By Will Jones, Federal Way resident

This year, forget all about the Christmas season controversies. Let all that talk about whether there is a God or not be a thing of Christmas past.

This holiday season, let God’s great love shine into your world — and into that of a friend’s, neighbor’s or colleague’s.

Picture yourself going up to someone this holiday season, with a gift basket in hand, saying “I thought of you,” and wanted to share God’s love with you.

That is exactly what folks at the Federal Way Vineyard Fellowship did this month.

Braving a very frosty night Dec. 11, they gathered together at one of their homes to assemble and wrap up 50 holiday gift baskets — a part of the group’s “Ordinary Attempts” holiday outreach, an outreach designed to show God’s great love for his children.

One of the participants in the outreach, Tracy, said she’s involved because “it’s a good thing to share God’s love. We’re doing it with our own hands and our own hearts to show people who don’t know about God, or who are struggling, that God does love them as we reach out to them.”

A pastor at the Vineyard Fellowship, Gary, is going to give a basket to a co-worker, to someone he has gotten to know over the last year, and who he knows has been challenged lately. He’s doing it as a way of showing God’s love — just as Jesus showed God’s love, back when he walked on the Earth.

Dawn helped assemble baskets, too, and will be sharing several this season with families at Madigan Hospital’s Fisher House. Fisher House supports military families by providing them a place to stay so they can be close to a loved one during times of hospitalization for illness or injury. “The families here are all separated from home, family, warm meals and the tender touch and support of those they love,” she said. “These baskets will not only bring them some holiday cheer, but show God’s love to them in a big way.”

Fellowship member, Sheri West, who coordinated the basket outreach project, said inspiration for the effort came from a vision for making a personal holiday gift that would touch the heart. When she heard about it, she got excited, and knew she could help turn that vision into reality. Sheri immediately stepped up to lead the project because of her previous experience in retail gift basket making. Sheri said it was pure joy for her to use her talent and experience to bless others in such a tangible way. She went on to say, “I can’t wait to hear the stories about all those who were touched by the gift of God’s heartfelt love this holiday season.”

More information about Federal Way Vineyard’s efforts: www.fwvineyard.org.