This was our 9th year to offer this special service in conjunction with Hines, Norton, and Young & Young funeral homes. This was the 2nd year that Life Care Hospice participated. Together, we all reached out to those families in our community who had loved ones pass away during 2010. For the first time, I too was on that list. My grandmother passed this year at the age of 95 and it will be our first Christmas without her. The service took on a whole new meaning for me and was an encouragement to the 80+ guests that were present.
This is one of my favorite services of the year as people come together and build bridges across racial, social, economic, and denominational lines to display the love of Christ to those who are hurting. You see, while some are celebrating at Christmas... others are grieving. To show them that we care... to embrace and encourage them... to remind them of the hope found in Christ... and to help them see their loved one sitting at Jesus feet and celebrating His birthday in His presence is priceless!
I preached on "Frequently Asked Questions About Heaven" and God blessed us with 11 people praying for salvation, 8 renewing their commitment to Christ, 3 desiring information about church membership, and 2 expressing their interest in being baptized. Following the message, we read the names of the deceased, gave beautiful ornaments to the families, and prayed for them. After we dismissed, people stood around weeping, embracing, and encouraging for nearly 30 minutes. It was a good day to be in God's house, and to experience what true ministry is all about.
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