For the second year, Leopold Elementary School has partnered with three local churches to support their students and families for Christmas. City on a Hill Church, along with the Church, and Christ Church hosted a Christmas Toy Shop on Tuesday, December 14, serving 50 families in the school community and neighborhood.

Pastor Jeff Franklin of City on a Hill noted that the event was an unexpected blessing of the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year, with Madison public schools still closed, he was able to offer use of the church building to bring families in to shop for toys for their children. The event was such a hit for both the parents and the congregations, that is simply made sense to host it again this year even though schools are now open. While parents shop, children can make crafts, play games, and decorate cookies.

All three congregations help provide volunteers, financial support and donations. Amy Meyer, Connecting Lifestyles Coordinator at the Church, was volunteering in the children’s activity area and commented on how quickly volunteer slots filled up. “Jeff makes it so easy to step in and do our part,” she said, “there is no sense of competing with one another - we all are working together in God’s Kingdom.”

One extra-special feature of the event is the opportunity for families to have professional portraits taken. Lynne Chase, Community Partnerships Coordinator for Christ Church and a Collaboration Project board member, connected with Milwaukee-based documentary photographer Asher Imtiaz and invited him to photograph the Leopold families. Watching Asher at work is a gift in itself as he patiently attends to his subjects to bring out each person’s personality and the love that binds each family together. Asher’s artistry and compassionate presence has been a blessing for the families in addition to providing once-in-a-lifetime photos.

Pastor Jeff sees the benefits of the Christmas Toy Shop in his congregation as well. “It gives people a way to practice the love of Christ and to see the fruits of that love in tangible ways. And it help us to orient ourselves outward toward our neighbors,” he says. Jeff shared an experience he had working at the gift wrapping station - a parent was having trouble figuring out how to wrap a gift, so Jeff stepped in to offer assistance. This simple connection opened a door for the parent to share a bit about his own childhood and offered a window into the often invisible struggles that people carry with them.

At the end of the day, 50 families were able to pick out gifts for their children for Christmas. This alone is good and important work. But the blessings of connecting with our neighbors and with other Christians to make it happen is the work we are all called to do.

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