We will be participating in Operation Christmas Child from now through November 8. Everyone is invited to participate in this ministry project! The mission of Operation Christmas Child is to provide local churches who are OCC ministry partners around the world with shoebox gifts as a way to reach children in their communities. For many children, this is the first gift they will ever receive. More Important than the items inside the shoebox, the gifts are an opportunity to share God’s love—and the Good News of Jesus Christ—with children in need.
How You Can Participate:
1. Donate gift items from the suggested gift items list.
2. Donate money for a volunteer to purchase gift items for you.
3. Donate money for shipping of shoeboxes. Boxes are $9/box to ship.
4. Come to our Packing Party! November 8 @ 9:30 a.m. (We will be collecting donations every Sunday until November 8.)
5. Most importantly, pray for the children who will receive these gifts. Ask God to prepare their hearts to receive His love and that the Lord Jesus Christ draw each recipient to Himself.
*If you are not attending outdoor services but would like to participate, we can arrange a pick-up time to receive your donation.
Please contact Bonnie Dunk with any questions at 830-660-0026
Shoebox Gift Suggestions
A “Wow” Item à • Doll • Soccer ball (Make sure to include a manual air pump so that the ball can be reinflated.) • Stuffed animal • An outfit of clothing to wear • Small musical instrument (such as a harmonica or woodwind recorder) • Backpack • Toy truck or boat
Personal Care Items à • Comb • Hairbrush • Toothbrush • Washcloth • Bar soap (packaged and/or in a container) • Adhesive bandages (Colorful ones can help a child be more willing to wear a bandage. Do not include liquid antibiotic ointment.) • Reusable plastic containers: cup, water bottle, plate, bowl, blunt-edged utensils (Consider filling an empty container with non-liquid items such as hair bows, bracelets, sunglasses, or washcloths to maximize the space.) • Blanket • Non-liquid lip balm • Flashlight (solar-powered or hand-crank; if battery operated, be sure to include extra batteries of the type needed)
Clothing and Accessories à • Shirts and pants • Pillowcase dress (loose-fitting sundress) • Underwear • Shoes and socks • Flip-flops • Hat/scarf/mittens • Decorative hat • Wrist watch • Sunglasses • Tote bag/purse • Bead jewelry/bead kit • Hair accessories (hair clips, hair bows, hair ribbons, elastic hair bands, etc.) • Bandana
School Supplies à • Pencils • Small manual pencil sharpener • Erasers • Colored pencils • Pencil case • Pens • Crayons • Markers • Notebooks • Blank index cards • Solar-powered calculator • Safety (blunt tip) scissors • Ruler • Protractor • Glue stick (Do not include liquid glue.) • Small adhesive tape
Craft and Activities à • Coloring Books/Pads • Watercolor Set [Finger paint palette/crayons/markers (non-liquid containers), paint brushes, canvas or paper] • Make-it-yourself craft items or kit • Puzzles • Playdough (Consider adding plastic cookie cutters as non-sharp utensils the child can use with the playdough.) • Stickers • Chalkboard and chalk • Binoculars • Skipping rope/Jump rope • Building blocks • Tool set Sewing kit, fabric (1-2 yards), and ribbon • Gardening kit with gloves and trowel hand tool (Do not include gardening seeds.) • Playing cards • Magnets • Kaleidoscope • Fishing kit
Toys à •Foam ball • Kickball (Make sure to include a manual air pump so that the ball can be reinflated.) • Finger puppets • Slinky • Etch A Sketch • Play cars/trucks/boats • Plastic tools • Plastic dinosaurs • Baseball and mitt • Tennis ball • Yo-yo • Small Frisbee • Small kite • Hacky sac
3 Tips for Operation Christmas Child Boxes:
Avoid battery-operated toys. Not only may it be hard for the child’s family to replace the batteries, but battery acid could leak and ruin the other items. Also, button batteries (which are in any small toys that make noise) pose a hazard to young kids.
Provide a re-sealable sandwich bag for easy storage if any of your items have pieces (such as a puzzle).
Stay away from anything with instructions. Even if the child is of reading age, you don’t know what language they speak/read.
