community life church :: upside down christmas

It starts with Jesus. It ends with Jesus. God turned the world upside down when He broke His silence and sent Christ to that stable in Bethlehem. Christmas is supposed to be a season where we are reminded that love wins, peace.

This Christmas we want to do our best to turn Christmas UPSIDEdown again. Instead of giving and receiving gifts out of obligation our desire is simple: point people to more creative and intentional ways to celebrate not only the coming of our Savior but celebrate the intention of His heart as well.

Each year Americans spend approximately $450 billion on gifts that make very little impact in the lives of those who are struggling and suffering around the world. Please use this website as a resource for discovering the needs that are out there and then give gifts that tell a story...impact lives...point people to the grace of Christ.

Each year at c|Life we take up an offering during our Christmas Eve services. We will do the same again this year or you can give here as well. 100% of money collected in these offerings will go to missions and benevolent ministries at home and around the world. The offering will be divided in the following ways:

Living Water International

This is money that will be used to dig clean water wells in remote parts of the world. 1.5 billion people in this world do not have access to clean drinking water. It takes approximately $4000 to drill a well that will provide water for 150 people.

African Mission Partnerships

This money will be used to fund ministries in several African countries (including Ghana, Cameroon, and Zambia). These monies will provide for things such as Pastor training, widow care, orphan support, and humanitarian aid.

IMPACT Ministry

This ministry is designed to help the impoverished in our community. This money goes to fund our annual Impact event as well as several ongoing projects that our church plans on undertaking in 2011.

Guatemala Children's Home Improvements

Our monthly sponsorships allow us to meet budgetary needs of c|Life’s “Communidad de Vida”. However, this special gift will allow us to move forward with our plans to relocate the orphanage to its permanent location where we can provide for more children.

Benevolence for Local Needs

This is money given to provide immediate financial assistance to individuals and families that are in serious financial need.

Local Ministry Partnerships

This is money that is used to help fund our ministry partnerships in surrounding communities, including but not limited to: The Genesis Center, Reconciliation Outreach, Healing Hearts, and Big Brothers/Big Sisters.

Give differently this Christmas. Here are some opportunities for you to use some of your funds to bless the needy in our communities and around the world.

= c|Life = Global = Local

Community of Life Bible College

Ghana, Africa

Many pastors in Northern Ghana are passionate about the gospel, but have not had the opportunity to be trained and educated. They long for this, yet have no outlet near them. We are changing that so that they will be prepared to be effective ministers of the gospel. Gifts designated for the bible college will go toward facility needs, books, and any other necessary equipment needed to make this a great experience.

Comunidad de Vida

Guatemala Children’s Home

So many children do not have the privilege of a loving home, much less one that is dedicated to the mission of the gospel. c|Life has done something about this in an incredible way. For several years now we have partnered with representatives in Guatemala and have taken in children who were in need of a home. With your help, we can provide essential living supplies, toys, facility upgrades, and inevitably the opportunity to bring in more children to love and raise in a godly manner.

charity: water

charitywater.org

Water is a necessity in life, and too many people around the world do not know the privilege of clean drinking water. Partner with charity: water to effect change in the lives of people all across the globe by dedicating funds and resources that will help bring them clean sources of water. There are different ways to get involved. Find out how you can make a difference!

One Day's Wages

onedayswages.org

All around the world there are people living in extreme poverty. This means they struggle to acquire food and water everyday, lack any sort of education, and have no steady source of income. One Day's Wages asks one simple thing – give up at least one day of your income, which equals out to about 0.4% of your yearly salary. Join them in the fight against poverty!

Gift Card Giver

giftcardgiver.com

With the holidays around the corner, you know you're bound to receive lots of gift cards (some of which you may never use completely, if at all). This organization has come up with a strategy to utilize the left-over funds on your cards. All you need to do is send in what you don’t use and they will distribute them to other organizations that meet the needs of all sorts of people. This year instead of letting all of those gift cards go to waste in your wallet, why not send it off to help someone in need?!

Stop the Traffik

stopthetraffik.org

Stop the Traffik exists with one goal in mind – end human trafficking. It is a movement of people preventing the sale of people, ministering to the trafficked, and prosecuting the traffickers.

Global Soap Project

globalsoap.org

Soap plays an important role in our lives, however so many people are without it. The Global Soap Project is a partnership that enables hotel chains to use excess soap for good. Individuals may also aid this cause by donating funds.

Habitat for Humanity

habitat.org

This organization builds and repairs houses for those who lack adequate shelter. They send teams all over the world, taking whatever funds they raise, blessing people with homes.

World Vision

worldvision.org

World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families, and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice.

International Justice Mission

ijm.org

International Justice Mission is a human rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression.

Family Legacy Missions International

familylegacy.com

Two groups of people are ministered to through Family Legacy – the American Family and the Zambian Orphan. Through it, American families are able to minister to the needs of Zambian children.

Gospel for Asia

gfa.org

The primary aim of Gospel for Asia’s ministry is to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with those who have never before heard His name. They do so by training and sending national missionaries, which has proven effective.

Buckner International

buckner.org

Based out of Dallas, Buckner meets needs of people across the globe. They are dedicated to the restoration and healing of children, families, and senior adults. They have various programs that allow them to meet specific needs and share the love of Christ. Donate money, shoes, etc. to aid them in their efforts!

Brother Bill's Helping Hands

bbhh.org

Brother Bill’s ministers to people in the West Dallas community by empowering them through learning, encouraging through relationships, and ensuring the essentials of life. They accomplish this goal by collecting monetary donations, as well as canned goods, clothing, etc.

Meals on Wheels

mowaa.org

There are more than 6 million senior citizens in the United States that face the threat of hunger. Meals on Wheels is working to end this issue by 2020. Find out how you can aid their efforts, both locally and nationally, by donating money that will go towards providing the food and/or cooking meals to hand-deliver to people in our community.

Texas Baptist Men

bbhh.org

Texas Baptist Men sponsors several mission projects throughout the year, both domestic and international. They are nationally recognized for their emergency response teams.

Reconciliation Outreach

rodallas.org

Their mission is to establish a strong viable community within the inner city of Dallas and to provide a safe, loving environment for healing lives, restoring families, individuals and at-risk children and youth to a productive lifestyle.

Genesis Center

genesiscenter.org

This organization is committed to providing immediate safety and shelter to victims of domestic violence. You can help them out by donating money, resalable items, and/or time.

Below you will find creative and ministry-minded gifts, that benefit others upon the purchase of the merchandise.

TOMS

toms.com

In 2006, American traveler Blake Mycoskie befriended children in Argentina and found they had no shoes to protect their feet. Wanting to help, he created TOMS Shoes, a company that would match every pair of shoes purchased with a pair of TOMS. More recently they have expanded their market and influence by initiating TOMS Eyewear. With every pair of sunglasses purchased, people in need are given the gift of sight.

Hello Somebody

hello-somebody.com

Hello Somebody exists to feed and educate children, by providing an avenue of knowledge, in order to break the cycle of poverty and hunger within their generation. Every one of their products goes toward reaching this goal.

fashionABLE

livefashionable.com

The fashionable mission is to create sustainable business in Africa so that the women are not dependent upon charity, but instead are a vital part of a developing economy. Your purchase of a fashionable scarf creates sustainable business.

Krochet Kids

krochetkids.org

Krochet Kids International is an organization set on the goal of empowering people to rise above poverty. They are helping them to do so by creating sustainable economic development programs that support holistic growth of individuals and communities within developing nations. The products they offer are meant to be a vehicle for social change.

Not for Sale

notforsalestore.org

The Not For Sale Campaign equips and mobilizes smart activists to deploy innovative solutions to re-abolish slavery in their own backyards and across the globe. Any purchase you make from their on-line store helps to abolish modern day slavery.

Better Way Imports

betterwayimports.com

The vision of Better Way Imports is to support meaningful jobs and encourage not only a permanent way out of poverty and oppression with dignity, but also provide hope of a life previously unimagined.

Land of a Thousand Hills

landofathousandhills.com

Drink coffee... do good. This organization hopes to utilize coffee as a sustainable business that will provide steady income, a just living wage, and meet other needs as well.

31 Bits

31bits.com

The mission of 31 Bits is to use fashion and design to empower women in Northern Uganda to rise above poverty. They not only allow these women to earn income off of their handmade products and provide for their families, but also provide programs that educate and train the women in Northern Uganda to further their careers and attain social equity.

Project 7

project7.com

You buy. They give. Project 7 exists to "change the score" in our world, in other words making a difference by pinpointing 7 social issues and doing something about them. Whenever you purchase any of their products, they turn and give a portion of the proceeds to worthy non-profits that are doing good in the world.

Trade as One

tradeasone.com

The mission of Trade As One is to use fair trade to promote sustainable business and break cycles of poverty and dependency in the developing world.

Bajalia Trading Company

bajalia.com

Bajalia Trading Company uses trade, training and other forms of community development to alleviate poverty and empower low-income people as they work to improve their lives. Their diverse product line includes authentic handmade products.