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Legacy<br />
of<br />
Giv ing<br />
Christmas blessings<br />
Tom and Pam Gregory, members of First UMC Rockwall<br />
and other friends continue a 14-year tradition of giving<br />
C<br />
hristmas is a special time<br />
at MCH, but it can also be<br />
an emotional time for some of<br />
the youth who have come from<br />
hard places. Each year, youth<br />
at the Waco and Boys Ranch<br />
campuses come together for a<br />
special Christmas worship service<br />
in the chapel before returning<br />
to their home units to celebrate<br />
and open gifts. One particular<br />
year stood out for Tom<br />
and Pam Gregory, long-time<br />
supporters of MCH and members<br />
of First United Methodist<br />
Church in Rockwall. The<br />
Gregorys’ church plays an integral<br />
part of the MCH Christmas<br />
season, providing gifts for all youth in residential care.<br />
The Gregorys were visiting the Prothro home unit and waiting<br />
for the girls to return from the service. As the girls arrived,<br />
Tom noticed two girls were on each side of one girl and she<br />
was crying. As he rushed to her side thinking she had fallen, he<br />
was informed she was not hurt, just embarrassed. He said he<br />
asked her why she was embarrassed and her reply still melts<br />
his heart to this day. She said, “‘Mr. Gregory, this is<br />
my first Christmas. I’ve never had this before. I have<br />
only heard of this, only seen it on TV. I’ve never had a<br />
Christmas present before.”<br />
After initially providing gifts for 40 foster<br />
care children 14 years ago, Tom and Pam<br />
Gregory now lead an effort to provide<br />
gifts for all youth in residential care.<br />
Pam Gregory, second from left,<br />
enjoys visiting MCH to watch youth<br />
open Christmas presents.<br />
“My wife and I drove away that night and didn’t say much<br />
all the way back to Rockwall,” Tom said. “We knew we had<br />
done something good, but even more important than that, we<br />
knew God was using us as His instrument to do good – just as<br />
the scripture tells us to do.”<br />
The Gregorys began this tradition of giving to MCH 14<br />
years ago. The couple hosted an annual Christmas party for<br />
their friends who always brought gifts of appreciation. Pam<br />
came up with the idea to redirect the generosity of her guests<br />
to Methodist Children’s Home. Similar to an angel tree, guests<br />
would ‘adopt’ some of the children at MCH and provide presents<br />
for them at Christmas. The<br />
first year, the group provided gifts<br />
for around 40 MCH foster care<br />
children. The second year, the<br />
group added youth at the Boys<br />
Ranch to the list.<br />
“The third year, I thought<br />
my wife was crazy when she<br />
declared that we would pro-<br />
<strong>Sunshine</strong> I Winter 2013
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