We are grateful for you and the partnership we share! I hope that you are having a blessed Christmas season! We are certainly celebrating the birth of Jesus in special ways at God’s Resort!
Many of you and others in the community have partnered with us in our Christmas Shoppes! We have two Shoppes: One for the parents to buy and wrap gifts for their children and one for kids who have earned “Christmas Bucks” to buy gifts for their parents!
I want to explain how it works! We want to offer dignity to our parents and yet make it affordable for them in this season to buy and give gifts to their children. Early in the fall, we ask parents to fill out a form that answers some basic questions about their children for someone to shop for them: age, gender, something needed, clothing size, and shoe size; something wanted, favorite candy, favorite color; favorite activity or hobby, etc. For several years, Byers Avenue Methodist Church has hosted the Christmas Shoppe where our parents are able to shop for the items donated at 10% of the retail value! There are volunteers available to assist them in gift wrapping their purchases and they are ready for Christmas!!
We also want to teach our children the value of work and giving, so we do a similar thing in finding out what would be good and needed gifts for their parents. The children then earn Christmas Bucks for chores completed, Scripture memorized, and a good deed done caught on camera that wasn’t required of them to do. While their parents are shopping for them, they are shopping for their parents! Each child has a personal shopping assistant or “Elf” to help them shop for the items donated for their parents, again at 10% of the retail price. Their “Elf” helps them wrap their presents and they are ready for Christmas and understanding the blessing of giving!
Our latest Christmas Shoppes were greatly successful and give a greater meaning to us that this is truly “the most wonderful time of the year!” Thank you for your love and support so that we can have such a community!! You are making a generational investment and difference!!
Merry Christmas with love and prayer,
Jay St. Clair
Executive Director
In addition to our Christmas Shoppes, we’ve had some other wonderful moments at God’s Resort this Christmas season. On December 15, we hosted a Christmas “brag on God” night that concluded with a dinner together. We had an open mic where residents and guests testified to God’s goodness and then wrote a prayer request on a paper ornament and placed it on the tree. Oh my! Powerful testimonies of families being reunited, individuals being freed from addiction, and hope being restored. Check out the video of those testimonies here.
Then, on December 18, our friends from All Seasons Signs dropped by some Christmas gifts for residents. Where the Christmas Shoppes focused on parents and children, these gifts were aimed at blessing our individual residents. Our hearts were made full by this generous gesture, and the residents quickly testified to how grateful they were! God is so good… He paved the way with the first Christmas gift of His only Son, Jesus. And still to this day, the Spirit moves and spreads the love of Jesus throughout this community and to the ends of the earth.
If you’d like to give a year-end gift to help fulfill our mission of “helping people, through this Christ centered community, choose freedom from the past and reach their potential as children of God,” please click here. Or, if you would like to learn more about getting involved as a volunteer, click here. We’d love to have your support, and we believe you will be blessed as your partner with God’s Resort!
This month, we would like to spotlight our dedicated office volunteers!
Did you know that our reception office at the God’s Resort Community Center operates solely by volunteers? Our office volunteers are the friendly faces you encounter when you first arrive, always eager to assist anyone who walks through the door or calls the office.
We welcome visitors Mon-Thurs 9-12 and 1-4, and on Fridays from 9-12, all thanks to these passionate individuals. That’s an amazing commitment of about 112 hours each month! We are so grateful for the ladies who dedicate their time each week to keep our ministry running smoothly. They are truly inspiring!
We currently have an opportunity for an office volunteer on Tuesday mornings, so, if you or someone you know might be interested in serving in this role, please reach out to Sherri Tash atsherri@godsresortjoplin.org! You could help transform our community!
Supplies Needed for New Residents
Could you help supply some items to prepare homes at God’s Resort for new residents? Here is a list of items that we currently need. Items can be dropped off at the God’s Resort Community Center (1501 S. Pearl, Joplin) Mon-Thurs, 9-noon or 1-4, and Friday, 9-noon. Please note that our offices will be closed for the New Year holiday on Dec 31 at noon and will be closed Jan 1. Thank you for any items you can provide!
We are grateful for you and the partnership we share! I hope that you are having a blessed Christmas season! We are certainly celebrating the birth of Jesus in special ways at God’s Resort!
vorite candy, favorite color; favorite activity or hobby, etc. For several years, Byers Avenue Methodist Church has hosted the Christmas Shoppe where our parents are able to shop for the items donated at 10% of the retail value! There are volunteers available to assist them in gift wrapping their purchases and they are ready for Christmas!!
parents! Each child has a personal shopping assistant or “Elf” to help them shop for the items donated for their parents, again at 10% of the retail price. Their “Elf” helps them wrap their presents and they are ready for Christmas and understanding the blessing of giving!
Our latest Christmas Shoppes were greatly successful and give a greater meaning to us that this is truly “the most wonderful time of the year!” Thank you for your love and support so that we can have such a community!! You are making a generational investment and difference!!
Then, on December 18, our friends from All Seasons Signs dropped by some Christmas gifts for residents. Where the Christmas Shoppes focused on parents and children, these gifts were aimed at blessing our individual residents. Our hearts were made full by this generous gesture, and the residents quickly testified to how grateful they were! God is so good… He paved the way with the first Christmas gift of His only Son, Jesus. And still to this day, the Spirit moves and spreads the love of Jesus throughout this community and to the ends of the earth.
