Putting churches at the heart of the community
Compassion and generosity
Year after year we see churches from across the UK showing compassion and generosity by getting involved in this huge project that makes a big difference to children's lives. Giving these gift-filled shoe boxes brings joy and a message of hope to children from across the world. Last year thousands of churches and schools worked together with tens of thousands of individuals to make up over 1.30 million shoe boxes for children in 12 countries.
Church Resource Guide
The 2008 Church Resource Guide is full of ideas to enable churches to make the most of Operation Christmas Child. The guide is designed to inspire and give examples of how to run Operation Christmas Child easily and successfully in your church. You can download the guide now by clicking here.
You can still dow
nload the 2007 Church Resource Guide by clicking here. Alternatively you can call 0870 870 8333 or 0208 559 1180. (Both these numbers can be used to reach our Supporter Care Team. Which number is cheapest to use will depend on your telephone supplier). Or send us an email to info@samaritans-purse.org.uk , with your name, the name of your church and your address details to order your free copy.
Click here to download an article explaining how your church or group can take part in Operation Christmas child for you to insert into your church newsletter or magazine. You can edit the article so that it gives the relevant information for your church.
Operation Christmas Child not only benefits the children receiving boxes; it also creates excellent opportunities for the church in the UK.
As a nation we are becoming more aware of the plight of others across the world with war and natural disasters regularly making the headlines. As the church in the UK we can involve our communities in helping to alleviate the suffering and hopelessness of these situations.
Congregations can invite their communities to join them in making up the shoe boxes that Operation Christmas Child will distribute. Together with the community a congregation is placed in, we can reach out and make a difference.
Joel Edwards, General Director Evangelical Alliance said that Operation Christmas Child is: “…a fantastic way for churches and communities to pull together and get involved with something that makes a real difference to the lives of those in need!”
Connect with the community
Operation Christmas Child provides an ideal opportunity for churches and their communities to join together in providing gift filled shoe boxes that really do make a difference to the children that receive them.
Shoe Box Celebration Materials
Many churches have found that Operation Christmas Child really does build great links with their community. As a celebration and a way to really engage with everyone involved in the project, many churches hold a Shoe Box Celebration at the end of their campaign. Churches have found that this is not only a great way to celebrate the end of a successful campaign, but that many people who would not normally come to church will bring their boxes and their family along to a shoe box service.
Shoe Box Sunday
Sunday Sermon
Sunday school lesson
Rev. David Newton from Clayton Baptist said:
“In terms of an outreach opportunity, Operation Christmas Child has been the second best thing that we've done. The first being to send teams to Romania on short term mission trips. We held a National Shoe Box Sunday service to which we invited 700 people by dropping invitations in their mail boxes. Twenty-five people came and six people continue to come to church."
Volunteer
Your church will be able to build links with schools and other organisations. Everyone in the congregation can be involved and it only takes one person in the congregation to enthuse the rest. There are many ways that different members of the congregation can be involved, from making up the shoe boxes, knitting scarves or hand puppets for the shoe boxes or giving some time to help in our warehouses before distribution takes place.
Being a volunteer
Knitting gifts for shoe boxes
Operation Christmas Child
As good for your church as for the children you help!
Find out what churches have said about the benefits of Operation Christmas Child for your church and community:
How OCC has benefitted us
Stories from different churches, as they appeared in the September/October issue of Samaritan's Purse magazine.
read the article on the web
download the article as a pdf (6 pdf's on a zip file, 1.40 MB)
Click here to view the OCC PowerPoint Presentation, expaining Gift Ideas and How to pack your box.
Order Promotional Material