Christmas time can be a joyful holiday, it can be stressful for those who may not be able to afford gifts and holiday food. Rayville Christian Union Church (RCUC) volunteers and Richmond Salvation Army understood the assignment of giving back this holiday season – for the second year in a row. RCUC Pastor Mark Bickford and New Beginnings Church Pastor Phillip Powers, who oversees the Salvation Army store, partnered with organizations to make the Rayville toy store happen. Powers estimated they served nearly 160 families in the county with this event alone. “This is the Salvation Army’s Christmas event with RCUC. Church members will sponsor children or adopt a family. Others will get the parents and come through our toy store here. They shop for their children. It’s kind of an empowering thing,” said Powers. “We don’t wrap anything for them, they get to wrap it and get to put their name on it.” Powers explained the importance of the event. “Children don’t need to know that it’s…