Members of The Vine Church in Coeur d’Alene surprised people working Christmas Day by delivering gifts to them. The gifts were given in appreciation of the recipients’ willingness to work while most people spent the day with family and friends. Police officers, firefighters, security officers, bus drivers, gas station attendants, and hospital emergency room workers received the gifts from members of The Vine congregation after the churchgoers’ Christmas worship service.

“The recipients were pleasantly surprised and appreciated that members of The Vine would show this kind of love and care for public servants in their community,” said Kevin Schultz, pastor of The Vine. “Our church is excited about being in the Coeur d’Alene/Hayden area and starting a new church here. Delivering unexpected Christmas gifts like this gives us a chance to show our community that we care and that we appreciate our public servants. It was so much fun doing it, and it brought smiles to a lot of people.”

The Vine Church is a ministry of St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Spokane. The new North Idaho church’s office is at 5860 N. La Rochelle Drive, and they have Sunday services at Triple Play Hotel in Hayden. For more information, go to TheVineIdaho.org or call (208) 449-2080.