Christmas Letter (2005)

December 8, 2005

Dear Family of Friends,

One of our goals as a church family this year was the establishment of missionary housing. Last month—by a margin of 96 percent—we voted to purchase a house five minutes from the church. Sitting high on a hill on Grandview just west of E. 29th Street, it is clear this was once a farm house and was surrounded by farmland. As the city of Des Moines grew, the neighborhood was built around this 1880s home and incorporated into the city. Thinking about its history as a farm, the name “Harvest House” came to me. What a better description for a home for missionaries that “Harvest House.”

On Sunday, December 19, we will give our annual Christmas Missionary Offering. This year’s offering will go towards the purchase of Harvest House. What excites me is that this is a project in which our entire church family can participate. First, we have taken the step of faith and voted to purchase the home. Second, we need to give. This is an investment in missions that will have a lasting influence. For years to come, Harvest House will be a haven of rest and restoration for foreign missionaries both our own home grown and others that come our way.  Finally, we can all get involved in making Harvest House a comfortable, friendly environment. There will be small home improvement projects, landscaping, hospitality teams, and more!
Harvest House is an exciting addition to our ministry and to the mission emphasis of our church. To see more pictures and a complete outline of our plans for Harvest House, visit our Web Site—www.gracehome.com—and follow the “Harvest House” link on the front page.

Let me say on a personal note that Bonnie and I have never been as encouraged as now concerning the ministry God has set before us. You are precious to us. Each of you is special. Many of you are new to Grace Church and others have been here for years having sent us out as missionaries to Peru way back in ’89. No matter when you came we are happy to be part of this “Family of Friends”, and are glad you are a part. I pray we can faithfully stick to the purpose of magnifying the Lord Jesus Christ by “bringing people into God’s family, building people up in God’s family, preparing people for service in God’s family and sending people out to evangelize from God’s family.”

We wish you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Of course we pray that we all will remember Christ at Christmas. He is the reason for the season.

In Christ where it is safe,

Phil Winfield