Contact:
Deb Burich
920-733-7393
dburich@firstcongoappleton.org
Appleton, WI—On Sunday, November 10, First Congregational United Church of Christ will hold its 16th annual Alternative Christmas Market. It is a festive event, with breakfast, Christmas music, a bake sale, and fair-trade crafts available for purchase. But at the heart of the Market is the opportunity to purchase “alternative” gifts that help people in the local community, the US, and around the world.
An “alternative gift” is a donation that shoppers make to an organization that serves people in need. Shoppers give alternative gifts in honor of people on their Christmas gift list—family members, friends, teachers, and so on. In lieu of store-bought presents, shoppers can donate such gifts as school supplies for orphaned children in Haiti, small business loans for women in Kenya, shoes for children at the Emergency Shelter of the Fox Valley, or building supplies for Rebuilding Together Fox Cities. After shoppers “purchase” alternative gifts, the church directs their donations to the organizations that sponsor the gifts and provides shoppers with hand lettered cards and descriptions to give to the recipients.
When people give an alternative gift, they emphasize the love and peace that are at the center of the Christmas message.
Alternative Christmas Market
Sunday, November 11, 8-11 AM
First Congregational United Church of Christ Church
724 East South River Street, Appleton
The Market is held in Fellowship Hall on the lower level of the church. Members of the community are welcome.
