On December 7, 2018, the MYP hosted their annual Christmas Day event at Holy Trinity Church in Whitestone, NY. The event was rectored by Dina DePaola & Diana Roach, with Team Member help from Cathy Bischoff Weinbaum, Jean Bena Pedri, Kerin Carty Kriegsman, Tom Leavens, & John Fodera (with assistance from Mary Leavens).
This year’s theme was around the Charlie Brown animated story & the true meaning of Christmas. After an icebreaker, the teens & Team enjoyed a delicious dinner together. We then watched the cartoon & had a large group discussion around its theme, discussing particular scenes & how the teens connected them. We then put on the Christmas music & got to work—the group wrapped presents they brought to be delivered to teenagers living at the Briarwood Family Inn in Jamaica, NY. They also created Santa sleighs made from chocolate that were to be attached to each gift. The teens & Team put together over fifty presents! This will have a great impact on those teenagers that often do not receive gifts at Christmas. We concluded the evening with a Prayer Service, followed by a birthday cake & singing, “Happy Birthday, Jesus.”. This event has always been a high point in each MYP season & this year’s did not disappoint!