How Christmas with a Cause all began…

It all began when a group of us from Gloria Dei asked the question on how to best promote non-profit organizations that are working so hard to support and empower men, women and children throughout the world. We all know we will buy Christmas gifts for our family and friends. But what would it look like if the gifts that we purchased helped to support these organizations and people locally and globally?

So, in 2019, we opened our church to 22 participants to sell unique items with 100% of the proceeds helping individuals in Africa, South America, Cambodia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Malawi, Honduras, Swaziland, Hong Kong, Ethiopia, Haiti, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya and right here in Iowa! Their products were as varied as the non-profits that they represent. Handbags, paintings, leather bags, coffee, crochet and knit items, baskets, pottery, batiks, baked goods, wooden signage, mugs, and much more will be showcased. We were thrilled with the outcome of this event and the exposure that was given to these varied ministries.

In 2020, with much prayer, we decided to make Christmas With A Cause a complete online experience.

In 2021, we offered an in-person shopping experience at Gloria Dei; as well as, an online shopping experience to reach as many people as possible so as to yield a greater impact towards those in need.

In 2022, we opened our Youth Center, another large space in our facility, and invited 8 more organizations, totaling 30 to join us.

In 2023, we had our busiest Saturday ever! And our sales reflected this trend.

Planning for 2024. We decided to switch things around with opening up our Family Life Center, which is a larger space to make room for more organizations and for shoppers. We have also increased to 26 organizations and will be a one-day epic event on Saturday with extended hours. We are more than excited to see what transpires with this change.

A special thanks to Kate Prohl for the photos!