Operation Christmas Child is a world-wide gospel outreach program of Samaritan’s Purse. Each year in November the Operation Christmas Child Ministry of Emmanuel Baptist Church collects shoebox gifts prepared by the congregation which are filled with fun toys, school supplies and hygiene items and delivers them to the local collection site for transportation to one of the Operation Christmas Child processing centers for final preparation for transporting to children in need around the world to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way. For many of these children, the gift-filled shoebox is the first gift they have ever received.
Preparation for collecting these shoeboxes is a year-round effort by the Emmanuel Baptist Church Ministry Team and culminates with the shoebox collection and a dedication service during National Collection week in November each year. The ministry team then loads them into a vehicle and transports them to the collection center.
Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child, the world’s largest Christmas project of its kind, has collected and delivered more than 209 million shoebox gifts to children in more than 170 countries and territories.
Anyone can pack a shoebox. Individuals, families, and Sunday School classes fill empty shoeboxes with school supplies, hygiene items and fun toys, such as dolls or soccer balls. Several members of Emmanuel Baptist Church opt to donate funds to the ministry team to purchase items to fill shoeboxes or to help pay the $10 processing fee needed for each box. Empty shoeboxes are normally available at the Operation Christmas Child display in the Ministry Center Gathering Area, but you may also use clear plastic shoeboxes purchased at the local dollar stores.
You may contact Joyce Downey at 304-768-1939 for more information as to how you can participate in this ministry or how to pack a shoebox. Happy Shopping!
