This Advent, Episcopal Relief & Development offers a variety of ways to mark the season of anticipation and celebrate the birth of Christ, who heals our hurting world.

Online Advent Calendar
Episcopal Relief & Development’s https://www.episcopalrelief.org/ features reflections, prayers and gift ideas inspired by the organization’s Gifts for Life catalog.  Special “Gifts for Kids” suggestions like nutritious food, quality education and essential health care can help children learn about stewardship, generosity and global needs and concerns.

Gifts for Life
Gifts for Life are available year-round, but Christmas is the perfect time to give a gift with lasting impact.  New to the catalog this year are rainwater harvesting systems, memberships in women’s literacy groups and vocational training for young and disabled people.  Popular items include goats and chickens, which provide families with a source of milk or eggs, enriching the household diet and helping to generate income.

Purchasing Gifts for Life is easy and secure – via mail, over the phone or through the online catalog at www.er-d.org/GiftsForLife.  Printed copies of the catalog can be ordered through Episcopal Marketplace.

Children’s Liturgies
For further enrichment, Episcopal Relief & Development has published a set of six Children’s Chapel liturgies that provide an opportunity for children to give thanks for essential gifts of Light, Water, Seeds, Soil, Animals and New Life.  These modules can be used separately or as a series to help children think about basic needs and what they can do to help families move from poverty to prosperity.

Bishop’s Blend Coffee
For those with a coffee drinker on their gift list, Episcopal Relief & Development is offering two Bishops Blend Christmas Boxes through its coffee partner, Pura Vida Create Good.  The Coffee Box includes smooth and rich Bishops Blend Regular Roast, extra-dark Kaldi’s Roast and Café de la Paz.  The Coffee and Chocolate Box delights with Bishops Blend Regular Roast, Bishops Blend Decaf and three bars of Single Origin Guatemalan chocolate.  The boxes are $29 each, and are shipped with a personalized message for the recipient.  A portion of Bishops Blend sales helps to sustain Episcopal Relief & Development’s work worldwide.