KIRKSVILLE – Forget Black Friday; the twelfth of December is the big shopping day this year for the residents of Kirksville Manor Care. That Monday was the day Fellowship Baptist Church here sets up their annual “Manor Christmas Country Store.”
The church has been collecting new and like-new items that might appeal to people across all age ranges, and set them up a store-like setting so residents of Manor Care can shop for Christmas gifts for their families, just steps from their own rooms. Residents can pick out any gifts they want – free of charge – and the church will wrap and tag them on the spot.
“We usually have pretty good options for them to choose from,” said Sue Gibson, Fellowship’s coordinator of the country store. “We have it divided into departments they can look through: men’s, women’s, children’s and everything else. Some big, some little, even some jewelry.”
Gibson said the country store is a very rewarding ministry, even though most of the people will never set foot inside Fellowship.
“They’re looking forward to it each year,” she said. “They line up at the door in their wheelchairs just waiting to get in there. After everyone has had a chance to go through, they can even choose an item for themselves. Then there’s always somebody new who just can’t believe that it doesn’t cost anything.”
Fellowship has been hosting the Christmas country store in coordination with the staff at Manor Care for more than 20 years, and Gibson has been heading up the effort the past 17. In addition to the hundreds of donations to the store’s “inventory” throughout the year, about 15 people from Fellowship “work” at the store that day to help with shopping, wrapping and tagging.
Gibson said the staff looks forward to the shopping day as much as the residents. When it’s at full capacity, Kirksville Manor Care is home to 80 people. Not everyone chooses to participate in the country store, but Gibson said the majority do. Some who may be sick or unable to leave their rooms even send out surrogate shoppers or staff to find the perfect gift on their behalf.
“It’s just a ‘good Christmastime’ for everyone,” Gibson said. “Nobody gets left out because they don’t have any money or because they’re too sick. It’s all about love.”
The country store is just one of the ways Fellowship shows Jesus’s love to the people living at Manor Care. Larry Gibson, Sue’s husband and the church’s pastor, leads regular Bible studies there and the church will perform their Christmas cantata there as well.
BRIAN KOONCE/staff writer
bkoonce@mobaptist.org