Written by Courtney Roberts and Seth Kigndon on November 21, 2023.
This year, the church family at Alliance Bible Fellowship collectively produced 3,521 boxes for Operation Christmas Child.
Operation Christmas Child with Samaritan’s Purse continues to be one of the best things we get to do as a church family every year.
Packing Party: Group Participation, Personal Touches
On Friday, November 10, 2023, hundreds of volunteers gathered at the church to support the ministry of Operation Christmas Child through Alliance’s third annual packing party, assembling a record-breaking 2,035 shoeboxes.
The night’s success was the culmination of weeks’ worth of preparation: Alliance began collecting items for shoeboxes — including toys, school supplies, and hygiene products — in early September. At the packing party, participants moved from station to station, packing boxes with these donated items, adding personal notes and photos, and praying over each shoebox.
Sent to children around the globe, each box is a tangible demonstration of God’s love. For many children, the shoebox is the first gift they have ever received, but the value goes far beyond the material. Distributed by local churches, each box is also an invitation to participate in The Greatest Journey, a 12-lesson discipleship program designed to teach the gospel message to children and equip them to share it with others.
Building Connections, Globally and Locally
For Packing Party participants, the packing party was a chance not only to impact global missions, but also to serve alongside brothers and sisters from the church with whom they might not normally rub shoulders.
Kaitlyn Farley, who helped organize the event, commented, “It’s great to have an event like this where the entire church can participate in a missions-oriented project — people of all ages, backgrounds, interests. No matter where you fit into the church, there was a role for you here.”
Join Us in Prayer
Operation Christmas Child’s National Collection Week is November 13 – 20, but for shoeboxes, collection is only the beginning. As shoeboxes are collected around the country, join us in praying for each step of the journey — and for every individual involved along the way — including:
- Volunteers and staff at Operation Christmas Child Processing Centers
- Shipping/travel logistics, customs, etc.
- Local churches and partners distributing shoeboxes
- Shoebox recipients and their families
You Can Still Participate!
It’s not too late to join the fun of packing a shoebox. There’s still an opportunity to pack a shoebox online or donate to shipping costs (select “Operation Christmas Child” in the drop down).
Alliance Bible Fellowship set a goal to meet 3,000 shoeboxes as a church family. With your help, we surpassed this goal! Thank you for investing your time and resources in this effort.