Stepping Out | December 2020

STEPPING OUT SHARING THE LOVE OF JESUS ONE STEP AT A TIME

HOW YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE: Encourage others Holiday fun Holiday assistance Pray

Look for Stepping Out inside the next Pathways!

Join in the Select One Challenge!

Christmas Edition December 2020

STEPPING OUT Sharing the love of Jesus one step at a time.

Engaging our world through service is a fundamental part of following Jesus (i.e. discipleship) – we are to be engaged in our world, but unique from it. One of the best ways to stay engaged and unique is to treat the way we serve and care for others as an act of worship. In fact, from God’s point of view, loving our neighbor is an inherent part of worship. We cannot love God without loving the things that matter to God, which includes our fellow human beings… no matter how much they annoy us (Mark 12:29-31).

Advent is a perfect time to reclaim what it means to share the love of Jesus. During Advent we remember that, in Jesus, “the Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood” (John 1:14a MSG). Just as Jesus demonstrated his love for us by entering into our messy lives, spreading light and hope, we can reciprocate that love by entering into the messy lives of others, sharing Jesus’ light and hope with them. (And, I think we all agree that everyone could use a little more light and hope right now!)

While COVID has made it a little more complicated to “enter into” others’ lives, there are still plenty of ways we can be a source of light and hope for others. The activities mentioned on the following pages are just a few suggestions on how you can share the love of Jesus during this challenging season. I encourage you to select one of the activities listed (or come up with your own) and do it on your own, with a friend or with your family, between now and the end of the year. If we all act together to bring a little more light and hope in this world, we may just find our sky littered with stars shining with hope. And, who knows, we may find that our own lives become a little brighter in the process.

Praying for a sky littered with stars of hope,

Lisa Woicik Lisa Woicik Outreach Minister

Have a story about your experience sharing light and hope with others? We want to know about it. Tell us how you saw God working through you at UPPC.org/ShareYourStory.

Encouragement Write letters/cards of encouragement to parents and guardians of children sponsored through UPPC’s Cherish Ministry in Meru, Kenya. Letters should be short and use simple English. Contact Karen Lau (karenllau@hotmail.com) for a list of families. Mail letters & cards to HOPE International Trust, Attn. The guardian of [name of sponsored child], PO Box 832, Meru, KENYA Collect and donate crochet yarn to local immigrants needing to pass the time while they wait 2 months to 3 years for their asylum cases to be heard. Yarn can be dropped off at UPPC during office hours before Dec 15th. ONLY YARN LISTED ON THIS AMAZON WISH LIST WILL BE ACCEPTED. The ramification of the pandemic is taking a hard toll on teachers. Prepare and deliver an encouraging note with a plate of goodies to Sunset Christian Preschool teachers. Items can be delivered to the Sunset Christian Preschool main office.

Holiday Fun Collect items and prepare a game or movie night basket for a local foster family. Email community-pnw@ olivecrest.org to arrange a drop off time.

Put together a Birthday Party In-a-Box (decorations, cake mix, frosting) for a foster child. Contact Joe Vasiliauskas (joe-vasiliauskas@olivecrest.org) for more information.

Donate cookie decorating kits or other holiday treats for Young Life leaders to share with middle and high school kids. Contact Robbie Griffin (253.720.5387; Robbied.griffin@gmail.com) to coordinate a drop off time.

Take a teen mother involved in Young Life and her child to Zoo Lights. Contact Leah Barkell (503.949.3073; lbarkell@gmail.com) to be connected to a teen mom.

Donate cookie decorating kits to Young Life’s Capernaum ministry and arrange a time to decorate cookies with Capernaum kids via Zoom. Contact Karen Hogman (253.223.4440; hogmankl@gmail.com) to coordinate details.

Holiday Assistance Collect items and prepare a winter hygiene basket for a struggling mom or teen. Good items to include: shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, feminine products, warm hats, gloves, and socks. Email communitypnw@olivecrest.org to arrange a drop off time.

Provide Christmas gifts to a teen mother involved in Young Life and her child. Contact Leah Barkell (503.949.3073; lbarkell@gmail.com) to be connected to a teen mom.

Collect items and prepare a Christmas food box for a family with a student at: UP Primary: contact Kelli Peterson (kpeterson@upsd83.org) Sunset Primary: contact Cheri’ Pailliet (cpaillet@upsd83.org) DeLong Elementary: contact Lindsey McKee (lmckee@tacoma.k12.wa.us) Watch this video about what it means to be a teen and homeless during the Christmas season and go to thecoffeeoasis.com/christmas to learn how you can help the 60+ youth living on the streets in Pierce County.

Prayer The ramification of the pandemic is taking a heavy toll on many, especially teachers. Select a school within the UP or Tacoma school district, find the list of teachers and staff on the school’s website, and spend one week praying for the teachers and staff members at that school.

Kids’ mental health issues have increased over the last several months due to the effects of the pandemic. Spend one day a week for the next 4 weeks praying for students of all ages during this difficult season.

The pandemic has also been especially difficult for those isolated in assisted living and care centers.

Contact Jill McMullen at jmcmullen@uppc.org for a list of those needing prayer.

Serving and walking alongside others during the pandemic has been challenging, leaving many physically and emotionally exhausted. Spend one day a week for the next 4 weeks praying for UPPC staff as they continue to find new and creative ways to do their jobs and walk alongside others.

Find UPPC’s weekly prayer list at uppc.org/events. Pray for at least one person on the list every day until you get through the entire list.

Contact Jill McMullen at jmcmullen@uppc.org to be added to UPPC’s email prayer chain. When you receive an email with a specific request, stop and pray for that request.

Community Christmas 2020 Donations must be received by December 4

We are taking Community Christmas mobile! We will be dispatching a group of Santa’s Helpers to deliver boxes of food and gift cards so families can purchase their own gifts for their kids this year. We will be including a personalized Christmas card and an extra gift card for the parents/ guardians in the family as well.

Opportunities to Participate: 1. Make a financial donation designated for Community Christmas before Dec.4, which will be used to purchase gift cards best suited for each family. Do this online at UPPC.org/give (please select from the dropdown) or by sending in a check clearly marked for Community Christmas.

Alternatively, purchase a $25 gift card to Target, Fred Meyer, or Walmart and have it delivered to UPPC before Dec 4.

2. We need volunteers to be Santa’s Helpers and deliver a box of food and a set of gift cards to local families. Sign up here.