Angels and Bears

The Angels and Bears Christmas ministry serves about 75 to 100 children at Normandy Village Day Care Center. The Angel side of the project includes gifts from their wish lists for specific children . The Bear side of the project includes stuffed animals that are distributed throughout the community as needed.

The project starts during the month of October, requesting Normandy to give out gift request forms to the recipient families. These forms are collected in November and the information transferred to “Wish cards”.

On the Sunday after Thanksgiving, two display tables are set up with all the “wish cards” for OUMC members to take, buy and wrap the gift and return it to the church. The gifts should be returned to OUMC as soon as possible, the deadline being the Sunday before Christmas.

The Bears are not for specific children but are delivered to such groups as: Wolfson Children’s Hospital, Duval County Sherriff’s Office, Ronald McDonald House, I.M. Sulzbacher Center for the Homeless, City Rescue Mission, Sutton House, Salvation Army and Shands Jacksonville.