Over a decade ago, a few pastors were lamenting how they’d come to the end of an Advent season exhausted and sensing they’d missed it – the awe-inducing, soul-satisfying mystery of the incarnation.

For many of us, we were drowning in a sea of financial debt and endless lists of gifts to buy. We struggled to find the connection between our Christmas to-do lists and the story of Jesus’ birth.

An overwhelming stress had overtaken worship and celebration.

The time of year when focusing on Christ should be the easiest was often the hardest. Somehow, this had become the new normal.

So, in 2006, three pastors, Chris Seay, Greg Holder, and Rick McKinley, decided to try something different. They called it the Advent Conspiracy movement, and came up with four tenets—Worship Fully, Spend Less, Give More, Love All—to guide themselves, their families, and congregations through the Christmas season.

The movement started small—just a handful of churches who would try this experiment and make the Advent story personal again. That first Christmas they got creative, changed their traditions, and ended up raising enough money for a water-well in West Africa.

The news spread quickly, a book was written, videos were created, and along the way a revolution was born.

Over the last decade, thousands of churches have celebrated with more relational traditions, partnered with more organizations, and have channeled more resources to the poor, marginalized, and forgotten. 

Advent Conspiracy is about the entire body of Christ at work in the world. As we worship fully, spend less, give more, and love all, something begins to happen that is greater than any single person, church, or denomination. As the Church, we are telling the story of Jesus to the watching world.

Last Christmas Wesleyan Height Church joined this movement and were able to provide aid to the women of Fresh Start. This year I encourage you to join me again in sacrificing an extra 10% of all the money you are planning to spend at Christmas time and give that to the church in a special Christmas offering. A portion of the money given this year will go to help the Mary Kendal Home.

Are you willing to conspire with me this Chirstmas?