First Baptist Church gets in the spirit by collecting donations
The First Baptist Church - Highlands is slated to be the local drop off point for this year’s Operation Christmas Child.
The drop off period will begin on Monday, Nov. 18 at 10 a.m. and finish a week later on Nov. 25 at noon.
First Baptist Church Pastor Mark Ford said the church is proud to be a part of such a vast humanitarian effort.
“This is a tremendous and worthwhile project and our people here love it,” Ford said.
According to local OCC coordinator Sergio Barranco, the First Baptist Church collected nearly 100 shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child in 2018.
“Every year you want to do more,” he said. “The people here in Highlands are so giving.”
Franklin’s Grace Presbyterian Church has been raising funds for Operation Christmas Child throughout the year with various promotional efforts and will be featured in a national promotional video for Operation Christmas Child that will be available for viewing online in a couple of weeks, said Brenda Hackett, Media Support Coordinator for Operation Christmas Child.
“It will air through Operation Christmas Child’s National Collection Week of Nov. 18 – 25,” she said. “Anyone can show God’s love to children in need by packing a shoebox with fun toys, school supplies and hygiene items.
According to Hackett, the video features Izabella McMillon and her family, along with Patti Huettig with volunteers and participants in a segment of Cooking With Dale, a fundraiser for Grace Presbyterian Church and Operation Christmas Child featuring former Old Edwards Inn Chef Dale Overton.
Grace Presbyterian Church uses the funds to pay shipping on the boxes they pack for the Samaritan’s Purse project’s 2019 goal of reaching 11 million children in need.
McMillon and her family came to be a part of this final Cooking with Dale session. McMillon is originally from Romania, and she received a shoebox at the age of 13.
“After the pizzas and apple strudel, McMillon shared her personal testimony,” Hackett said in a press release. “She grew up under the harsh communist government in Romania at the time, and she was not permitted to openly go to church or talk about the Bible.”
Through the gift of the shoebox, she began to attend an underground church and became a Christian, Hackett said. As a young adult she came to the United States for work. McMillon now lives in the Charlotte area with her husband Joel and two children.
Her story can be read on Operation Christmas Child’s website.
During Operation Christmas Child’s National Collection Week of Nov. 18 – 25, local residents will collect shoebox gifts at two drop-off locations in Macon County, Holly Springs Baptist Church and First Baptist Church in Highlands.
The Samaritan’s Purse project, partnering with churches worldwide, will deliver these gifts to children in need. The Western North Carolina Area Team volunteers hope to collect more than 20,000 gifts during the week.
“It’s amazing to see the local community rally together for a global impact,” said June Trull, Western North Carolina Area Team Coordinator. “We see all ages getting involved – and more and more every year.”
Grace Presbyterian Church plans to pack 60 shoeboxes with fun toys, school supplies and hygiene items. These gift-filled shoeboxes will contribute to the project’s global goal of reaching more than 11 million children.
For more information on how to participate in Operation Christmas Child, visit samaritanspurse.org/occ. Participants can donate $9 per shoebox gift online through “Follow Your Box” and receive a tracking label to discover its destination.
Those who prefer the convenience of online shopping can browse samaritanspurse.org/buildonline to select gifts matched to a child’s specific age and gender, then finish packing the virtual shoebox by adding a photo and personal note of encouragement.
Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 168 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 160 countries and territories.