“Come, they told me, pa rum pum pum pum, A new born King to see,

“Come, they told me, pa rum pum pum pum, A new born King to see, pa rum pum pum pum, Our finest gifts we bring, pa rum pum pum pum, To lay before the King, pa rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum…” Dear family & friends of Project Compassion Ministries, Earlier and earlier each year, the sounds of Christmas music fill the radio waves, aisles of stores, elevators, our homes and (eventually) our churches. Many “Christmas” songs are nostalgic or silly or even romantic, but have nothing to do with the true meaning of Christmas – the birth of Christ Jesus. On the other hand, there are wonderful Christmas songs and carols that hearken the wonderful news of our Lord and Savior’s birth! One of my favorite Christmas songs is “The Little Drummer Boy.” I not only love the tune and words, but I have fond childhood memories of watching the animated story on television. As the story goes, a young boy brings his severely wounded lamb before the “new born King” in the hope that the baby can somehow restore the life of his little lamb. Likewise, we are the children, the lambs of the Good Shepherd. Through His death and resurrection, Christ Jesus saved each of us from an impending eternal death and restored us to live eternal life. Project Compassion Ministries also restores hope -‐ hope to the elderly who are isolated from any source of Christian sustenance. Into senior facilities, our trained chaplains and volunteers bring worship services, Bible studies and the love of our Lord. We also provide one-‐on-‐one visits to those who are bed-‐bound; there we can read from God’s Word, pray, provide a listening ear, hold a hand, and often offer tissues to teary eyes. Our “God’s Love Bus” ministry provides opportunities for the elderly with little or no contact with the outside world to travel to destinations that greatly bless them: ball games, the zoo, shopping, Christmas light tours, etc. For example, this fall we brought our Saginaw-‐based bus down to Detroit (due to it’s wider chairlift) to provide an outing for a senior and her facility to an apple orchard – the only opportunity for her to be out of her facility this year!!! Without the picture at the top of this page, you might not have recognized the song lyrics until you saw the phrases: pa rum pum pum pum… Of course, those words represent the cadence of the little boy beating on his drum. This time of year, most every charitable organization (faith-‐based or otherwise) begin beating their drums in a rhythm they hope will resonate from your heartstrings to the strings of your checkbooks, and move you to make a year-‐end contribution. In that regard, we are also “beating our drum” -‐ not in a loud, clamoring manner, but in a tone that is reminiscent of the little drummer boy standing humbly before the Christ-‐child’s cradle. “Little Baby, pa rum pum pum pum, I am a poor boy too, pa rum pum pum pum, I have no gift to bring, pa rum pum pum pum, That's fit to give the King, pa rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum…” The little drummer boy pondered how he could possibly provide a gift to the infant King that lay before him. All he had to offer the Baby was his God-‐given gift of music. We have varying gifts among us, but together we are gifted with enough financial resources to help contribute to the needs of others. The little drummer boy thought he had nothing to give, but his “little” gift had a substantial impact on the Chirst-‐child. Your gift to Project Compassion will have a substantial impact on the spiritual and emotional well-‐being of the elderly living in senior facilities. In turn, this will have a substantial impact on the Christ-‐child! (“The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these, you did for me.'” Matthew 25: 40) Like the little drummer boy, when the widow contributed her mite to the Lord’s work, it seemed outwardly to be an insignificant act. However, we know that Jesus praised the widow for her contribution. The widow’s mite, in the eyes of our Lord, was indeed the widow’s might! Please prayerfully consider what gift you can offer as you humbly stand before the cradle of the Christ-‐
child this Christmas. How can you help bring the message of Christmas hope to the elderly who are otherwise unable to experience the true meaning of Christmas? If you are unable to contribute financially at this time, please continue to contribute prayerfully. The prayers that are contributed to our Lord on behalf of the elderly we serve is beyond any value that can be deducted from taxes! Please continue to pray for Project Compassion Ministries! Have a blessed and joyous Christmas! In the peace & love of the Christ-‐child, Chaplain Eric D. Stenson Executive Director & Drum Major “Mary nodded, pa rum pum pum pum, The ox and lamb kept time, pa rum pum pum pum, I played my drum for Him, pa rum pum pum pum, I played my best for Him, pa rum pum pum, rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum… Then He smiled at me, pa rum pum pum pum, Me and my drum…” The Little Drummer Boy was composed by Katherine K. Davis, Henry Onorati and Harry Simeone in 1958.

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