Operation Christmas Child
Operation Christmas Child
Once again this year we have the Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes set up in the lobby of the church. We would love for you to partner with us in filling a shoe box or several boxes if you feel led. If you would like to fill a shoe box, feel free to stop by the church and grab one during the week or on Sunday morning. The collection week for the shoe boxes is November 16-20. If you are unsure what to pack in a shoe box, I have attached OCC's recomendations on their website in the link below as well as some more information regarding the ministry of OCC.
Operation Christmas Child:
Operation Christmas Child is a hands-on way for Canadians to bless struggling children in the developing world by filling shoeboxes with toys, hygiene items, school supplies, and other items. We collect the boxes and distribute them in the name of Jesus Christ to children living in desperate situations.
Mission:
The mission of Operation Christmas Child is to provide God’s love in a tangible way to children in need around the world, and together with the local church worldwide, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.
History:
In the summer of 1993, Samaritan’s Purse President Franklin Graham received a call from a man in England asking if he’d be willing to fill shoeboxes with gifts for children in war-torn Bosnia. Franklin agreed, but figured Christmas was months away. He forgot about the promise until he received a call back around Thanksgiving asking about the gifts.
Franklin asked his friend the late Pastor Ross Rhoads of Calvary Church of Charlotte to see if he could help with the need. A Sunday shortly afterward, Pastor Rhoads demonstrated for his congregation how to fill a shoebox with simple gifts and encouraged them to include a letter to the child as well. Within weeks, the church had 11,000 shoeboxes lining their hallways.
Due to their generosity and additional gifts from Canada, Samaritan’s Purse sent 28,000 shoebox gifts to children in the Balkans that Christmas.
Every year since, Samaritan’s Purse has collected shoebox gifts filled with toys, school supplies, and hygiene items for children around the world. Since 1993, more than 178 million children in more than 150 countries have received an Operation Christmas Child shoebox. The project delivers not only the joy of what, for many kids, is their first gift ever, but also gives them a tangible expression of God’s love.
Tens of thousands of volunteers from local churches around the world partner with us to present the Gospel of Jesus Christ at festive outreach events where children are surprised with these shoebox gifts.
The Greatest Journey:
In addition, we have trained over 1.1 million volunteers from these congregations to teach The Greatest Journey, our dynamic follow-up discipleship course for shoebox recipients. Since 2009, 23.3 million children have enrolled in this 12-lesson program to learn how to follow Christ and share Him with others. More than 11.2 million of these boys and girls have made a decision to accept Jesus as their Savior during the course. Many are now praying for and sharing their faith with family and friends. As a result of this ever-expanding witness, new churches are starting and communities are being transformed!