By Deb Benigni – November 11, 2025

Each year, one of the heralds of the holiday season is the appearance of the “Mission Tree“ in the Galilee narthex. Hung with envelopes marked with apples and other mission-centered ornaments, this tree is maintained by church members Gail and Sally Howland, and it has a special place in my heart because it supports the Kingsway Prison & Family Outreach. Kingsway is an organization focused on supporting individuals and families impacted by incarceration in Virginia prisons.

Each apple on the tree is labeled with a gift request for a child or teen—a doll, a board game, or a study bible, maybe. These requests come from prisoners who are unable to put gifts under the tree in their own homes.  Members of our church join generous volunteers throughout Virginia to pick an apple, buy these gifts, and return them to the Mission Tree. They are sent to Kingsway, and then on to the child on Christmas morning.

Now my father wasn’t incarcerated, but he was gone on US military deployments for extensive periods of time. I remember as a child how wonderful it felt to find things under the Christmas tree marked “Love, Dad.” Having that connection with an absent parent—and not feeling abandoned due to circumstances outside your control—is critical for our young people. The children receiving Kingsway gifts in the name of their absent parent feel the warmth of that bond between parent and child.

I have no children of my own, so Kingsway allows me to peruse the toy aisle at the holidays and see the delight in all the faces of kids who are there making their lists for Santa! It enables me to connect to my larger community while also making a difference!  

I believe in Kingsway so strongly that during the Covid Christmas of 2020, I actually reached out to them to get their address and ordered items sent directly from Amazon. Because no kid should have to go without at Christmas. If all I have to do is pick an apple off the tree, buy toy or craft kit, and put five dollars in an envelope, I will rest easy knowing that I helped Kingsway make Christmas morning a little brighter in a child’s life.