news article
Tiny Jesus: One figurine’s journey of faith, comfort, and connection
June 12, 2025 / By Rev. George Gallandorm, Oneonta Superintendency Associate
My Tiny Jesus story began nearly nine months ago. I was blessed to be asked to be the spiritual director on a men’s Walk to Emmaus. During a pre-walk team meeting, one of the laity, during his talk preview, told a touching story on how his wife led him to Jesus several years earlier. He spoke about what an exciting time in his life it was and how he wanted to let others know about Jesus. One day his wife told him that they were going to start to give people a little Jesus you could carry in your pocket every time they had an opportunity. He wanted to know how they were going to do that. A couple of days later, an Amazon package arrived with a hundred little Jesus figurines in it. He then held one up.
By the next team meeting, I had procured a hundred and passed them out to the team. I have been giving them away ever since then. Fast forward to Annual Conference (AC). I remember Bishop Héctor sharing the story of how he was gifted a Tiny Jesus at General Conference and had it on display at last year’s Annual Conference. I was motivated to purchase more and hand them out at the 2025 Annual Conference session. I ended up buying two hundred of them. When I arrived on site and checked in, I was surprised when given a Tiny Jesus because I then had two hundred and one Pocket Jesus’.
I ended up passing some out to people who didn’t get one or wanted another. I left AC with a bunch of them left. Last Saturday, I had to do two graveside services for brothers who had passed away over the winter months. It was a little challenging doing two separate graveside services back-to-back at the same cemetery with graves 50 feet apart. I knew I had to make changes so the services would be specific for each brother.
Near the end of the first service, I asked if anyone wanted to say anything. Two little girls, his grandchildren, were standing next to me and both wanted to say something. The youngest of the granddaughters was about four years old and she said she was going to miss Pops because when she was sad, he would play his guitar and sing, “You Are My Sunshine.” The Spirit moved me at that moment to reach into my pocket and give the child a little Jesus. I told her whenever she was sad, she should look at it and realize Pops would still be playing and singing to her in heaven. She just had to remember how it sounded.
The second child, about six years old, said she was sad because Pops died on her birthday. Out came another little Jesus. I told her that she might be a little sad on her birthday, but she could just remember her little Jesus and that Pops was in heaven celebrating her birthday with Jesus. That he would never miss celebrating her birthday.
The girls took those Jesus figures and looked at them like they had been given something wonderful. I might never know what path their lives will take, but at least I know that in a tough time in their young lives Jesus gave them, and many of the people at the service, comfort.
I did services at two churches on Pentecost and used this story to illustrate how people need to live the message of Pentecost: Get up and get out and tell people about Jesus. If it wasn’t for a woman telling her husband about Jesus, he would have never been on the Emmaus team to tell us about giving away a little Jesus. If that hadn’t of happened, I wouldn’t have had several little Jesus’ in my pocket to help two little girls get over some of their hurt. To which I say, “Thank you God”
I left a bunch of little Jesus’ in both churches yesterday explaining to people to take some but to pass them on when the Spirit nudges them to do so.