Michigan—On Dec. 18, 2004, members of the Glenwood (Mich.) Church distributed annual Christmas gift bags to families in their church neighborhood located between Decatur and Dowagiac, Mich.

John and Alice Wagner began the tradition over ten years ago when they gave the first gifts to a few homes in the Glenwood community. The first gift bags contained a single loaf of bread and a letter from their Adventist Church neighbors. This year, the bags contained not only the letters and loaves of wheat bread, but also sweet breads, cookies, fruit, and books.

Students from the Glenwood Union Elementary School packaged a record number 175 gift bags in the church's fellowship hall on the Friday before distribution. Following the Sabbath fellowship dinner, maps identifying assigned routes were distributed to six teams made up of church members and visitors.

In addition to distributing the gifts to their community neighbors, they also delivered to the homes of former members and elderly friends of the church. As the members delivered the bags to their neighboring families, several recipients expressed their gratitude and commented that they look forward to the gift bags every year.

This annual day of giving during the hectic Christmas season unites church members and acts as a gentle reminder that the church is there to serve the community.

Doris Manly, Glenwood communication secretary