Missions in Action
A blog by DFUMC Missions Committee.
This is how God used two adult Sunday school classes at DFUMC to be the hands and feet of Christ and make an impact on the kingdom of God. Sharon Lauman works with Dream Central Chattanooga, a ministry that goes into the prison and ministers and adopts former inmates and their families to prevent recidivism through Jesus Christ. On Sunday, November 26th, the Seekers and Open Table Sunday School classes joined together to pack care bags for this ministry. This is the story of the impact these bags have had on the Kingdom of God, as written by Sharon Lauman.
This is how God used 70 Christmas bags for ladies incarcerated at Catoosa County Jail packed by the Sunday school classes. This is all the inmate gets for Christmas. The bag included candy, cakes, cookies, pretzels, pad and pencil, salvation message and a letter from Pastor Steven and songs and lyrics to Joy to the World and Silent Night. Pastor Steven’s letter invited them to write to Him and 2 inmates have written him back. Go God!!! One letter in Spanish and the other in English. One inmate said her mother died right before Christmas and how touched she was by the letter and the bag of goodies. Go God!!! 70 ladies in jail knew someone cared about them and they were not forgotten and felt the love of God and that they mattered. My hope and dream has always been that they all come to the Lord on Christmas and all sing Silent Night and Joy to the World. That is what Jesus wants for Christmas.
This is how God used the 3D Christmas tree, 3D nativity and the nativity masks cut out by the Sunday school classes for ladies incarcerated at Hamilton County Jail and Detention Center. December 8 was the last day ministries were allowed to go in before Christmas. I contacted the Chaplain about the things I was bringing in and if I could drop it off so it could checked for fentanyl, because it is coming in on paper. She never responded but I took them with me anyway hoping they could have them later. But God showed up and showed out. The chaplain said yes and gave us the biggest room because we had crafts and we had a record of 21 women. Another miracle is each inmate received either a 3D nativity, 3D Christmas tree and nativity masks and we had just enough PTL!!
Each lady was so excited they could color and decorate them and they had something for Christmas because they are so lonely on Christmas. In the beginning the ladies were kind of wild yelling and screaming but when we started reading the Christmas story from Matthew, Luke and Isaiah the spirit of God came down upon the place and a peace and love that surpasses all understanding came in the room they all calmed down and were quiet started crying and 8 ladies came to the Lord or rededicated their lives to the Lord. I will never be able to thank you enough for all you did and how God used this to touch the lives of these ladies because they felt seen, they felt like they mattered and someone thought about them and on Christmas they could have a Christmas tree or nativity and act out the Christmas story on Christmas. Wow God is so good.
The last way God used they Sunday school classes to impact the kingdom of God was packing bags for our Christmas Cookie decorating event at Shepherd Hills apartment complex for kids at risk. A special thanks to Tiffany our cook for the cookies she cooked for the event they were perfect!!! The event lasted from 2:30 and they stayed until 5 and we had 45 kids.
God put in on my heart to give them Christmas bags all pointing to Him. The bag included baby Jesus painted on a stone, animated Christmas story tract with moving images, Christmas story comic book, candy cane with candy cane story and candy cane pen, ltty bitty nativity coloring book, water color, crayons, blank puzzle, and activity sheet and a pad. These kids received this right before the Christmas break so they could write draw create their own puzzle and dare to dream. These kids know they are loved and also I gave one mom nativity masks to do a play for the apartment complex.
We are hoping these kids will never go to jail and all know Jesus!!
This article was published in the February 2024 edition of the Missions on the Move newsletter.