If you’ve heard me teach more than ten times, you’ve no doubt heard me tell the story about walking to school in the driving snow with nothing but a cold biscuit to eat. I emphasize the word story as that’s what it is…a teaching story to drive home a point. I did walk to school, but not every day, and never in the rain, and most certainly never in a driving snowstorm. It rarely snowed in Birmingham, and when it did, school was closed and the grocery store shelves were totally devoid of milk, bread and biscuits. I grew up middle-class, and knew I had it better than a lot of kids. I knew poor kids, but I wasn’t one of them.
Poor kids still exist. Georgia has an overall child poverty rate of 27% with Gwinnett County registering 20%. It’s being reported that these numbers are inching up each year. JCBC has become deeply involved in the work of Norcross Cooperative Ministries, and in the process, we have seen what life is like for the hundreds of children who live on or below the poverty line in that portion of the county. It’s not uncommon for families to go without food for days at a time. It’s not unusual to find families living in cars. This is a rough go for adults, but when you realize how many kids are caught up in this harsh cycle, it’s absolutely heartbreaking. We now contribute people and resources to ensure that no one goes hungry in that area, especially the children.
Recently, we heard that there were more kids than available Christmas presents last December at the Norcross Coop Christmas store. This is an issue we can remedy. No child should go without a Christmas present, if we can help it, and we can most certainly keep this from occurring again. JCBC has agreed to engage in a special toy drive for children 14-18 years of age. We have been asked to supply specific gifts and they are listed below. Please bring a gift and drop if off at the front desk or in your Sunday School room. Our deadline is September 14.
- Soccer or Basketball
- Board or Card Games
- Headphones
- Perfume/Cologne Sets
Kids without Christmas presents? Not on our watch!
Michael McCullar
Formations Pastor
Johns Creek Baptist Church