On Saturday, St. John’s Lutheran Church welcomed some 195 children and their families to its annual Angel Tree party.
“This was our biggest year!” noted Danielle Kosanovich, the church’s minister for youth and outreach. “St. John’s took 195 of the 600 Salvation Army angels.”
“It was awesome! It was amazing!” said Georgia Kirchin, youth intern, who helped Kosanovich coordinate the event.
Some 20 of the high school youth served as volunteers for the day, greeting guests, providing entertainment, and helping young children select and wrap gifts for their parents. The youth group also shopped and wrapped presents for the children who attended the party. A number of adult members also helped out.
“It was sad and it was happy,” Kirchin said, “because you help bring Christmas to these kids, but it’s sad to see poverty in the world. You know you’ve got to change it.”
“God’s generosity through the people of St. John’s led to an amazing Saturday,” Kosanovich added. “I loved seeing families hear the story of Jesus and feel God’s love. These young people worked hard to share and we are so proud of them. Although the gift wrapping perhaps wasn’t the best — have you ever tried to get teenagers to wrap gifts? — the gifts were shared with love!”