Celebrating Our Gift-Giving God

Christmas reminds us of how giving our God is. For God so loved . . . He gave. His gift-giving is the reason why we give gifts to each other during this season. It is also the reason why we invite you every Christmas to join us in giving to initiatives that are on God’s heart. Our Christmas Gift has two parts: Equipping and Building. This Advent, as we celebrate how Jesus is the long-expected savior that was promised by the prophets of old, we hope you will join us in celebrating His gift by giving joyfully to the causes identified here. If you have children, talk with them about these. Read and pray over each one and ask God to increase your joy in Him this Christmas season as we get the chance to give to others.
-Garrett Spitz, Lead Pastor

Christmas Gift 2020 Brochure (pdf)

Equipping

Building Renovation for ABC School
Beni, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Since its founding in 2014, ongoing rebel activity, an Ebola outbreak, and now the COVID pandemic have put a significant strain on the Academie Bilingue du Congo (ABC) school and its resources. Despite these very real obstacles, ABC has provided over 130 students, 22 staff, and their families with a stable and loving learning community, which remains committed to providing Christian education. The school’s values and excellence set it apart in a very challenging environment. Associate Global Ministry Partners Jon and Kate Shaw have been deeply involved with ABC. The school has recently purchased their own property which will provide increased security and stability, but renovations need to be made. $6,500 will be enough to make the space ready for immediate use.

Building Renovation for Shinshu Community Church
Miyota, Japan

Japan has a reputation for being extremely resistant to the Gospel. It is sometimes referred to as a “missionary graveyard” because of how often people give up after years of ministry without seeing any spiritual fruit. Considering that, our Global Ministry Partners Rob and Yoko Taylor and our Japanese sister-church that they serve with have a great problem. They have outgrown their current building! Shinshu Community Church has already purchased a new larger building that they will be able to continue to grow in through creative outreach events and ministries, but they need to renovate the space to make it ready for use. $5,000 will help them to complete the renovations and move in sooner.

Local Compassion Ministries
Care Net Peninsula, Newsome Bailey Project & Peninsula Rescue Mission

Jesus indicates in Matthew 25 that what we do to the least of these, we do unto Him. There are several great ministries here on the Peninsula that help us to live out this passage in strategic ways. Care Net Peninsula serves moms and saves babies by providing practical help to women facing unplanned pregnancies, the Newsome Bailey Project provides a holistic intervention program in Southeast Newport News to help at-risk students and their families succeed academically and spiritually, and the Peninsula Rescue Mission serves men at the hardest times of their lives by providing shelter, meals, safety, stability, and godly counsel. $7,500 divided evenly between these ministries will assist them in their meaningful service.

Peninsula Fellows Scholarship Fun

Peninsula Fellows is a ministry of the Chapel that helps recent college graduates to connect their nine-to-five work with the eternal work of God and thereby more effectively and joyfully worship the Lord in all they do. It’s a nine-month program hosted here were each fellow spends time working a job, learning through seminary-level courses, and serving in the church. Participating in Fellows costs money and not everyone can afford it. We want to make this incredible opportunity available to a wider and more diverse pool of potential candidates. $3,000 will enable us to start a scholarship fund to cover the costs for future fellows.

Tom and Mabel Kenney’s Year-in-the-Field

Tom and Mabel Kenney (our previous Lead Pastor and his wife) are half-way through a year visiting our Global Ministry Partners, partner churches, and ministries literally all around the world. $3,000 will help to fund that venture as they continue moving east from the Persian Gulf to Central Asia, Papua New Guinea, Japan, Canada, Belgium and finally Scotland. COVID has already rerouted them a few times and may do it again, but these are the stops they hope to make. As we give, pray for them to be the encouragement our partners need, to have wisdom as they offer counsel, and to be prepared for the leadership roles they will assume when the return in August. You may sign-up to receive updates at pccglobalmin.com/year-in-the-field.

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Building

Beyond These Walls Building Fund

Ten years ago, we expanded our building in order to provide needed space for a growing church and school. Through that expansion, God gave us the café, the kitchen, the gym, and the 200-hallway. God has worked in those spaces in powerful ways to help us make disciples who know His joy and change His world. Your giving will help us continue to pay down our current mortgage for that expansion. We want the amazing ministry that is happening in this facility not only to continue, but also to expand beyond these walls, into our hearts, our community, and the world. Once completed, we will be able to make capital investments in other areas.

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Giving Information

Please use one of the Christmas Gift giving envelopes (or a white giving envelope with “Christmas Gift” written on the outside) or give online. You can indicate which emphasis you’d request your gift to be applied to by indicating either ‘Equipping’ (ABC School / Shinshu / Local Compassion / Fellows / Year-in-the-Field) or ‘Building’ (mortgage pay off) on the envelope or website. However, if you give by check, please do not designate specific projects on your actual check. The total amount given to the ‘Equipping’ project group will be allotted among the five projects at the discretion of the elders. If you have questions about giving to the projects, please contact the Chapel office at office@pencomchap.com.

All donations are subject to the guidelines and procedures outlined in Peninsula Community Chapel’s Gift Acceptance Policy. All donations to PCC are completed gifts which will be used, directly or indirectly, to advance the charitable and religious purposes of PCC and will only be received and expended for ministry projects previously budgeted and approved by the Board of Elders, with the donor designated preference among the various ministry projects being honored wherever possible.