This month, most of our campuses organized a seasonal community service effort (Downtown’s coat drive, for example). Here is an update from around the Mars Hill community…

West Seattle

Twenty-six families and community groups participated in Mars Hill West Seattle’s seasonal Adopt-a-Family campaign to provide gifts and necessities for families in need. Nineteen families were adopted for a total of 77 people who were directly impacted by this program.

Lake City

In addition to a regional Adopt-A-Family program, some of Mars Hill Lake City’s community groups banded together to serve at North Helpline to help distribute food during the holidays. The campus has also organized a food drive (through New Year’s Eve) to benefit the local food bank. Finally, Lake City donated items for Child Play’s Silent Auction, contributing to an incredible effort led by local gamer celebrities Penny Arcade that raised over $200,000 for Children’s Hospital.

Shoreline

Mars Hill Shoreline helped fill all of the needs on Richmond Beach Rehab’s annual “giving tree.” Also, after two dedicated members at the campus lost their jobs, various community groups chipped in–with no prompting by Mars Hill staff–to ensure that these families had a great Christmas. Here’s a letter from one of the families:

We would like to thank everyone for the gifts you have given to our family during this season. We are looking forward to an enjoyable Christmas, because of your generosity. God has done far and above what we could have ever imagined, to provide for our family. His grace towards us has been amazing.

That’s just a small taste of the many incredible things Jesus is doing through his people at the Shoreline campus. Read a few more stories over on the Mars Hill Shoreline website.

Here’s to some “healthy competition” between all of our campuses in the New Year…