Church of God in Christ’s Christmas in November Giveaway Serves Families in St. Louis, Missouri, Ahead of Holy Convocation

The line stretched nearly three blocks outside the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis headquarters as families waited for a chance to pick up toys, clothing, toiletries and household essentials.

By the time they reached the tables on Saturday morning, many left with bags so full they struggled to carry them. One woman, accompanied by her two young children and requesting anonymity, summed up her experience after going through the Church of God in Christ’s Christmas in November giveaway.

The outreach effort brought together COGIC, the Urban League and community partners ahead of the denomination’s return to St. Louis for its annual Holy Convocation this week at America’s Center. For Bishop Marquaello Futrell, the event reflected what he has loved most about Convocation since childhood. “One of the things I saw as a young kid coming to Convocation was the masses of people having church the same way you would at your local church,” Futrell said. “The same style, the same music. We are a predominantly African American church, so we dress up. To see the saints in Memphis and now in St. Louis, it just shows that we are a blessed people.”

When St. Louis became the first city outside Memphis to host the Holy Convocation, Futrell was a new pastor. Today, the senior pastor of All Creation Northview Holiness COGIC Church serves as bishop of Missouri’s Eastern First Jurisdiction, and he was entrusted with leading the Christmas in November effort. “It was humbling to be asked by Presiding Bishop Drew Sheard to serve,” Futrell said.

Organizing a giveaway of that scale was no small undertaking, particularly with thousands of church members and visitors expected in St. Louis and hundreds to be served at the event. The Urban League had already established a track record for large-scale distributions through community outreach, including relief work following last year’s tornado. “Why reinvent the wheel when there’s already an organization doing the work?” Futrell said.

The partnership proved to be a natural fit. As families moved steadily through the parking lot, volunteers guided them from table to table while church leaders focused on service. Futrell explained the motivation behind the effort: “If you look, the lines are long and the people are ready to be served. We’re paying blessings forward because of Jesus and the cross. He said, ‘When you do it unto the least of these, you’ve done it unto me.’ We want to impact the total person, the body, the soul and the spirit.” He tied this commitment to serving the needy as service to Christ himself (Matthew 25:35).

Pastor Herman Thompson Jr. of Ramoth Outreach Ministries also spoke about the crowd. “What we see here today is an illustration of the need in the community,” Thompson said. “That needs are being met, and this is just the beginning.” He credited the collaboration between churches and community organizations for making the event possible. “The organizations that are coming together with the church to impact the community is just amazing,” Thompson said.

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