“Do you believe that the God of Jesus loves you beyond worthiness and unworthiness, beyond fidelity and infidelity—that He loves you in the morning sun and in the evening rain—that He loves you when your intellect denies it, your emotions refuse it, your whole being rejects it? Do you believe that God loves without condition or reservation and loves you this moment as you are and not as you should be?”
― Brennan Manning, All Is Grace: A Ragamuffin Memoir
On December 11, you can bring the incredible message of GOD’S GRACE!
Extreme Christmas 2021: YOU MATTER
The Student Support Center is a “last chance” school. A school for the rejected, the marginalized, the judged-as-unworthy.
It is the perfect place to show God’s indiscriminate love. To act out His perfect compassion. To shout Jesus’s clear message—YOU MATTER—to students desperate to hear.
When the superintendent of CCISD (Corpus Christi Independent School District) called our oldest daughter Jessica into his office in 2019, she had no idea what he wanted. She never expected him to ask her to become the principal at the Student Support Center.
But he believed she was the right person to turn this “last chance” school around. And he was right, because Jessica saw the offer as a “God-sized” opportunity—one that required God’s strength, but through which He might transform the Center and its students.
In the two years since, Jessica has continually pursued God’s vision for these students—that they would see His unwavering love. Along the way, she has faced many serious challenges and setbacks. When Jessica told me how difficult it was to get help for her students—who are largely rejected by society—I knew God was opening a door.
I met with her Communities in Schools coordinator. The defeat he felt quickly became apparent. The obstacles and need facing him are overwhelming. Unlike other schools, where a small number of students may require Communities in School assistance, every one of the Center’s students need help.
“Catherine,” he said, “We have a washer and dryer so kids can have clean clothes. We take supplies to their homes so they can do their schoolwork. I have one student who hasn’t had water since the 2020 freeze, so I make sure he can get a shower. It’s never-ending. I just wonder: what am I doing? Does it really matter? Am I making a difference?”
I answered, “I guarantee that what you’re doing will not matter to the ‘world,’ but it matters eternally. It matters to God. It matters to those of us who want to walk that narrow path of His Love with you. It matters to the child who sees daily that they don’t matter to the world. It matters in a way that cannot be described. God has trusted you with the least of these and you have allowed God to work through you to deliver the gift of His love, His grace, His indiscriminate compassion. That, my friend, is the greatest gift we can give.”
I promised we would help him deliver God’s message for these students:
“You matter.”
This year’s Extreme Christmas will be a one-day project. On Saturday, December 11, we will transform the student center run by Communities in Schools. This space represents an area where students can freely socialize and share, do laundry, and “shop” in a “store” offering necessities like blankets, lamps for studying, and more. It’s a place that embodies God’s compassion, offering His perfect grace through practical action.
We will transform this space so Communities in School can fully focus on extending God’s compassion to students. We will organize the area to feel welcoming, peaceful, and cozy. We will install furniture, creating a warm gathering space, and assemble shelving for the “store,” stocking it with essentials like towels, sheets, hygiene products, laundry soap, sweatshirts, supply bags, and blankets. We will also decorate for Christmas and provide giftbags for 50 students. The space will become a living, loving testament to God’s mercy. And it all starts with God working through you.
There are several ways you can help:
You can purchase items to be delivered directly to the school ahead of time from our Amazon list. If you have questions, please feel free to call me at 361-438-1608
OR SIMPLY GIVE FINANCIALLY!
100 % OF YOUR CONTRIBUTION GOES TOWARD THE PROJECT AND IS TAX-DEDUCTIBLE.
We will be unable to surprise the students in person, but it will be a big surprise. We will video our work and video a message to the Community in Schools person and the students that will be shared at the reveal on Monday, December 13th. I will video the reveal and share it as well.
Remember, Extreme Christmas is a Christmas that God makes possible for you and me to deliver. What greater message can we be a part of than the message that “YOU MATTER” to someone who feels unworthy, unredeemable, unloved. God can change that, through you!
Please feel free to email me at extremechristmasmakeover@yahoo.com . Please include your phone number so I can call you if needed.
This grace is indiscriminate compassion. It works without
asking anything of us…
In His Name,
Catherine
www.extremechristmasmakeover.com