Christmas in Holston

At Longview United Methodist Church in Wytheville District, the youth handed out free candy canes, hot chocolate, and coffee during the annual Galax parade.

At Friendsville UMC and Union Grove UMC in Maryville District, the two congregations joined in an emotional "Love Feast," commemorating their special connectional bond.

At Mt. Vale/Savannah UMC in Wytheville District, a trailer full of gifts was collected and delivered to Sager Brown Depot for hurricane victims. The district donated the trailer itself to UMCOR.

All over Holston, congregations are observing Christmas in warm and loving ways. We heard about a few of these ministries. Here, we feature two.

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – For 50 years, the United Methodist Men of Trinity United Methodist Church have sold Christmas trees to the community. The primary purpose is to raise money (as much as $2,800) for ministries such as Holston Home for Children and Morgan-Scott Project. But the fundraiser also helps the congregation connect with neighbors. "It helps us to meet folks in the community and to show that we're a friendly church," said Darrell Edmondson, Trinity's UMM vice president. The men started selling trees on Nov. 19, and if they sell as many as in years past, they may end up hoisting 500 prickly evergreens onto car tops or into truck beds. On a recent rainy Saturday, the men cheerfully trimmed trunks and slogged through the lot to serve people who obviously had bought Trinity trees before. "This is a tradition for us," said one customer. "These guys are great."

WISE, Va. – More than 200 children in Holston's boundaries will have Christmas gifts from their incarcerated parents, thanks to at least 11 churches in Tazewell, Big Stone Gap, and Abingdon Districts. The Rev. Lester Frank, pastor of Tazewell District's Buchanan Parish, receives the names of children from Prison Fellowship's Angel Tree ministry (www.pfm.org). Prisoners make requests for gifts and send holiday messages to their children through their chaplains. Then church members in the children's respective towns follow through by purchasing and delivering gifts in the incarcerated parents' names. On a recent Sunday, Frank and his wife, Rosa, shopped for one such child at Walk Right Christian Corner in Wise. The message on the tag, from a father in Coffeewood Correctional Center, will say, "Remember, I always love you. Merry Christmas from Dad."

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