Holidays at CVEM

"And Mary said, my soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior..." -Luke 1:46-47

Dear friends,

Above are the opening lines of what is referred to as Mary's Song of Praise: The Magnificat. We are all familiar with Mary's story. God chose her as the literal bearer of the Good News, Jesus. Mary's words in these beautiful verses are prophetic. In verse 53, Mary says, "he has filled the hungry with good things..." We know that there were hungry people when Mary was saying these things. However, Mary trusted that God continues to do the extraordinary. Like Mary, we at CVEM trust that God continues to do the extraordinary.

We have been blessed with generous support from all of you and additional sources of income, but our requests for assistance grow each month. Rising costs plague us all, and even though we have made tremendous strides in our fight against Covid, for some of our neighbors, it is still impacting their lives. Friends, our neighbors are having a hard time.

So, we are writing our appeal letter this year with an invitation for three opportunities for you to invest in this community.

• Direct Service, the heart of CVEM, continues to provide critical support for families and individuals in this region (including Alabama), connecting them to community resources and providing financial assistance for housing, utilities, and essential household goods, as well as primary healthcare needs, transportation, job, and school needs. Grants from the Community Foundation's Coronavirus Response Fund and funds from the Emergency Food and Shelter Program allowed us to extend our outreach, serving thus far 435 families--helping to prevent homelessness for more than half of them--with approximately $100,000 in assistance at the writing of this, an increase over this time last year. Because of the administrative support this ministry receives from participating parishes, every penny you donate to Direct Service goes directly to neighbors in need.
• The Thompson-Anderson-Pound Art Program is a 25-year interfaith art camp for children born out of a vision of Beloved Community. Through TAP's collaborative and creative programming, children, youth, and adults expand their understanding of how valuing diversity fosters a more beautiful and peaceful world. TAP honors the memories of Tom Thompson, in whose memory the program began, and Barbara Pound, whose creativity and love shaped it from the beginning. And now we also honor current director Debbie Anderson, who has guided TAP toward greater inclusion and celebration of community. Your gift to TAP allows us to plan for a bright future that includes in-person and online experiences.
• CVEM holiday cards are available for order again this year. Let us send cards on your behalf to honor and remember loved ones or request packets of 10 cards each to send out on your own. Proceeds from these cards support the ministries of CVEM and perform a valuable outreach and education function, enlightening and blessing the recipients!

You may donate to any of the opportunities above by clicking here.

If you would like to order packs of cards sent to you, indicate below. If we are sending on your behalf, scroll down to complete your mailing list.

Holiday Orders

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Hi! Thanks for your order! We'll be in touch about getting your cards to you!

You can find the Christmas card form below:

Recipient List for Personalized Cards

Your Information

Re-enter your information here so we are sure to match up your requests with your donation.

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Card 1:

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Card 2:

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Card 3:

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Card 4 :

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We have received your recipient list and are happy to send cards on your behalf! Thank you!

Thank you from all of us and we wish you a blessed holiday season!