Life was hectic enough for the Welch family. The week before Christmas is always a busy time for any household, especially a pastor’s family. To add more complication, the following weekend would be John Welch’s official ordination and installation as pastor of the church he’d been serving for four years. But three nights before Christmas, things got crazier in a hurry. At 11:30, his sons were enjoying the Christmas break freedom to stay up playing computer games when they smelled smoke.

By the time they woke up the rest of the family, it was too late to save the house, but everyone made it out safely. Yes, things got crazy quickly, but on another level they got simple pretty fast: “We realized how blessed we were that God had kept us all safe,” John says. “We realized that on a school night, maybe we wouldn’t have been alerted in time.” Firefighters surprised his wife, DeNeice, by handing her a wedding ring they’d salvaged from her dresser—and a ring she’d planned to give John at his installation.

The smoking ruins indicated the obvious—no house, no furnishings, no clothes but what they had been wearing. Even the suit John had bought for his ordination service was gone. The living room and dining room furniture they had only recently bought and the family car in the garage had been destroyed. Luckily, they still had transportation—the garage had been too full with the discarded furniture for their SUV, so it was safe outside.

But the church gathered around the family to help ensure that they had what they needed during this challenging time. Church members helped make the connections with the Red Cross, which put the family up in a hotel for several days. The Presbytery called the Board of Pensions, which sent a Christmas Joy Offering emergency grant the following week as a stopgap while the Welches were waiting for insurance money to come through. “The support from the church, both locally and nationally, was an overwhelming blessing,” John recalls. “So when the installation came off as planned, it was a real time of celebration. Having walked with us and prayed with us over a long period of time while I was preparing for my ordination exams, the church shared in our joy even as they let us know they’d continue to be there for us.”

Being there for one another is a big part of what the Christmas Joy Offering is about. Whether it’s to brighten the lives of those who give their lives to ministry when they encounter unexpected needs, or to light the way for students who are looking for their path, the light of Jesus Christ gives joy to those who share his love, giver and receiver alike. As we celebrate the miraculous gift of God’s love in Jesus this season, let us increase that joy by sharing it with our sisters and brothers through our gifts to the Christmas Joy Offering.

See the “You Shared Our Joy” minute for mission