The aim of Love Your Neighbour is to live out the example set by Jesus in Matthew 22:39 to love our neighbours as ourselves, particularly through offering practical care and hope to the most vulnerable in our communities. Last year thousands of Churches and local organisations across the nation joined together to deliver over 770,000 ‘parcels of hope’ as part of the national Love Christmas initiative.
Love Christmas is back again this year with the aim to give away 1 million ‘bags of kindness’ to spread the message that we stand with our communities through this incredibly hard season of Coronavirus. There is power in receiving an unexpected gift, especially when it is given with love and care.
The aim of the Love Christmas initiative is for each recipient of a bag of kindness to feel the warmth of human connection and know that they are not alone. For Love Christmas this year St Thomas are partnering with the local charities English+ and New Routes to give out 140 Christmas Gift parcels to our refugee and asylum-seeking neighbours here in Norwich. Each parcel will be filled with lots of goodies and gifts and we would love for any help in reaching our target this year!
Emma Stonehouse, who helped to organise and packed the Christmas parcels last year said: “I absolutely loved being part of the Christmas parcels project last year. It was such a privilege to be part of something that blessed so many and gave me a practical way to show Gods love to people.”
If you would like to join us in spreading love and care to our refugee neighbours, we are looking for donations of the following items:
- Hot Water Bottles
- Small Notebooks and Pens
- Small Colouring Books
- Box of Biscuits/Chocolates
- Family-Friendly Game e.g Dobble, Bananagrams, Snakes and Ladders, Uno, Dominoes, Pick Up Sticks
- Toiletry Gift Sets
- Hand Soap
- Shower Gel
- Body Moisturiser
Donations can be dropped off before Friday 3rd December during opening hours at; Mitre Cafe or Sanctuary Coffee
You can also sponsor a parcel. Each parcel will cost approx £25 to fill with all the goodies. If you would like to sponsor a parcel or give however much you feel you can, please click here and select the ‘English+ Christmas Parcels’ fund.
