A Christmas Church Tour, presented by Discipleship Southwestern and the Winfield Ministerial Alliance, will be open to the community from 2 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 11. The event will begin at Grace United Methodist Church where participants can purchase tour tickets for $7 for an adult, $5 for children, and free for children under the age of five. 

Tour maps will be available with a list of the participating churches, which include Grace United Methodist Church, First United Methodist Church, First Church of the Nazarene, First Presbyterian Church, First Baptist Church, and Grace Episcopal Church. 

All proceeds will directly benefit the ecumenical group of students going on a May 2017 mission trip to Portland, Ore., with the Discipleship program. Sixteen people will serve at Kaleo Missions – an urban Christian mission organization dedicated to building relationships with the poor. Oregon has the highest percentage of homeless per capita of any state in the United States, and many of these homeless are youth. 

“Come celebrate the Christmas season by touring Winfield Churches in their seasonal splendor, and learn how different Christian traditions celebrate the coming of Christ,” says Molly Just, director of Discipleship Southwestern.  “From a stained glass window tour, to a Chrismon ornament lesson, to learning about the history of some of our Winfield churches – the tour is for all ages.” 

“The Winfield Ministerial Alliance is excited to partner with Southwestern Discipleship for the Christmas church tour,” says Lora Andrews of the Winfield Ministerial Alliance.  “It is a gift to be able to share our sacred spaces and support these students’ mission opportunity.”

Just says that this idea came from Southwestern College students. 

“The idea for a Christmas church tour was birthed by our own students and staff here at Southwestern as a way to raise funds for our annual mission trip,” Just says.  “We wanted to do something that would connect the community, our churches, and our college – three components of Winfield that are so meaningful to us. What better way to experience the Christmas season than by learning how local churches in the community celebrate the coming of Jesus? When we brought the idea before the Ministerial Alliance, they immediately jumped on board, offering creative ideas to make this a sacred experience.”

For more information, contact Just at (620) 229-6362.