The Chocolate Coin Ministry

Friday December 18

^{Picture: Liz West (Creative Commons)}

They were just simple bags of chocolate coins handed out to children. The kind you can buy in any supermarket or grocers shop around this time of year.

But for the people of St David’s Memorial Park Church, Kirkintilloch, they became a unique and special way of spreading the Christmas message through the community.

Reader Lynne Robertson said: “On December 5 the church was celebrating our Christmas lights going on. The following day, during the all-age part of the service, the minister, Rev Bryce Calder talked about how young people could light up Christmas. After talking about candles, Christmas trees and Christingles, the young people of JAM - Jesus and Me, our equivalent of the Sunday School - and the minister were all set a challenge.

“There are around 20 young people in JAM.

“They were given a bag of chocolate coins each. They were told they could have one each for themselves, but that they had to share the rest of them out to people who could maybe do with a bit of cheering up at Christmas.

“To our delight, the youngsters really ran with the idea.

“We started getting feedback from all over the town.

“One young girl who attends church with her gran had shared them out to people in the congregation – but had held back two of them – one for her mum and one for her dad.

“Another two boys who were there for the first time because they had stayed with their gran that evening, were thrilled with the idea, and when they went home again, took their bags of coins to their local Primark store and handed the coins out to other children there telling them to remember the Christmas story.

“Yet another young girl handed her coins out at her school to youngsters who didn’t usually join in with other children’s games.

“She told them it was to bring the light of Christ into their Christmas.

“It’s been really touching to see how the youngsters took up the challenge and ran with it, and how the ripples have reached out into the community.”

Church minister, the Rev Bryce Calder added: “It was really Lynne’s idea and I've been touched by the way the young people responded to it.

“They were much more imaginative with their coins than I was with mine. I handed mine out to others in the congregation that day!”

Comments

Kathy Drain - Friday, December 18th, 2015

“Every year I have given my children a bag of choc coins. They both ate them all. It was inspiring to read of these children. I crocheted a number of sparkling tubs, each one held a fake candle and tried to sell a few for the food bank. The light being welcoming Jesus into each house who had a light in their window. This was for the food bank. Only one sold and that was one I had put in a few bits of ribbon and similar. The non believers I wrote for Santa to say all inside were good people but no. Next year it's sure to choc coins. Ps my two 30+ yr old are getting a choc orange! I've the earth.”

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