Big Wrap

Real Life Story: Churches in Macclesfield worked together to organise a Big Wrap.

Each church team took turns on a rota across a number of the busiest shopping days approaching Christmas.

Rhona Marshall takes up the story...

We really had a GREAT time, we wrapped approx 40 gifts an hour during the lunch time then it went quieter and we had a steady flow till 4pm on Wednesday and 8pm on Thursday.

It was quite amazing how some people just could NOT accept some thing FREE and gave us a donation. We bought more ribbons and bows and replaced the batteries in the C.D. player.

I want to encourage everyone that we REALLY had a good time, some of the young people had bought gifts for their Mum or Dad came to have them wrapped. Their eyes lit up with excitement as the team wrapped the gift and put bows and ribbon on. They commented at how they would never of been able to wrap a gift like that. One man said his wife would know he hadn't wrapped it. A few disabled people had gifts wrapped, they said how grateful they were as they knew their fingers wouldn't have been able to have wrapped them.

Some people came straight out of Argos and had gifts wrapped, we had a few LARGE GIFT challenges.

We gave away over 500 leaflets advertising the United Big Deal Carol Service in just 3 hours. Pip thankfully came to the rescue with another 600. On Thursday we gave at least 700 leaflets out. This means we should have plenty of support at the Leisure Centre on Thursday night. Thank goodness God knows the capacity.

The Grosvenor Shopping Centre Staff have been very obliging and we stored the 2 tables, the balloons and all our paper and boxes over night in their offices.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for helping to make so many people very happy this Christmas.

Please, once again thank your congregations for their support, we all had so much fun, it was great meeting other Christians from different Churches and working together to show LOVE at Christmas.

Many people went the EXTRA mile and stayed longer than they had to.

Rhona continues after more sessions the following week...

Last week I wrote and gave you some testimonies. Once again during Wed & Thur this week we had more events to praise God for.

We wrapped a few hundred gifts over the 2 days. One was for a blind lady who was VERY grateful.
A lady left her gift to be wrapped and forgot to pick it up. She got home and remembered later in the day where she had left it, on her return she was very grateful for the beautifully wrapped gift and felt it was all worth it.

Another man told me all about how he became a Christian as a young man, he had been on an Alpha course years ago and wanted to be a Priest but sadly had a bad (verbal) experience with a Pastor of his local Church, he turned his back on Christianity, God and all we stood for. I was able to talk to him about forgiveness and how the rest of his life was very important, he said he still prayed and would think about what I had said.

A few young ladies had a laugh with us and all 6 of them had a gift wrapped, they couldn't get over the fact it was all FREE.

A lady who was dashing through the Centre to her Staff Christmas Party was very grateful to have 2 gifts wrapped (we didn't have anyone at the tables so had time to do 2 for her) she felt we had really helped her as she was very anxious 36yrs old. She told me she had been signed off work with stress, we had a little chat and she felt so much better.

Another lady told me she had lost all her confidence since she had retired and was so grateful to be able to have her parcel wrapped and that we had time to chat.

A real tear jerker for me came right at the end of our last day, It was nearly time to pack up, a man walked past with a lady in a wheel chair (approx 38yrs old) I asked if we could help her by wrapping a few gifts, she said she loved wrapping presents BUT this year couldn't do it. All the volunteers where standing looking at her, I told her we all wanted to help, so she gave us her gifts.It turned out she had been in a bad car accident, she had been in a coma, had broken her femur and had a metal rod in her leg, her rib cage had been crushed and gone into her lung. I really had to breath deeply when she was talking to me as I realised how blessed we are.
The husband was so grateful and wanted to put money into our Ribbon and bow box.

As I said before many people can't handle FREE and I was able to give Pip over £40 that had been donated to us.

These are just a few testimonies, there are many more.

Read the Macclesfield Express Press Article...