Operation Christmas Child

This was another awesome year for our shoebox program. Our final number of shoeboxes collected from the Beckley and Raleigh County area groups, churches and individuals was 2,111. Just think that over 2000 blessings will reach children around the world from right here in Beckley, West Virginia.

If you packed a shoebox, helped in our collection center or loaded our truck, I would like to express my sincere thanks and appreciation for the hard work that you did. Without volunteers, this program would never get off the ground and for this again I am truly grateful. So sit, back and relax for December. We will start collecting again in January. God bless you all.

In the shoebox community, November is a crazy month. Crazy may be an understatement but nonetheless it’s very, very busy. You ask why? November 15th through November 22nd is national collection week. This is when all of the shoeboxes from the Beckley/Raleigh County area come back into the church to be counted, put in a larger carton and start their long journey to reach a child halfway around the world. What I need from you first of all is your prayers that this collection week goes smoothly. It always has some rough times but with your prayers I’m sure we will get through it.

November is the month where I usually ask for monetary contributions to cover the shipping costs for the 100 boxes that we will be packing but fortunately through donations throughout the year our shipping costs have already been covered. But that’s not to say that we can’t start working on next years costs which I will only be glad to accept. If you want to write a check, just be sure to put shoeboxes in the memo line and that will assure that it gets to the correct place.

We will probably have a smaller collection this year but that’s good news because Samaritans Purse has opened a new collection center in Fayette County and one in Wyoming County. This will not only encourage more people in those areas to donate but will lessen the tremendous load that we get here every year. So it’s a good thing if we have less but that doesn’t mean you still can’t help. You can either make a box and bring it to the church or you can create a box on line which doesn’t involve any in person shopping. It’s all done on line. If you want more info on that, just give me a call and I’ll walk you through it.

I want to thank you all for your prayers, donations throughout the year both items donated and the contributions you’ve made. This year makes our 20th year officially being a collection center and it’s been great to see how this ministry has changed throughout the years. Please continue to pray as we enter this busy time that God moves these shoeboxes to where they need to be. God bless you !!!

As the temperatures start to lean more towards fall, OCC is kicking things up another notch. With collection week getting closer and closer, our focus turns to what kind of difference can I make. My answer to that is, as I always say, a shoebox can change a child’s life and that impact can grow and grow from the child to the family, to their town or village and from there it just multiplies.

Speaking of collection week, the dates for that are starting November 15th and concluding on November 22nd and that’s when I really need your help. We will be open Monday through Friday from 10 until 2 and then have shorter hours on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. So when you see my name come up on your caller ID on your phone, you’ll know what I’m calling about and the answer I want to hear is “yes I can help – when do you need me?” As in past years, we will have a loading time on Saturday the 20th of November. More details on that will be coming.

For the month of October I am asking you to bring in children’s gloves and toboggans. Even though some of these boxes may go to warmer climates, God knows which box needs to go to which child and he will direct it to just that child. As always, a collection box is located in the Welcome Center for your donations. I want to thank you for your prayers and support of the shoebox ministry. It is through your prayers and support that this mission effort can continue.

Please keep us in your prayers as our collection week comes closer that God will put the right person in the right place at the right time to help spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to children around the world.

by Debbie Vanaman

First of all, I want to thank all of you for your generous support of Operation Christmas Child this year. Your gifts, both of money and items for our shoeboxes, is greatly appreciated. Even during this strange year that we are still living, your support has been awesome.

Now for the month of September we’re going to do something different. What we will be collecting for the month of September is children’s socks. Depending on where you sit on Sunday mornings, that determines what size socks you need to buy. If you sit on the bank side, you are in charge of the two to four-year-old boys and girls. The people who sit in the middle part are responsible for the five to nine-year-old boys and girls. The ones on the college side are responsible for the 10 to 14-year-old boys and girls. If you can’t or would rather not shop, a monetary donation is always acceptable and we’ll do the shopping for you. This is something we’ve never done before and I hope it is successful.

Collection week is getting closer and closer. The dates are November 15th through November 22nd. That’s when the shoeboxes from the area churches and individuals will be collected in our Welcome Center where they will start their journey to a child some place in the world. I will be reaching out to you for help during that week.

Please continue to keep this mission project in your prayers as boxes are constantly being distributed around the world sharing the name of Jesus and the love of God.

Summer is in full swing, the weather, for the most part, is warm and children in our area are out of school. Speaking of school, children around the world don’t always have the advantages of children in our area as far as getting the supplies that they need. So as we usually do for July and August, we are collecting school supplies for our shoeboxes. Things like pencils, erasers, pens, crayons, small coloring books, colored pencils and pencil sharpeners are what is needed. This year I have been blessed with a donation of enough markers to give each child a pack. If you are not comfortable going to the stores yet, monetary gifts are always welcome. These children will be blessed beyond measure and so will you. Just think every time they pick up a pencil or a crayon, they know that someone from Beckley First Baptist Church in the U.S.A. thought enough of them and loved them enough to give them these school supplies. A collection box is located in Welcome Center for your donations. Please keep this ministry in your prayers as they continue to spread the name of Jesus and the love of God to children around the world.

Well the calendar has turned another month and we are one month closer to our November collection week. Your donations so far have been very generous. For the month of June we are asking for toothbrushes and small hair brushes. The Dollar Tree is the best place to purchase these items. There is a donation box in the Welcome Center for you to use. Please keep this ministry in your prayers as they continue to distribute shoeboxes to children around the world.

Not even the COVID-19 virus can keep Samaritan’s Purse from sharing the good news of the name of Jesus to children around the world. Shoeboxes have been delivered to children by boat, plane, camel, elephant, horseback and whatever other means of transportation available for the area to distribute shoeboxes to remote towns and villages that may have never heard the name of Jesus Christ.

Closer to home your shoeboxes are a vital part of this ministry and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support over the years. We will never know how many lives have been impacted by the shoeboxes that are made and delivered. What a blessing this ministry is.

For the month of May, I’m going to make it very easy for you to support this effort. It doesn’t involve shopping. It doesn’t involve much thought at all. What I’m asking for is help to cover the shipping for the shoeboxes that we will be creating later this year. My goal is to collect enough to make 100 shoeboxes so 100 times $9.00 per box means I need $900 and no I don’t expect someone to just write a check for that amount. What I am asking for is if 100 people gave $9.00 that would cover it or if 50 people gave $18.00 that would accomplish the same thing. That might mean giving up one Sunday dinner after church to help spread the name of Jesus to a child and his family. That impact could grow from his or her family to towns and villages and help ignite the word of God literally around the world.

So, if you wish to help here’s all you need to do. Write a check to FBC and put shoeboxes in the memo line – that’s it (cash is always welcome too). And as always please keep this ministry in your prayers as we deal with the challenges of the times.

As winter finally leaves and spring is officially here, Samaritan’s Purse is continuing to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to children around the world through the power of a shoebox. These boxes were filled last year with love and contain items such as school supplies, personal items, a small toy and a stuffed animal. Through your donations last year, we packed over 100 shoeboxes to help in this mission. This month we are asking for small stuffed animals (and I mean small enough to put in a shoebox). A good idea is to check the after Easter sales and find some stuffed rabbits or chicks. (Just a suggestion). There is a collection box in the Welcome Center for your donations. Please keep Samaritan’s Purse in your prayers as they continue to mission to spread the name of Jesus to children around the world.

It’s hard to believe it’s March already and spring is just around the corner. Through your generous packing of shoeboxes, the gospel of Jesus Christ is being spread around the world on a daily basis. This year Samaritan’s Purse is focusing on those little known islands in the Pacific Ocean where the name of Jesus is virtually unknown. These children will know that they are loved and blessed when they receive a shoebox packed just for them and will hear the name of Jesus and how he loves them.

Although we are still facing the challenges of the COVID virus, we are confident that this ministry will continue with its mission and that’s where you can help. Pray for the ministry. Prayer can move mountains and sometimes the devil puts those mountains in front of us but only through prayer can they be overcome.

Keep those donations coming in. It may not seem like much now but by November we will have enough, hopefully, to pack 100 shoeboxes and send them on their way.

For the month of March, I am asking for donations of toothbrushes, hair brushes and combs. The donation box is in the Welcome Center. Thank you for your support of this mission to spread the love of God through the power of a shoebox.

Well, we’ve turned the page to another year and said good-bye to 2020 (thank goodness). We survived collection week with all of the COVID restrictions and did quite well. While our number was down from last year, each and every shoebox that was put into a carton will be a blessing to the child who receives it. This child will probably hear the name of Jesus for the first time in his or her life and what an impact that will bring.

This collection year marks officially the 20th year we have been doing shoeboxes here at FBC and what a blessing it has been. Just imagine how many lives have been changed over those 20 years. It’s astounding. We’ve had some fun times and some challenges but with God’s help we’ve gotten through them. I thank all of you who have packed a box, worked in our collection center or loaded a truck, sometimes at 6:00 AM on a cold Saturday morning. Without your help, none of this would have happened.

Looking forward to the 2021 collection season, let’s start the months of January and February by donating bar soap and washcloths. This not only cleans the outer body but starts the process of sharing God’s love through the power of that shoebox that you will pack. Thank you again and God bless you.