FIRST FRUITS

A practical program for helping church members connect with local social organizations that solicit Christmas items for the needy.

First Fruits is a great way to involve all ages in ministry and mission during the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons.

By November many adults are already thinking about Christmas. Most congregations and families are eager to find ways to help others have a meaningful and happy Christmas. After all, it’s the season of hope and giving! First Fruits is a creative program that connects persons and groups within your church to existing helping organizations in your community.

First Fruits Festival
Launch First Fruits with a Sunday evening festival. Arrange for a light supper for the attendees, and invite representatives from the helping organizations in your area. Before the festival, ask the representative from each helping organization to be prepared to offer a "brief" (3-5 minutes) description of 1-3 ways persons or groups in your church could be involved during the holiday season. Also invite the representatives to bring photos, brochures, etc. to provide on a table. It is important that concrete options for action be available. If possible, collect the options for action on a summary page, and make this available to the attendees of the festival.

Then, after the presentations are complete, allow time for attendees to wander from table to table, talking and asking questions of the representatives.

Distribute commitment cards to the attendees, and ask them to return them to the church office in the next 2 weeks. The cards offer two options: to be a "First Fruit Family" or to be a "First Fruit Friend".

• First Fruits Families
Families come in all shapes, from a single person to a family with children and grandparents in the same home. First Fruits Families commit to participate in the efforts of one of the helping organizations during this year’s holiday season.

• First Fruits Friends
Churches have a wide variety of groups within their congregations. Sunday School classes, missions organizations, youth groups, and others. First Fruits Friends are groups that together commit to participate in the efforts of one of the helping organizations during this year’s holiday season.

As commitment cards arrive in the church office, collect the information and share commitments in a worship bulletin insert, or the church bulletin. If you do not wish to share names, simply state that "to date, fifteen families are participating in Toys for Tots Christmas Collection." The point is to find ways to keep the First Fruits effort in front of the congregation during November and December.

• First Fruits Fellowship
In January, hold another Sunday night fellowship. This time, invite certain families or organizations to share a bit about the programs in which they participated, and what they felt they learned through the experience. Provide refreshments and make the evening one of celebration and thankfulness.

General Tips
• It is perfectly acceptable to choose one helping organization to support during the season. Simply tailor the events and promotion to support this single effort. For smaller communities, this may be especially helpful.
• Involve children and youth through their families, and also through Sunday School classes, missions education organizations, or youth group efforts – whichever makes more sense in your setting. Make sure youth and children have a voice in the final celebration fellowship. Their experiences and insights may surprise you!
• Help the congregation see missions efforts as also being important learning opportunities. As we serve, we learn about ourselves and the spirit of giving that is at the heart of the Gospel.