“People just cannot wrap their heads around the idea that someone would be that generous.”

Craig Macartney
Spur Ottawa Writer

Businesses exist to make money for their owners. This year, however, the owner of a Christmas tree farm offered Manotick Community Church as many trees as they wanted to give away, at their live Nativity.

“I went out for lunch with a guy who has been coming occasionally to our church,” says Doug Valerio, the church’s lead pastor. “I mentioned that we were going to do a live Nativity. He told me he has a hobby farm outside Toronto with a whole load of Christmas trees ready to be cut down.”

Inspired and supported by Trinity Bible Church’s live Nativity, for the past two years the church had performed the Christmas story and given out hot chocolate at the Manotick Santa Claus Parade. They planned to do the same this past year, on December 1.

“You can have 1,800 of them if you want.”

Valerio said following the offer of the Christmas trees they put together vouchers to hand out at the parade and collect orders.

“He was just donating them, so we took him up on that offer. What a brilliant thing to do for the community, to be able to give away some Christmas trees to those who couldn’t get one. He said, ‘You can have 1,800 of them if you want.’ I don’t have the ability to get rid of 1,800 Christmas trees!”

Following the parade, they received 18 requests for a tree, but Valerio had a plan to give away a few extra.

“We traveled to Brighton, which is three hours away. We hand-selected the trees, cut them down, netted them, and bundled them on the back of the trailer. We cut down 35 trees in the end.”

“It’s not a cheap gift, it’s a valuable gift that someone has given on behalf of the Church, wanting nothing in return.”

Valerio reached out to David Hood and offered him the left-over trees. Hood pastors the Southeast City Church recently planted in Alta Vista. The pair developed a friendship over the past year through the Church Planter’s Cadre.

“People were very, very appreciative,” Hood says. “Some hadn’t had Christmas trees for years. Some were worried they weren’t going to be able to have one this year. Others were grateful they didn’t have to spend even more money this holiday season. Gifting them a tree lifted a financial burden.”

Both churches found community members were shocked when the churches declined donations.

“People just cannot wrap their heads around the idea that someone would be that generous,” Valerio says. “It’s not a cheap gift, it’s a valuable gift that someone has given on behalf of the Church, wanting nothing in return.”

“It was wonderful to be able to say ‘This is a no-strings-attached gift from our church to you. We want to bless you,’” adds Hood. “We’re praying that this continues to build our church’s reputation of being for our community. Maybe we’ll see some of those people again.”

Valerio says the giveaway led to a number of great conversations and even several people in tears.

“It’s a great story of one person’s generosity extending out from the Church into the community and touching people’s lives.”