By Amanda Boston
As the commercialization of Christmas competes for our hearts this holiday season, Bell Shoals Baptist Church invites the community to center on the reason for the season—the birth of Jesus Christ. The church will be offering multiple events on its Brandon campus to help you celebrate the Savior’s birth through December.
On Saturday, December 2 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Bell Shoals will host a ‘Surviving the Holidays’ workshop for those experiencing grief through loss. This workshop provides various tools to process their loss and cope over the holidays. The workshop will include lunch.
The Bell Shoals Worship Ministry will conduct its annual Christmas production, The Wonder of Jesus Through One Man’s Eyes, on Friday, December 8 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, December 9 and Sunday, December 10 at 6 p.m. The show features Bell Shoals’ 175-person adult choir, a 35-piece orchestra and an 8-piece rhythm section.
Bell Shoals is also participating in Gift of Hope, a multi-church outreach providing 800 families in the greater Brandon area with food items to prepare a holiday meal and an opportunity to ‘shop’ for toys for their children. The distribution dates are Thursday, December 14 and Friday, December 15 from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. and Saturday, December 16 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at the First Baptist Church of Brandon, located at 216 N. Parsons Ave.
Debbie Weisemann is the Gift of Hope team leader for Bell Shoals and said, “It’s just a special opportunity to share the love of Jesus with others. We need volunteers to help with gift wrapping or to be personal shoppers to help those ‘shopping’ for their child.”
On Tuesday, December 19 at 5:30 p.m., Bell Shoals will present a senior adult dinner titled ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas.’ The dinner is for those who are 60 years and older. The evening will include food, fun and fellowship in a Charlie Brown themed atmosphere.
Leading up to Christmas, Bell Shoals will be handing out a devotional booklet titled, The Christmas Code by O. S. Hawkins during its Sunday worship services. The booklet celebrates the Advent season and helps you stay focused on the true meaning of Christmas.
On Sunday, December 24 at 9:15 a.m. and 11 a.m., the church will hold its Christmas Eve services with a message from Senior Pastor Dr. Stephen Rummage titled Christmas in Heaven.
For more information on all these events and more, please contact the church at 689-4229 or visit www.bellshoals.com/brandon. Bell Shoals Baptist Church is located at 2102 Bell Shoals Rd in Brandon.
