From left, Paul Bissonette, Laura Bissonette, Kathy Schenk, Erik VanYserloo, Saranac Lake Baptist Church Pastor Ryan Schneider and Youth Ministry Intern Nic Yates. (Enterprise photo — Aaron Marbone)

SARANAC LAKE — A group of eight people from the Saranac Lake Baptist Church are collecting toys and preparing to take a trip to Baltimore, Maryland to deliver them to people in impoverished neighborhoods while sharing the gospel along with Baltimore-based organization Breath 379.

SLBC Pastor Ryan Schneider met the organization’s founder, Mike Nolan, on a mission trip in Steubenville, Ohio around 18 years ago. The two have visited each other’s churches over the years. Now they’re collaborating on community outreach. Their friendship is SLBC’s connection to Breath 379, which operates a food pantry, clothing closet and coffee bar where everything is free in Baltimore.

The organization’s Christmas events includes Salvatore’s Stockings, which provides toys and household essentials for children.

The church just started collecting gifts for the trip. This is one of the numerous volunteer Christmas outreach efforts members are involved with. They recently finished filling 175 shoeboxes for the international Operation Christmas Child and are preparing the church to be the site of the local Holiday Helpers toy drive.

“As God blesses us, we want to be there to bless other people,” Schneider said.

He said the church is not soliciting for many gifts, but they are accepting financial donations at the church at 460 Broadway in Saranac Lake. The church is also collecting 18-inch Christmas stockings, cosmetic items, games, rattles, books, craft items, stuffed animals and other items to take with them.

Before the group leaves, they’ll do a big shopping trip with all of the financial donations. Last week, Schneider said someone gave a $1,000 gift to the church to pay for their housing in Baltimore, so they can focus financial efforts on gifts.

From Dec. 15 to 18, the group plans to drive everything down to impoverished communities in Baltimore and go door-to-door giving out gifts with Santa.

Youth Ministry Intern Nic Yates will be dressed as Buddy the Elf and wheeling around on a unicycle.

As the children get gifts, pajamas and stockings full of goodies, the group plans to ask if they can pray with the parents in the homes.

Schneider said his friend has a “great organization outreaching into the community in Jesus’ name.”

“We’re not going down there to preach at people,” Schneider said. “We’re going down there to pray with people and share the gospel as we can, but really to be practical hands and feet of Jesus while we’re there.”

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The team

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Each member of the group going down to Baltimore has a different reason for going.

“I’m a new believer, within the last couple of years,” Paul Bissonette said. “This is going to be my first trip, doing something like this. I look forward to being part of the whole process.”

He said sharing the word is very new to him, so he looks forward to finding out what it is like.

Laura Bissonette said she is excited to see the looks on children’s faces when they show up with gifts and smiles. She said the trip is a chance to grow with her church family and reach out to children.

Erik VanYserloo said he remembers being on the receiving end of stockings, gifts and food from churches.

“I was one of those children,” VanYserloo said. “Grew up with nothing, very poor and impoverished. The son of a single mother.

“To be on the other end of it … being where I am now and being on the giving side of things, and also the fact that it’s about Jesus Christ, my faith and knowing that this is where my path has taken me … This is, for me, so divine,” he added. “It’s going to be extremely emotional for me. I guarantee you I’m going to have tears throughout the whole three days.”

Kathy Schenk said she is looking forward to bringing some sunshine in what can be a very dark season for some people. She hopes to tell the people they meet that they are cared for and “seen by a great God,” with the evidence being that folks would drive from seven hours away to bring gifts and messages.

Schenk said she likes Breath 379’s methods of community outreach. She said it treats people with dignity and love.

Yates said it is “awesome” to help kids who otherwise would not get anything for Christmas and to share the word with them. Dianne Schwartz plans to go on the trip, too.