Posts Tagged ‘Christmas’
Downloadable Gift Card: Give in Honor of Someone You Love this Holiday Season
What kind of present do you get for the friend or family member who has it all? This year, we have an answer! With this downloadable gift card, give in honor of your loved one to World Relief Chicagoland. You will gain the knowledge that your gift is making a life-changing difference for an immigrant or refugee. And by giving in honor of your friend or family member, you will both know that, together, you are helping to change lives for the long-term.
How to Give in Honor of Your Loved One
1. Give Online
To give in honor of your friend or family member, first, choose your amount and donate online. Whatever the amount, you will know that your gift is making a lasting impact on an immigrant or refugee in a vulnerable situation this holiday season!
2. Download A Gift Card
We created a special gift card for you to download and send to your loved ones – or leave under the tree on Christmas morning! With this card, you can show them the impact they will be making through the gift you gave in their honor. Not only is this a meaningful way to show your loved ones that you are thinking of them, but they will be inspired by how together, we are helping immigrant and refugee families to thrive!
Download Your Gift Card Now
3. Print & Fold Your Gift Card
How to fold your card:
First, fold the paper in half.
Next, fold in half horizontally.
Finally, Write your personal message inside and give to your loved one!
*If you find that upon printing, the gift card is off-center, please check your print settings and adjust to “default” mode.
Thank you for giving to help immigrants and refugees rebuild their lives and seize a brighter future!
Made for Change Gift Guide
At World Relief, we believe that every single one of us is made for change — both in our own lives and in communities across the globe. This holiday season, we’ve created a list of companies and products that embody our commitment to change in our Made for Change Gift Guide.
Each of these companies is committed to serving those in vulnerable situations by partnering with World Relief. When you purchase a gift from this gift guide, you’ll not only support the work of World Relief, but you’ll be investing in small businesses across the U.S as well.
So what are you waiting for? Shop the gift guide, and create the change you know you were made for.
prettyinside.
For the woman (or man!) in your life that wants their outside to shine as brightly as their inside, pick up a few face masks from Musee Bath’s newest line, prettyinside.
Prettyinside is built on the belief that all women are beautiful, that they are created in the image of God and that beauty is more than skin deep. Empower the women in your life to take a look in the mirror and channel their inner strength, courage and beauty. All prettyinside products are sourced with the best plant-based ingredients for your skin. The packaging is 100% recyclable, and a portion of all sales go to support refugee women through the work of World Relief.
“World Relief is one of the foremost organizations addressing the needs [of refugees], and because this is a beauty brand and it’s targeted to women, I wanted to work with somebody that worked a lot with women and children. We are incredibly excited to be partnering with World Relief are so thankful for the work they do that makes a difference in the lives of so many women around the world.” – Leisha Pickering, founder
Pen + Pillar
For the writer and kind-hearted giver in your life, shop owners Taylor and Justin have created a series of notebooks, greeting cards and art prints that your loved one is sure to enjoy. Each gift is inspired by Taylor and Justin’s love of nature, travel, community and warmth. A portion of each purchase goes to support World Relief!
InSenseUSA
For the people in your life who need to indulge in a little self-care, InSenseUSA is your go-to shop. This collection of candles, soaps and bath bombs are all handcrafted with love in Wheaton, Illinois.
Shopowner Al Alsaadi and his parents fled their home in Iraq several years ago and were eventually resettled in the U.S. They got connected with World Relief, and with hard work and a resilient spirit, they rebuilt their live in the Chicago suburbs. Al is now a design engineer, part-time college professor and small business owner. He’s excited to give back to World Relief because of how much he feels World Relief has given to him.
“I am excited to give to World Relief simply because I wouldn’t be here, and I would not succeed in my life without World Relief. From the first day I came to the States up until to this moment — of having my own small business — Word Relief is on my side helping me. We are in this life to change someone’s life. We might be planning on doing it or not, but if we stop for a minute and think through it, we might have changed someone’s life just by smiling and saying good morning.” -Al Alsaadi
When You Can’t Go Home
This beautiful book is perfect for the avid reader and art lover in your life. Seattle-based artist Karisa Keasey spent two years interviewing refugees and painting portraits to accompany their stories. She combined the artwork and stories in this stunning book you can purchase on her website. 50% of the profits will be donated to World Relief.
“These are tough times right now and we are all in need of healing. Healing happens in community, and community happens by pouring into others. World Relief embodies this community and knows what it is like to walk alongside some of the most vulnerable.” – Karisa Keasey
Refugee Bath Co.
Love. Energy. Nourish. Soothe. These are just a few of the words used to describe the bath bombs from Refugee Bath Co. whose mission is to provide opportunities for refugees in Washington to thrive.
Give the gift of fun and indulgence to a special friend or family member in your life, and why not throw an extra bath bomb set in the cart for yourself? When you enjoy these products, you make a difference in the lives of refugee women and men in the United States, as a portion of their profits are donated to refugee support services.
Hawa Images
Not sure what to get your parents or grandparents? How about a family photoshoot? Mark a special moment in your life with a photo package from Illinois-based photography studio, Hawa Images. Studio owner Roxanne Engstrom believes in the power of story to inspire people to empathy and action and donates a portion of her proceeds to World Relief. Roxanne is now booking for 2021.
“I believe welcome is part of who God intends His people to be and partnering with World Relief continues to expand my view of the world and our interconnectedness with one another. We are made to be molded and changed by God and one another. I see a clearer and fuller picture of the kingdom of God from my friends who have been on the immigrant and refugee journey, and I am so thankful to learn from and with them. “
– Roxanne Engstrom
The Path Membership
Give the gift that keeps on giving. For the person in your life who is passionate about advocacy, justice and fighting back against poverty, violence and oppression, gift a membership to The Path — World Relief’s monthly giving community.
The Path community is committed to advocating for people in vulnerable situations and doing whatever it takes to see our world transformed. Through their gifts each month, Pathmakers create welcoming communities and provide vital services for refugees and other immigrants; they reduce early marriages and support women’s empowerment initiatives across the globe; they build resilience and create lasting change in communities around the world, and so much more.
Gift The Path and spread the gift of lasting change.
Amazon Smile
Did you know your Amazon purchases can support World Relief? They can through Amazon Smile! Every time an Amazon Smile customer makes a purchase, 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases will be donated to a charity of your choice.
If you can’t find what you’re looking for from one of the amazing businesses in this gift guide, or if you’re already shopping on Amazon, then follow the steps below to shop on Amazon Smile and Amazon will donate to World Relief on your behalf:
Visit smile.amazon.com and sign in to/register for your account
Type World Relief Corp. of National Association of Evangelicals as your selected charity
As you shop, be sure you’re using smile.amazon.com to make purchases (the same products are available on smile.amazon.com as on amazon.com or the mobile app).
Rachel Clair serves as a Content Writer at World Relief. With a background in creative writing and children’s ministry, she is passionate about helping people of all ages think creatively and love God with their hearts, souls and minds.
A Season of Lasting Change
On Christmas Eve, we celebrate and anticipate the birth of Jesus.
A thousand years before Christ was born, the Israelite elders approached the prophet Samuel and asked him to appoint them a king. They saw a king as the solution to all of their problems as a nation.
But God knew a king wouldn’t solve the deeply entrenched and longstanding issues their nation was facing. Poverty, violence and oppression — these things and more plagued Israel, just as they plague our world today. God knew that if he was going to bring real and lasting change, he’d need to do something radical, something unexpected, something that would uproot the sin that caused so much suffering and grow into a global movement.
That something was Jesus.
This Christmas, we’ve been celebrating the lasting change God brought to us through Jesus. He weeds out and redeems the sin in our own lives and invites us to join him in creating lasting change in the lives of others.
Those of you who have been journeying with us through our Christmas Devotional know that change that lasts often starts small, but it rarely stays that way. Change that lasts takes time. It grows deep roots, then spreads to impact others. Jesus understood this far better than the rest of us, and this holiday season, we celebrate him as Immanuel, God with us.
If you haven’t yet, we invite you to join us in our study of lasting change throughout scripture. Download the Change That Lasts Christmas Devotional and invite God to show you what lasting change he wants to do in and through you.
Merry Christmas!
Rachel Clair serves as a Content Writer at World Relief. With a background in creative writing and children’s ministry, she is passionate about helping people of all ages think creatively and love God with their hearts, souls and minds.
Christmas Gift Guide
This holiday season, we’re celebrating change that lasts. Every day, we hear stories of lasting change as people like you step forward to create communities of love and welcome in the U.S., and as churches across the globe step up to serve vulnerable people around them.
We know you care about refugees, immigrants and vulnerable people, and we know you want your gifts to friends and family to be special. That’s why this Christmas, we’ve created a fun, tangible way for you to serve people in need while also giving your friends and family a meaningful gift they’ll love: our Christmas Gift Guide.
Each product and/or company in this guide supports refugees and other immigrants in vulnerable situations through advocacy, employing refugees or donating a portion of their proceeds to World Relief.
From books to candles, and everything in between, there’s sure to be something for everyone on your list. Create change that lasts this Christmas by shopping our gift guide today!
When You Can’t Go HomeÂ
This beautiful book is perfect for the avid reader and art lover in your life. Seattle-based artist Karisa Keasey spent two years interviewing refugees and painting their portraits. She combined the stories and artwork into a stunning book you can purchase on her website. 50% of the profits will be donated to World Relief.
Pen + Pillar
For the writer and kind-hearted giver in your life, shop owners Taylor and Justin have created a series of notebooks, greeting cards and art prints that your loved one is sure to enjoy. Each gift is inspired by Taylor and Justin’s love of nature, travel, community and warmth. Pine and Pillar also donates 10% of their profits to World Relief!
Anchor of Hope Box
For the person who loves getting surprised every month, this subscription box is the perfect match. Founded by a World Relief volunteer, Anchor of Hope Box supports refugees and other vulnerable people around the world by giving them a platform to sell their products and make an income. Purchase the monthly subscription box or shop the online store for jewelry, household items and more.
Welcoming the Stranger
This gift is perfect for the activist and fervent learner in your life. Written by World Relief’s Jenny Yang and Matt Soerens, Welcoming the Stranger moves beyond political rhetoric to offer a Christian response to refugees and immigrants. This book provides insight into the U.S. immigration system and policy analysis alongside real-life stories from displaced people in the U.S.
Hawa Images
Need to update your Christmas card photo? Not sure what to get your grandparents or in-laws for Christmas? Then Illinois-based photography studio, Hawa Images, is for you! “Hawa” is a Swahili word meaning “these.” Hawa Images is about sharing stories of these people: near or far, foreign or familiar, similar or seemingly different. A portion of the proceeds each month goes to support World Relief.
Knotty Tie
Need a gift for the men in your life? Knotty tie has got you covered! This small-batch manufacturing company employs refugees resettled in the United States and creates playful yet professional neckties, bow ties and pocket squares.
Vickery Trading Co.
For the person who loves handmade clothing for children, this shop will deliver. Vickery Trading Co. supports women refugees in the Dallas area by teaching them to sew, then employing them to make stylish clothing and accessories for women and children. All refugees receive a living wage while also having access to mentoring and counseling services. Shop their collection and support refugees in Dallas.
RefuTea
Calling all tea enthusiasts! RefuTea is an eCommerce based social enterprise that aims to bridge the gap between refugee resettlement and integration by employing refugees to package and serve their teas. All their teas are ethically sourced and naturally flavored. Ten percent of sales at the end of each quarter are donated to refugee resettlement efforts in the Greater Grand Rapids Michigan area.
Three Pines Collective
Bring the spa into your home with specialty soaps and scrubs by Three Pines Collective. Founded by three friends who have a heart to serve refugees in their community, Three Pines Collective sells handmade lotions, scrubs, paper goods and more. Send them a message on Facebook or Instagram, or email them at collectivepinesthree@gmail.com, to place your online order. 75% of every sale goes to support World Relief!
Rachel Clair serves as a Content Writer at World Relief. With a background in creative writing and children’s ministry, she is passionate about helping people of all ages think creatively and love God with their hearts, souls and minds.
Webinar on The Church and the Refugee | Refugee Crisis
Learn from Gabe Lyons (Q Ideas) as he speaks with Rich Stearns (World Vision U.S., CEO), and Stephan Bauman (World Relief, CEO) about how the church must play a key role in engaging in the current Middle East refugee crisis. This webinar explores core issues behind the headlines surrounding the U.S. refugee program and potential security concerns, and provides perspectives on and presents a clear call to the Church to raise its voice as one this Christmas.
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A Warm Welcome for Refugees This Christmas | We Welcome Refugees
Christmas, it’s one of the most celebrated times of year in the US. With millions of people traveling to visit family, trees on display, and gift exchanges with loved ones, churches across the country will overflow with visitors as they remember the glorious and scandalous birth of Jesus Christ. But many of our neighbors have significant needs this Christmas season, making the most wonderful time of the year, as the song goes, a bit daunting.
Through partnering with churches and volunteers, World Relief helped 7,948 refugees resettle in the US this year. Having fled their country from war, persecution, or natural disaster, World Relief comes alongside these new neighbors to make sure the first few months of transitioning to this new culture are as seamless as possible. In light of this and the truth of Jesus Christ’s gospel message, Christians around the country have responded to the call to welcome the stranger (Matthew 25:35).
In Fort Worth, Texas, more than 25 volunteers recently hosted a Coats & Cocoa event that provided winter items to over 350 refugees. After distributing the coats, volunteers got to visit the refugee families to share hot cocoa and sing Christmas carols – sharing some of the cheerful American traditions with their new neighbors who might have never experienced these before. One refugee kept saying, “Praise God! Praise God!” when coats were given to her family.
With an overabundance of winter gear donations for the event, Fort Worth will be able to provide for the needs of refugees that will be resettled in the coming months as well. This is another great example of the local church doing what Jesus did – sharing God’s love through tangible provision, relationship and compassion.
Join us as we continue to welcome families from all over the world to celebrate this cherished and treasured season.
For more information on how you can get involved in welcoming refugees, please contact your local World Relief office. Visit https://worldrelief.org/us-offices.
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