struggle and brokenness, that Christ is coming again someday to make everything new and right. May God receive all the praise and glory!

Project Magi is a congregation-based Christmas gift-giving program that provides recreational, academic, and general support to children and their families, primarily through local school partnerships.