The kick-off date for our 2024 in-gathering of items for Operation Christmas Child will be Sunday, September 22.
Operation Christmas Child is a project run by the non-profit Christian organization, Samaritan’s Purse. This is an effort in which individuals and churches across all denominations join together to collect NEW toys, school supplies, and hygiene items and pack them in shoeboxes which Samaritan’s Purse helps deliver to children ages 2-14, living in 170 countries around the world. The children who are recipients of the shoeboxes all live in poverty and, for many of them, the OCC shoebox is likely their first ever gift of NEW items. Through these shoeboxes, we hope to convince them that God loves them and open their hearts to hearing the Gospel message.
Our congregation shops for clearance sale items for Operation Christmas Child all year-long in preparation for our fall in-gathering. The summer months are a great time to find deals on school supplies to stretch our budget. If you would like to help us, here are some suggested items to purchase and the current price at Walmart. Items can be dropped off at the church during office hours.
If you have any questions on our Operation Christmas Child ministry, please contact mail@StMarkChester.org c/o Debbie.