FUMCL: Evangelism: Operation Christmas Child

This Christmas season you can share joy and hope with a needy child in a troubled country like Afghanistan by filling a simple shoe box with small toys, comfort items, and school supplies. The project, called Operation Christmas Child, is a simple, hands-on foreign missions project in which everyone can participate.

Each year since Christmas 2000, First UMC has participated in Operation Christmas Child collecting nearly 700 shoeboxes in that time. In 2005, over 7.6 million shoebox gifts were collected worldwide and distributed to children in 95 countries.

The concept of Operation Christmas Child is simple: find an empty shoe box, fill it with small gifts, and take it to the church for forwarding to a regional collection point. A needy child overseas will receive your shoebox, hand delivered, along with Christian literature in his or her own language. What an opportunity to reach these children with a clear presentation of the Gospel!

Suggested gifts:

Toys: small cars, balls, dolls, stuffed animals, plastic kazoos, harmonicas, yo-yos, small Etch A Sketch, toys that light up or make noise (with extra batteries), Slinky, etc.
School Supplies: pens, pencils and sharpener, crayons or markers, stamps and ink pad sets, coloring books, writing pads or paper, solar calculators, etc.
Hygiene Items: toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, comb, washcloth, etc.
Other: hard candy, lollipops, sunglasses, flashlights with extra batteries, ball cap, socks, T-shirts, toy jewelry, hair-clips, watches, small picture books, etc.

DO NOT include the following items: used items, war-related items (toy guns, knives), perishable items (chocolate, canned foods, cookies, etc.), liquids, medicines (vitamins, cough drops, ointments, etc), breakable items (mirrors, china dolls, etc.).

How to pack your shoe box gift:

Find an empty shoebox. (You can wrap it--lid separately--if you would like, but wrapping is not required.)
Decide whether your gift will be for a boy or a girl and the age category: 2-4 yrs, 5-9 yrs, or 10-14 yrs. Cut out the appropriate label from the back of the Operation Christmas Child brochure (available from the Church office), tape it on the top of the box, and mark the correct age category.
Fill the box with a variety of small toys, schools supplies, hygiene items, and other little gifts using the list above as a guide. In a separate envelope you may enclose a small note to the child and a photo of yourself or your family. (If you include your name and address, the child may write you back.)
Enclose $7.00 or more in the envelope (attached to the brochure) and put it inside your shoebox to help cover shipping and other costs. If you are packing more than one box, you can make a combined donation in a single envelope. Checks (made out to Samaritan's Purse) are recommended over cash.
Bring the filled shoebox to the church for forwarding to the regional collection center in Baltimore.

For specific information about this mission, contact Dave Meixner (ph: 301-498-1728 email: themeixners@comcast.net) or the Church Office. For general information on Operation Christmas Child or Samaritan's Purse, the sponsoring nonprofit organization, visit the Samaritan's Purse, Web site.