Bags of Hope

In a nutshell

In Glasgow a local church sent out Bags of Hope – bags full of food and drinks – to individuals and families in various parts of the city. This was not a ministry only to the poor but a message of hope to friends, neighbours and colleagues of church members. Quality items were brought in to a storehouse ready for the bags to be filled. The colourful bags, labelled with the tagline ‘Jesus adds colour to the season’ were filled with the groceries then some Christmas crackers and a copy of The Gift of Hope (see Resources for more details). Church members registered how many bags they would like to fill and distribute, and others donated financially so that the church could give Bags of Hope to members of the local community. Each mother at the weekly mothers and toddlers group also received a bag. In all, nearly 150 Bags of Hope were distributed and the message of hope touched many families.

The Outcome

Here are what some families had to say:   ‘I couldn’t believe that a Church would do something like this.’   ‘When I gave one lady the bag and explained it was a free gift from the church, she began to cry and said she really needed hope this year. I cried, too.’   ‘Money is tight and the things in the bag were all the things I needed. It’s like everything was hand-picked for me.’   At a time when many were losing jobs and were uncertain about the future, God used this initiative to help men, women and children in this community find hope in Jesus Christ.