Ideas for Communicating Christ This Christmas

Christmastime often provides unique opportunities to communicate Christ to family and friends. Here are a few ideas to jump-start your thinking to reach out to others with the gospel this Christmas:

1. Pray! Connecting with the power of God’s Holy Spirit through prayer for lost friends and family members is an absolutely essential starting point to Communicating Christ any time of the year. Prayer will also change your own heart to be able to truly love those with whom you are sharing Christ. No one wants to be your pet project, even at Christmastime! Pray that God will give you a heart that loves others purely and unconditionally as you consider how to communicate Christ this Christmas.

2. Encourage friends who came to the Blue Ridge Christmas play to attend the follow-up Bible study. Better yet, come to the Bible study with them! If you have a friend who attended the play and is interested in learning more about Christ, this four-week study beginning this Wednesday, December 15, is a great way to help them learn more. Mark and Patrice Smith will be running this study at the church. Contact them for more details.

3. Get involved with Project Angel Tree. Our church is hosting an old-fashioned Christmas party for the families that are receiving presents from Project Angel Tree. Project Angel Tree connects parents in prison with their children by giving children Christmas presents in the name of their incarcerated parent. You can come to this party and have the opportunity to touch the lives of these families directly on December 19th from 2 – 4:30 p.m. at the church. The presentation of the gospel to these families is an integral part of this ministry. For more information, contact Kim Chambers.

4. Give a gift that shows you care. You might consider making cookies for your neighbors and including a card with your address and phone number in case they have needs such as dog sitting, watching their house if they are out of town, picking up their mail for them, or helping with yard or house work. A simple act of thoughtfulness is a great way of opening up the door to a better relationship.

5. Talk to them about their Christmas traditions. You might then have an opportunity to share some of your favorite Christ-centered traditions such as reading the Christmas story or receiving the best Gift ever. Consider how Jesus spoke to the woman at the well about living water (John 4) as an example of how to turn a casual conversation to matters of eternity. You might not get to share the entire gospel, but by at least broaching the subject, you can let friends know that you are open to discussing spiritual matters.

6. Invite them to the Blue Ridge Christmas Eve service. Why not ask a neighbor family to come with you to enjoy a traditional Christmas Eve service? Families are often willing to come to church at Christmastime when they wouldn’t otherwise. This service will feature traditional carols, the children’s choir, and the lighting of the candles of advent. There are postcards designed to hand out to family and friends to promote this service. They will be available for you to pick up at church beginning this Sunday, December 12.

7. Donate a gift to a Christian charity in the name of a loved one. Can’t find a gift for that hard-to-please person? Know someone who has it all? Consider donating a charitable gift in their name from a ministry like Samaritan’s Purse or Romania Reborn. Not only will you be helping the physically needy but you may also have a chance to bring up deeper matters with a loved one who is spiritually needy.