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During the past year, the little boy sitting hopefully in the pew at Salem UMC had witnessed his mother beaten. His father wasn't able to find work. There was little money for food. But still he smiled. It was Christmas.

The volunteers at Justice for Our Neighbors, a United Methodist legal ministry for refugees, and the congregation of Salem UMC in Baltimore take the spirit of Christmas very seriously.

They believe that this boy, and the 150 other children and their families who joined him in the pews, deserve to experience the joy and the hope of celebrating Christ's birth.

"When I see the smiles of the children, I'm reminded that Christmas is not a private event, or a family event. It's a whole community event," said the Rev. Giovanni Arroyo, pastor of Salem UMC and Baltimore Hispanic Ministries. "They remind me that Christ was born to be the savior of many cultures. The church should not keep him to ourselves, we're to share him with others."

The worship on Dec. 5 was a prelude to the activities that followed. The snow and freezing rain that fell that day led the volunteers to believe they might have 50 people at the festivities. In total, 265, most from within a mile radius of the church, came to share a meal together, play games and find gifts for their families in the Holiday Shop.

The shop is the soul of the event. Over the year, toys, clothes and a vast array of other items are donated. Volunteers "price" the items very reasonably. Socks, for example, sell for a dime.

While the children play games in the fellowship hall, parents are given tokens and invited to buy gifts.

This program intentionally differs from those in which presents are donated directly to families, explained Carol Miller, a volunteer with Justice for our Neighbors. Allowing parents to choose what they want to give their children allows for dignity and doesn't diminish one's pride. There's also a sense of preparation, anticipation and joy in the experience.

But more than that, it allows people to experience how others care for them.

Many of the immigrant families are sending money back to relatives in Central and South America, Miller said. Providing these gifts opens the doors of the church to them and lets them see people who care and who want to make a difference in their lives."

For Arroyo, offering this genuine hospitality is one of the most important things a church can do.

"For a person to know God, they need to know they are welcome for who they are," he said.

To offer hospitality, churches need to welcome everyone, making them feel like they are a part of the greater family of God, Arroyo said. And they also need to be present in people's struggles.

That's why the Holiday Shop is a holistic celebration - with worship, feasting, fellowship, outreach and more.

"We want to give families the hope that Christmas provides," said Arroyo. "We want to show them that God is with them so that they know there is a church here."

One way Arroyo knows that the event was a success was that everyone stayed to clean up afterward. It wasn't charity, given to them. "It was a celebration for us all," he said.

The items left over from the Holiday Shop were sent to other United Methodist Hispanic ministries in Frederick and Gaithersburg and the Justice for Ministries team has already begun thinking about next year's event.

On Dec. 26, wrapping paper and gifts for 2010 will begin to be solicited and will be collected throughout the year.

"When I saw those 150 kids all in one place, I thought this is what God has called us to be," Arroyo said. "These are the people we are transforming. They may not be in church next Sunday, but we're putting seeds in them. One day, God will blossom in them."

And that is the spirit of Christmas.