On this, the third Sunday in Advent, we bring non-perishable food items unwrapped or in a white bag or loose wrapping, or cash/cheque donations to place under the Christmas tree in the sanctuary. All food is delivered to the RFDA. Please make cheques payable to St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church and marked for the RFDA. Your donation will be forwarded to the RFDA and included on your St. Andrew’s tax receipt.
History of White Gift Sunday
White Gift Sunday dates back to 1904 in Ohio. The wife of a Methodist minister and her two daughters came up with the idea of giving gifts wrapped in white paper at Christmas time to people in need.
Gifts are wrapped in white so that they will be anonymous. People who can only give a little will not be embarrassed. There is a Chinese tradition where all the people gave their king a gift wrapped in plain white paper so that every gift would look the same. People gave the king what they were able, and the king welcomed them all.
The White Gift shares in the spirit of Christ and the God of love at Christmas. We give gifts of love to people in need. These gifts are often nonperishable food items that are distributed to people in the community.
White Gift Sunday celebrates the stewardship of God’s love and giving at the time of year when we remember the coming of the King of Kings.