Ang e l Tr e e A Church Coordinator s Guide For Angel Tree Table of Contents The Real Meaning of Angel Tree............................2 Resource Kit..................................2 Angel Tree Guidelines...........................3 Sharing the Gospel with the Child of a Prisoner.................4 Four Key Responsibilities..................................7 I. Determine Where You Will Share the Gospel.............7 II. Order Gospel Materials.............................8 III. Pray............................................9 IV. Present the Gospel................................10 Prison Fellowship gratefully acknowledges Emmett Cooper, Ph.D. and Joyce M. Dinkins, MACI, for their insights and editorial input. Angel Tree, a program of Prison Fellowship, focuses on transformation in the lives of the children of inmates and fostering reconciliation between the child, incarcerated parent, and family through the ministry of the local church.
The Real Meaning of Angel Tree Angel Tree is not just about delivering Christmas gifts to the children of prisoners. It s really a ministry where you and your church have the opportunity to share the Gospel with these very special children. The Christmas gifts purchased and delivered by your church gives you the chance to demonstrate God s love and personally share about Jesus. When you humbly share God s love, God s gift of Jesus, and when appropriate invite a child to receive the gift of salvation, you will then fulfill the real meaning of Angel Tree. Church volunteers, sharing the gift of salvation that s what makes Angel Tree totally different from other Christmas gift programs. Whether you present the Gospel message at a special Angel Tree party, open house, or when delivering gifts to children s homes, the greatest gift you will deliver is the truth about the love relationship that each child can have with God through Jesus Christ. The excitement, timing, place, and planning for the delivery of gifts to the children could overshadow the true reason for your efforts. However, this Church Guide provides you with practical ways to ensure that the real purpose of Angel Tree sharing the Gospel is fulfilled. to put in pocket or purse, reminding volunteers how to briefly share the Gospel. The Angel Tree Resource Catalog shows the Gospel materials your church can order and present to children. Please safely store your Resource Kit and the ministry materials you order where you will be able to access them once you re ready to begin promoting Angel Tree in your church. Angel Tree Guidelines While it is important that every church feels free to personalize the details of Angel Tree, these basic guidelines should be used: It is up to God to set the place and time when a child receives Him. Your task is to use the occasion of giving a gift to sow the seed (Matthew 13:3). Receiving Jesus is the work of the Holy Spirit. Prayer, preparation, and a sensitive, faith-filled heart matter most in sharing the Gospel with a child (See Matthew 19:14, John 6:44, Ephesians 2:8-9). Each child is to receive an Angel Tree booklet, Bible, or other resource. Prison Fellowship has provided your church with Resource Kit the endorsed Angel Tree Resource Catalog that lists ageappropriate, culturally sensitive, and high quality resources suitable This Church Guide describes the step-by-step process for preparing you for sharing with a child in either a home or group setting. Please and your church to share the Gospel with your Angel Tree children. The order the necessary materials for the children you ve committed to entire Resource Kit Church Guide, Video, serving well in advance of your planned delivery date. pocket aids and Resource Catalog is the toolbox for All Gospel materials are from you and your church and not the encouraging and educating every volunteer in this unique ministry. prisoner parent or caregiver. The responsibility for sharing the The Angel Tree Video inspires and lets volunteers Gospel and distributing these materials is with your church and not see the easy sequence of steps to use, as described in this guide. the caregiver. Never assume the faith tradition of a caregiver, until The Greatest Gift of All Pocket Aid gives volunteers quick notes she or he tells you. 2 3
Sharing the Gospel with the Child of a Prisoner Sharing the Gospel with any child requires special care and sensitivity. As your church prepares for Christmas and for sharing the Gospel with the children of prisoners, it is very important to understand the following: The way that a child of a prisoner sees life, and in turn the way they may hear the Gospel presentation, can be very different than what one might expect from a child. The trauma they have experienced may have made it difficult for them to focus, find meaning, or show their feelings. Volunteers should be honest, sincere, and positive. A volunteer s genuine concern, unconditional love, and smile can begin to bring healing. The home may be a stressful environment for the child and the family. Court appearances, prison visits, financial strains, frequent relocations, and interpersonal tensions all test a family to the breaking point. If there has been drug or alcohol abuse, neglect, or physical abuse, stress at home is greatly increased. Volunteers individual and group prayer times prior to meeting with children and their caregivers will strengthen, calm, and keep them relying upon God. Most children with a father in prison live with their mothers. If mom is behind bars, they often live with a grandmother, other relatives, family friends, or in a foster home. When speaking about God, especially God the Father, a child s thoughts and feelings may span a wide range, including feelings associated with grief over a missing earthly father. Volunteers can allow children to honestly express themselves while volunteers express positive truths about God. Children need to know that their Heavenly Father, God, is different than any human being and that He is altogether good. More than other children, a prisoner s child is apt to misbehave or feel anti-social as a result of a parent s imprisonment. Frequently, caregivers must move from place to place to find work or to avoid exclusion. The child may stop trying in school, may separate from friends and become a loner, or retreat from relationships that invite too much intimacy. A child may fear a God that wants to love them despite their actions and behaviors. Volunteers should show respect for caregivers and children. Do not be discouraged. Remain positive. The children of prisoners face other issues. Volunteers need to ask God for an opportunity to share the Gospel, and be sensitive to the leading of His Holy Spirit: Abandonment A child who may have seen a parent taken away in handcuffs feels fear and anger often grounded in the experience of being abandoned. The loss of the parent to a jail or prison stay of several months to many years creates a frightening, unstable, open-ended world, forcing many children to seek safety in inappropriate or unhealthy ways. Feeling left behind evokes ongoing fears of being abandoned left to fend for themselves and figure out life alone. These feelings may play to the fear that God is distant or will abandon them as well. Guilt As with the children of divorce, many children of prisoners feel misplaced guilt that they might in some way be responsible 4 5
for the parent s leaving. Some even develop guilt over the parent s arrest. A child can amplify and project the consequences of their own bad behavior, inferring that they caused the parent to leave. Guilt that has had no relief or forgiveness may cause the child s self esteem to plummet, contributing to fears of inadequacy. A child may not feel he or she can be forgiven. These feelings can be a hindrance to receiving God s love that covers over all our sins. Confusion Children of prisoners may be unaware of their parents whereabouts, knowing neither why they left nor when they will return. Some children, when told where their incarcerated parent is, have difficulty accepting the truth. In either case, confusion contributes to instability, to doubting adult authority, to distrusting other people, discounting little promises, and disbelieving sincere praise or compliments. Your effort to share a message about a God who can t be seen or heard takes special sensitivity to overcome the association with a distant parent. Isolation Many children of prisoners lose, or are denied, contact with their parent behind bars. The isolation may be due to a court order, lack of money to travel, the imprisoned parent s own antisocial behavior or an indifferent or overstressed caregiver. Such isolation can skew a child s appreciation for any authority, whether God s or a parent s. It can mute exposure to healthy role modeling, and stunt maturity. The child may turn inward emotionally, walling off their real feelings and retreating to hide their fears. Shame All too many children of prisoners experience real ostracism, shunning, teasing or hostility at school or in their neighborhoods. The sense of personal shame may manifest itself in several behaviors. Some will turn toward anti-social peers, finding comfort in other outcasts. Some will turn shame into a badge of honor, bragging about the parent s whereabouts and seeking to emulate those behaviors that may have gotten the parent arrested. Some may internalize the shame, harboring deep resentment and hate toward authority figures, desiring to get back or get even. Sharing God s love may require great sensitivity as the above issues may be revealed during volunteers brief encounters with children. A loving smile and soothing words can begin healing for a child who needs to hear God's love expressed in your comforting words and actions. It is because the Gospel has the power and potential for bringing great good to the child of a prisoner that preparation in sharing Jesus is essential. Four Key Responsibilities Angel Tree succeeds when a Church Coordinator leads his or her church in demonstrating Jesus love for the children of prisoners. Your Angel Tree volunteer team can experience the joy of sharing Jesus with a child and encouraging a relationship between the child s caregiver and the church. All of this requires prayer and dedicated work by your volunteer team. The following four key responsibilities should be placed on both your personal and church calendar: I. Determine Where You Will Share the Gospel (Fall) A great experience with Angel Tree begins with the informed support of the pastor and agreement on where the church wants to share the Gospel with the child of a prisoner. Review the materials in the Resource Kit and determine which kind of evangelism experience is right for your church. The three most common are: 6 7
Home Sharing Angel Tree volunteers arrive to deliver the presents at a child s home and ask permission of the caregiver to personally share the Gospel with the child. An age-appropriate, culturally appropriate Gospel resource is talked through with the child and an invitation is given to receive Jesus. Church Open House Caregivers and children are invited to pick up their presents by stopping by an Angel Tree open house, usually held at the church. When the child is given the present, the volunteer, in either a one-on-one or small group setting, shares the Gospel and gives each child a gift from the Angel Tree Resource Catalog. Angel Tree Party Multiple caregiver families and children arrive for a party held at the church. Along with the music and presents, an evangelistic message is given. After the message, Gospel materials are given to each child. The importance of evangelism to the whole Angel Tree experience cannot be overstated. Making a point to brief all your volunteers on the program will ensure both interest and concern for its success. II. Order Gospel Materials (by October) It is strongly recommended that you first choose the kind of evangelism experience you want before you order your Gospel materials. Review the Angel Tree Resource Catalog provided for the kinds of materials most appropriate to your church and the way you will communicate the Gospel. The catalog describes appropriate resources for the children you are likely to serve in your program. Place your order for the materials as early as possible using the phone and/or fax instructions in the catalog. Materials will be shipped directly to your church and should be stored in a secure place, with the rest of your Angel Tree materials. When selecting Gospel materials, the following criteria are among those that should be considered: Whether or not you will be sharing with a group or an individual The ages of the children And their ethnic background It s a good idea to order extra materials in anticipation of other children in the caregiver s house or when other children attend the party or open house. Many families in your church may also request copies of the Gospel materials to share with their own children. III. Pray (October) You and your team of volunteers can make an enormous difference in the effectiveness of the evangelism presentations to the children of prisoners. The decisive difference can be found in your team s commitment to pray for the children and families. While you wait for the Gospel materials to arrive, estimate the number of volunteer participants you will need for your church s evangelism prayer team. With the help of your pastor or appropriate church leaders, identify several individuals from your church you feel will enjoy praying for the children of prisoners in the weeks before Christmas. You may want to call or write to each person, explain the program, and invite him or her to participate. Provide each team member with the names of prisoners children (first names only). Team members agree to pray daily for each child, on the day of your Angel Tree party (or open house), or when gifts are delivered praying with focus, intensity, and expectation. Effective prayer teams also need information and results to encourage their efforts. 8 9
The Sunday prior to the delivery of presents is a great time to remind your church congregation to pray for the children and volunteers. With your pastor s permission, an announcement can be made during the worship services, and in your church bulletin. IV. Present the Gospel (December) Bringing the message of hope to a child can be one of the most memorable things you will do this Christmas season. The basis of that hope is found in what God did through Jesus, almost 2000 years ago. A simple telling of that story, including the use of Scripture, can be all you need to share the love of God with a child. The following steps will help you and your team with your Gospel presentation to a child: Ask God for an open door. Ask that an opportunity to share God s love will present itself. Pray to God for a sensitive heart, for yourself and the child, and the right moment to share His love. Sharing God s love is as natural as asking a question: Do you know what the greatest gift is? Whether the child, or his or her caregiver, says yes or no, you can describe the gift God gave his Son, Jesus. You will want to give the child the Gospel resource materials you brought and, as you do, you can share from the Bible, and from yourself. Ask the child about accepting the gift of Jesus. Ask, Would you like to pray a prayer and ask Jesus to be your friend? There is no need to pressure or force the child to accept the gift of Jesus. For any presentation, it s helpful to use a prayer that simply invites Jesus into the person s life. If the child says yes, you may use one of the following three responses to invite the child to pray: I can read a prayer out loud and you can pray it silently in your heart. Or, I can read a prayer, one line at a time, and you can repeat it out loud after me. Or, You can pray out loud and I ll sit quietly as you talk to Jesus. If the child says no, simply thank him or her for the opportunity to share God s love this Christmas. As you leave, thank God for the privilege of sharing His love with this family and continue to pray for them in the coming days. Home Delivery Guidelines Before delivering gifts in a home, ask the caregiver for permission to speak briefly about the Greatest Gift of All. If there are several children present, you may want to speak with the group and turn to each child one-by-one. The following suggestions will help: Smile! Make eye contact and call family members by name. Be aware of the time, both how long you have been there and what else is planned that day. Be sensitive to the circumstances in the house. Hand the children the Gospel materials. Whenever appropriate, the Gospel can then be shared with adults and children. Never leave gifts or the Gospel materials with a neighbor or on the porch. 10 11
Church Parties Many churches have special programs of Christmas music, pageants, refreshments, or a Christmas meal. At an appropriate point in the program, you may want to gather all the children into a group to hear about The Greatest Gift of All. Consider ordering one of the videos from the Angel Tree Resource Catalog to use in a group presentation of the Gospel. Open House Gospel materials can be distributed at a church open house. Many churches invite caregivers and children to drop by the church for refreshments and to receive the presents. During the open house, ministry teams greet each family, talk with the family to assess their needs, conduct a tour of the church, offer refreshments, and give out brochures and information on the church. The place for a Gospel presentation might be in the sanctuary or near a Christmas tree. Back Up Plan Some Angel Tree families will not attend your party or open house. Contact these families and designate an alternate time and location for them to pick up their gifts and to receive the Gospel materials. Some churches have found that offering transportation to visit a local home, rather than insisting upon home delivery, may provide a very practical way of sharing the Gospel. Thank you for leading this important effort. You are bringing the love of God incarnate to a little one, the least of these (Matthew 25:40). Because of you, many children of prisoners will receive the gift of the Gospel this Christmas. Please don t hesitate to call with any questions at 1-800-55-ANGEL or e-mail info@angeltree.org. 12