Rosebud Church Honored for 15 Years of Helping Children Through Global Christmas Project
Rosebud,TX., September 6, 2020—On Sunday, September 6,2020, First Baptist Church was recognized for its generosity in helping thousands of children in need around the world. For more than 15 years, First Baptist Church has served as a drop-off location for Operation Christmas Child. Each year, the Samaritan’s Purse project delivers millions of gift-filled shoeboxes to children overseas.
Thousands of shoebox gifts packed and donated in Rosebud each year are collected by volunteers at the First Baptist Church.
“Without the generosity of ministry partners like those at First Baptist Church, Samaritan’s Purse could not reach millions of children around the world with the good news of Jesus Christ. We are thrilled to honor First Baptist Church for 15 years of service and partnership with Operation Christmas Child,” said Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse.
“We are grateful for First Baptist Church’s annual commitment to transform empty shoeboxes into gifts of hope for children in need each year,” said Cathy Scribner, Mid-Texas Area regional director for Operation Christmas Child. “These simple shoeboxes can impact childrens’ lives forever, sending a message that God loves them and they are not forgotten.”
More than 90,000 churches and groups in the United States partner with Operation Christmas Child to provide God’s love in a tangible way to millions of children in need. Nearly 5,000 of those churches serve as drop-off locations for the project. Through Operation Christmas Child, children, families and groups fill shoeboxes with fun toys, school supplies, and hygiene items—sharing love and hope with children around the world.
We are grateful First Baptist Church and the community of Rosebud plans to join us this year in packing traditional boxes, building a shoebox online, or both. Operation Christmas Child Project Leaders across the U.S. who are making modifications to shoebox packing in order to ensure that children around the world are still blessed with great joy and the Good News of Jesus Christ. National Collection Week is Nov. 16–23, 2020
For more information on how to participate in Operation Christmas Child, call the Mid-Texas Area at 254-624-0926, or 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.
Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian relief and evangelism organization headed by Franklin Graham. The mission of Operation Christmas Child is to provide God’s love in a tangible way to children in need around the world and, together with the local church worldwide, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 178 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 160 countries and territories. For many of these children, the gift-filled shoebox is the first gift they have ever received.