2025 Christmas Eve Offering

Every year our congregation chooses a cause or organization to receive our Christmas Eve Offering. This year, as we are exploring what we can do to ensure our neighbors have shelter and homes. As a Reconciling Congregation of the United Methodist Church (advocating for the full inclusion of LGBTQIAA+ people in the church and beyond), our lay leadership has decided to give our Christmas Eve offering to Choosing Our Roots.

Information from Choosing Our Roots Leadership:

Choosing Our Roots is a small 501(c)(3) that supports LGBTQIA2S+ youth and young adults facing homelessness find safe housing, supportive communities and opportunities to thrive. We work in the MatSu Valley and Anchorage. When youth and young adults are referred to us, they are greeted with compassion and dignity and are treated as experts in their own life experience. Youth and young adults are at the heart of our policy making and are given the opportunity to represent themselves and other youth facing similar circumstances through regional and state youth advisory boards.

In Anchorage, we own a 6-plex apartment building that we have named Saferoot. This building houses participants through our transitional housing program. Each apartment is one bedroom and has its own kitchen and bathroom, and is fully furnished when they move in. During their 6-12 month stay at Saferoot, they receive basic needs, resource navigation, life skills education, and the chance to live in community with other queer persons. Our main goal is to prepare youth for independent living and to give them the tools that they need to succeed.

Thank you so much for donating to Choosing Our Roots! We are so grateful for your continued partnership and support. Merry Christmas!