(KAIR)--The Atchison Police Department received an early Christmas present, gifted Sunday with more than $1,000 from an Atchison Church.

Pastor Matt Broxterman, of the First Christian Church, issued the following statement about the gift, presented to Atchison Police Chief Mike Wilson during services on Sunday, December 23, 2018:

First Christian Church of Atchison began a new tradition last year with our first annual Community Christmas Gift, which was awarded to the Atchison Boys and Girls Club.

We have always been an outreach minded church, but we wanted to add something special for Christmas.

The Community Christmas Gift gives our members an opportunity to be generous beyond what we normally do. We also see it as a way to promote awareness of organizations that are truly making a difference in the Atchison community.

This year’s recipient is the Emergency Response Team of the Atchison Police Department. We are incredibly thankful for the men and women who put themselves in harms way to keep us safe and who are there, at a moment’s notice, to respond to emergency situations.

We know that training and equipment of this nature is expensive. We also know how vital they are to the work of the team as they often find themselves in critical situations. We hope that our small gift will be helpful, that it will show our appreciation, and that possibly it will encourage others to support their important work as well.

MSC Radio News Director Brian Hagen talked to Atchison Police Chief Mike Wilson about receiving the gift.