This year, in addition to Grace Church families who have been buying items all year to pack shoeboxes with their families, we will also collectively be packing 150 shoeboxes as a church. There will be 50 shoeboxes for each age group (2-4, 5-9, and 10-14) divided equally between boys and girls. We’re counting on members of Grace Church, and anyone else who would like to volunteer, to commit to purchasing these items.
OCC National Collection Week is November 18-25, so we will be having our Shoebox Packing Party at 6pm on Sunday evening, November 17. Stay tuned for more details.
In the meantime, please click on the link below if you’d like to sign up to buy items for our church shoeboxes.
Once we fill our Grace Church Shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child, we still have to come up with $9/box to pay for the shipping, processing, and distribution.
In case you’re wondering why it costs $9/box, please visit this page. It explains all of the steps involved in getting the shoeboxes from our packing party into the hands of children who desperately need to hear the Gospel message.
Last year we packed and sent shoeboxes for 279 children! With our Follow the Shoebox shipping labels we learned that they went to Columbia, Angola, and South Africa.
Some of our families who included personal notes in the shoeboxes they packed were blessed to receive “Thank You” messages from the children.
Let’s see how many shoeboxes we can send this year! No matter what number it is, we are trusting the Lord to use these gifts to get His Word to His people.
UPDATE 9/15/2019 – We’re at $380 so far! The current goal amount would cover the shipping for 300 shoeboxes, but if we only raise enough to ship 100 or 200 shoeboxes, that’s still ok! The Lord can do great things no matter how many shoeboxes we send.
Videos
Kwale’s Answered Prayer – Kwale and his mother were praying that God would provide new shoes for him, so he could return to school. God used an Operation Christmas Child shoebox-with a new pair of shoes that fit Kwale-to answer that prayer. The shoes, however, were just the beginning of the blessings that the Lord had in store for Kwale and his family.
Shoebox Gifts Open Doors – In rural Tanzania Pastor Marco Kayumbo is watching God reach Muslim communities through simple shoebox gifts.
The Amazing Journey of a Simple Shoebox Gift Begins With You!
Packing, Collecting & Shipping – People pack shoebox gifts each year to bless children in need around the world. Churches and groups collect these boxes the third week of November. Then, thousands of volunteers inspect and prepare the shoeboxes for international shipping.
Worldwide Distribution – Long before shoeboxes arrive in more than 100 countries, volunteer National Leadership Teams train pastors and community leaders who want to share the Gospel and bless children.
Outreach Events – Churches around the world hand out shoebox gifts at festive outreach events where the Gospel is clearly presented. Christians also take gifts to orphanages, hospitals, and at-risk places to share the hope of Christ. Along with the gifts, we offer Gospel booklets called The Greatest Gift to help shoebox recipients learn about God’s greatest gift, His Son, Jesus Christ.
Discipleship & Multiplication – After receiving a shoebox gift, children have the opportunity to enroll in our 12-lesson follow-up discipleship program, The Greatest Journey. As a result of what they learn, boys and girls grow in Christ and share Him with others. Families are reached, churches grow, new churches are started, and communities are transformed.
Note: This is a playlist, so if you click on the little icon in the top corner of the video, you can see all of the different videos for different age ranges and genders.
