11 Million Shoeboxes!

After all was boxed up, collected and ready to go, over 11 million shoeboxes were collected worldwide with over 10 million of those coming from the United States. What a true blessing to know that millions and millions of gospel opportunities are going out to children around the world who have never heard the name Jesus and are given a box chosen just for them full of love from someone they have not even met. These are gospel opportunities that would not have happened but for the grace of Samaritans Purse and Operation Christmas Child.

For the month of March, we will be collecting wash clothes and individually packed bar soap. These items can be left in the box in the Welcome Center. I thank you for your prayers and ask that you continue to keep these gospel opportunities in your prayers as they are circulated to children around the world.

OCC: What a Powerful Message

Wow – what a January we had. Snow and bitter cold temperatures kept a lot of us in our homes but God’s love continued to be spread around the world through Operation Christmas Child. Shoeboxes are being delivered all around the world and the name of Jesus is being shared with children who have never heard his name or the message that a shoebox brings. That message is that someone who they never will meet cared enough for them to pack that shoebox and share God’s love. What a powerful message.

Here in Beckley I’m sure the cold temperatures kept a lot of us from shopping at our favorite store. So for the month of February, we will continue to collect children’s winter gloves. There’s a box in the Welcome Center for your donations. As always, please keep this mission program in your prayers as the name of Jesus continues to be shared with children around the world.

OCC: It’s going to be a great 2024!

With each new year, there are 365 gospel opportunities for us to share the name of Jesus to the people we meet. Operation Christmas Child shares these gospel opportunities to children around the world who have never heard to the name of Jesus and many have never received the precious items inside a shoebox.

We here at FBC have been involved in this program for over 20 years and these boxes have reached countless numbers of children and given them the hope that is found inside that shoebox.

For the month of January, this hope starts with a simple pair of winter gloves. Even if these boxes go to a climate that we think doesn’t need gloves, God has a purpose for putting that particular box in that particular child’s hands.

So keep praying for OCC and shop for those winter glove bargains. They’re out there – just keep an eye out for them and thanks for supporting OCC. It’s going to be a great 2024.

Operation Christmas Child 2023

As the year winds to a close, so does our shoebox season for this year. Through your generosity both in donations and monetary contributions, we were able to send 227 gospel opportunities, otherwise known as shoeboxes. That’s 227 children that will be blessed to know that someone they will never meet loved them enough to pack a shoebox just for them.

This was a huge undertaking that could only have been completed through your help. We collected all year what needed to be collected. We had a huge packing party that was successful beyond what we had estimated. We packed cartons and delivered those cartons to the drop off location without a hitch thanks to Pastor Bryan and Matt.

This year was a different year because it was the first year we were not a drop off location but God knew exactly what he was doing. He placed the right people in the right place at the right time and the task was completed in record numbers and for that, again, I thank you.

For the remainder of the year, please pray for the people that will be in charge of moving these millions and millions of boxes to their locations and for the people who will present these boxes to the children in countries around the world.

One more thing, if you see a bargain in kids gloves, pick them up because that’s what we will be collecting in January.

Thanks a bunch again for all your help.

Shoeboxes and Gospel Opportunities

Copied this from a Facebook post about Operation Christmas Child.

We never know what might happen during our packing parties, with all the excitement of picking out gifts running high. Everyone is smiling and laughing, talking and just having a good time being together. Well at our party tonight, something extra special happened. Near the end of our party, I noticed our Pastor kneeling next to one of our middle school girls. She was quietly crying. Then he motioned for her Mom to come over. They started praying, and afterwards, we found out that she had asked Jesus into her heart, and wants to be baptized! Best packing party ever!! THIS IS JUST AN ADDED BENEFIT TO WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO !!!

November is the month that OCC is in high gear all month. Collection week starts November 13th and goes to November 20th and Calvary Assembly of God Church is the new central drop off point. From Calvary Assembly they will start their journey to either Boone or Charlotte, North Carolina and from there they travel to places you and I may have never heard of. These “gospel opportunities” reach thousands and thousands of children each year who have never heard the name of Jesus Christ and through this simple box their lives, their families lives and possibly their village or town may come to know the saving grace of our Lord and Savior. YOUR BOXES NEED TO BE RETURNED BY NOV. 13TH

What I am asking for this month and through the end of the year and into 2024 is very simple. In your daily devotions, please lift up Operation Christmas Child as these boxes are distributed. Pray that the teams of Samaritan’s Purse volunteers stay safe and that these “gospel opportunities” get to where God wants them to be. As always, you are an awesome congregation and your prayers and support are appreciated.

Gearing Up for Shoebox Collection Week

As things gear up to collection week in November, we shift into high gear to get ready. We will be having a packing party on the 21st of October at 10AM to pack all the donations you’ve given during the year. We have 120 boxes to pack and that’s where the fun happens. You get to pack a box for a child that will receive it who might never have heard the name Jesus and how much He loves them. So join us on the 21st and let’s have some fun. For the month of October we will be collecting money to ship these boxes. Just place a check in with your regular offering and mark it shoeboxes and it will get to the right place. As always, keep this ministry in your prayers as they distribute these boxes to children around the world and share the love of Jesus.

Operation Christmas Child: Celebrating 30 Years of Service

We here at FBC have been actively invovled in Operation Christmas Child for over 20 years and for that you should be proud. You have helped spread the name of Jesus and the love of God to over 200 million children who have never heard the name Jesus before. Their lives have been forever changed by someone they don’t even know who cared enough to pack a box just for them.

Due to a restructuring of our southern West Virgnia team, we will no longer be a drop off point as the new central drop off point has been moved up to Beckley to Calvary Assembly of God church right off Harper Road. What this means is we will gather our boxes in November and sometime during the week of November 13th we will take them to Calvary and drop them off there.

We have just about completed collecting for our boxes that we pack here at the church and you’ve been so generous with your donations. You were also given the opportunity to take a box home with you last month to pack for that I thank you. That box needs to be returned to the church by November 12th.

For the month of September we will be collecting children’s socks for ages 2-4; 5-9 and 10-14. There is a large brown box located in the Welcome Center for your donations. As always, please keep this ministry in your prayers as they continue to spread the name of Jesus to children around the world.

OCC: A Few Changes with the Same Mission

Much has happened within the OCC team since I last wrote you. Calvary Assembly of God Church is now going to be the central drop off point for Raleigh and Fayette County. This means that FBC will no longer be a regional drop off site. I can’t let this go by without thanking the hundreds of people, both members and non-members, who staffed our drop off location over the past 21 years. We could not have accomplished all that was done without your support. God has taken us into a new direction, and we have to be ready to serve God when and where it’s needed.

We still have our own 120 boxes that I have pledged to fill for this year and so far, your donations have been outstanding. For July and August, you can catch the back-to-school sale for supplies such as crayons, pencils, pens, pencil sharpeners, erasers, small note pads and glue sticks. I caught a good sale on composition books recently so those we don’t need. Donations can be left in the large brown box in the Welcome Center marked Samaritan’s Purse. If you’re not one that likes to shop, I would be glad to shop for you. So just put your donation in the church offering plate and mark it shoebox school supplies and your shopping will be done. Your past support of this program has been outstanding, and I am asking you to keep shoeboxes in your prayers and we continue to spread the name of Jesus to children around the world.

Operation Christmas Child: Important Changes

Some important changes have taken place these past few months that will impact our church and how we are involved in Operation Christmas Child this year and for the foreseeable future.

In years past, we were the collection center for the Beckley/Raleigh County area which meant that the churches in our area brought their shoeboxes to us, we cartooned them up and took them to the main collection point in Princeton.

The gentleman who ran that main collection center has retired from the OCC ministry and that location will no longer be our central drop off point. The central point has been moved to the Assembly of God church right here in Beckley on Sunset Road approximately two miles from our church. After discussing this with our area leaders, it was decided that having two drop off points so close two each other would not be practical and a mutual decision was reached to close our location and move the drop off location to Calvary Assembly.

In a nutshell, this means that we would do our own shoeboxes and then deliver them to Calvary in November. However, Calvary will still be needing some help during collection week but that’s not until November. The mission of OCC hasn’t and never will change and that mission is to spread the name of Jesus to children around the world through the power of a simple shoebox.

Now for your June challenge. We’re starting something new and that’s called the $5.00 challenge. What we are collecting this month is toothbrushes, combs and children’s scissors. What I need you to do is purchase one of each of these three items and spend no more than $5.00. If you shop at the right stores, this can be done. In the event that you can’t or don’t want to do the leg work, I will gladly take your donation and shop for you. This way it’s not too much of a financial burden on anyone and helps fill our shoeboxes.

As always, please keep this ministry in your prayers as they are delivering these shoeboxes to countries and children around the world and remember YOU CAN CHANGE THE WORLD THROUGH THE POWER OF A SIMIPLE SHOEBOX. God bless you all !!

200 Millionth Shoebox!

Last month in Orlando, Florida, people gathered from over 150 nations to celebrate the 200 millionth shoebox being distributed and what a weekend it was. There was a time of praise and worship, many workshops and just gathering with people at the receiving end of these shoeboxes. They shared their stories of the children receiving their box along with the program “The Greatest Journey” which outlines for the children how they can give their life to Christ and gives them an opportunity at the end of the program to “graduate” and hopefully share their lessons with their families. This ministry has grown tremendously in the last 25 years and with your help will continue to grow and reach out to children in previously unreachable countries and share the love of Jesus. This ministry works 365 days a year to spread the gospel.

Last month I asked for small toys such as jump ropes, small balls or a small doll and that’s what we are asking for again. The dollar stores are your best bet to shop for these items. There is a box located in the Welcome Center for your donations.