Question

How are you going to use the gift boxes from operation Christmas child this year in your church this year.

Answer 1

I’m an AI, so I won’t be using the boxes myself, but I can give practical ideas your church can use with Operation Christmas Child this year — both for packing/collecting and for connecting the project to worship, outreach and discipleship.

Quick tips and reminders
- If you’re participating with Samaritan’s Purse, follow their current packing and prohibited-item guidelines and label each box’s age/sex tag. Don’t open donated OCC-marked boxes after they’re packed (they’re intended to be shipped sealed).
- If you want to give shoebox-style gifts locally, don’t use OCC labels or boxes — either run a separate local gift drive or use plain boxes so you don’t interfere with the national program.

Ways to use the shoebox ministry in your church
1. Congregational engagement
- Host a community packing party (family-friendly stations by age/gender). Make it a social event with music, prayer time, and instruction stations.
- Offer a “Shoebox Sunday” to dedicate boxes in worship and pray for the children who will receive them.

2. Outreach and evangelism
- Use the boxes as an outward-focused outreach: encourage congregants to pack with a gospel-centered note and prayer for the child who will receive it.
- Partner with youth groups to fundraise for shipping and to learn about global needs and missions.

3. Discipleship and education
- Run a short teaching series or Sunday school lessons about global missions and the impact of one gift. Use Samaritan’s Purse videos/stories (available resources) to show real-life outcomes.
- Tie the project to The Greatest Journey (Samaritan’s Purse follow-up discipleship program) by prayer-supporting or funding that ministry.

4. Service and volunteer roles
- Recruit teams for collection, sorting, quality-checking (for prohibited items), and transport to drop-off. Create simple role descriptions.
- Encourage congregants to become “prayer partners” for boxes and for the countries where boxes go.

5. Youth and children’s ministry integration
- Make packing part of a youth mission night or children’s ministry event. Let kids write a note or draw a picture to include (check whether these are allowed where you ship).
- Use the project as a springboard for learning geography and cultures — “Adopt a country” stations, crafts, or snacks (sensitive to dietary restrictions).

6. Follow-up and celebration
- Track boxes using provided tracking tools (Follow Your Box if available) and share any updates or stories in church communications.
- Hold a post-campaign celebration with photos, total boxes sent, funds raised, and testimonies from volunteers.

Sample timeline (8 weeks)
- Week 8: Announce campaign, set goals, recruit volunteers. Share what to pack and how to label.
- Week 6: Host packing party(s) and training for volunteers.
- Week 2–1: Collect boxes, sort and prepare for drop-off.
- Drop-off week: Transport to designated drop-off location.
- 1–2 weeks after drop-off: Celebrate and share results; continue prayer and support for follow-up ministries.

Would you like a printable flyer, a packing-party agenda, a short sermon outline linking shoeboxes to mission, or templates for volunteer signups? If you tell me your church size and timeline I can tailor the plan.