First Baptist Pawnee: 2009 Shoebox Gift Collection

100! One hundred is an exciting number, but let me begin with a disclaimer. Matthew 6:3 (NIV) says "...when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing." So, I want my audience (all 2-3 of you who click over here :)) to know that I try to balance a Biblical attitude towards giving with a general intent to inform our church body of the final outcome of a ministry effort. And that leads me to another disclaimer - we won't know the final outcome of what these boxes will accomplish in the hearts and lives of children and their family for a long time - perhaps we will not know this side of heaven. Suffice it to say that these shoebox Christmas gifts are tools for ministry, gateways to evangelism, and a delight to needy children in impoverished nations.

So, returning to the lead line. 100! 100! One hundred is an exciting number. We've all been to the high school basketball game where the home team plays a sub-par team and you hope you can 'hit 100.' Well, in this case, one hundred shoeboxes is an exciting final count and an answer to prayer. It is a testimony to the generous and giving spirit of FBC Pawnee when it comes to missions projects. Thank you, church, for allowing me to lead in this effort.

2009 Pawnee FBC 'Operation Christmas Child' Pack N Party

This is a preliminary report on the inaugural Pawnee FBC 'Operation Christmas Child' Pack N Party.



We packed corporately 17 boxes for 5-9 year old girls, and 16 boxes for 5-9 year old boys.

We then watched "St. Nicholas: A Story of Joyful Giving" - the new Veggie Tales movie which is thematically tied in to the ministry of 'Operation Christmas Child.'

We anxiously await the addition of the other boxes that individual, families, youth groups, and Sunday School classes will bring in this weekend.

Pawnee OCC Pack N Party

The Pawnee 'Operation Christmas Child' Pack N Party is:

Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009, 2-4PM
Fellowship Hall of Pawnee First Baptist Church

We will begin by packing 30-40 boxes assembly line style, and then join watching a new Veggie Tales movie that is thematically tied in to Operation Christmas Child.

Got questions? Here are some frequently asked ones:

1. What movie will be shown?

2. What is a Packing Party?

3. I missed some of the announcements and deadlines. Can I still help?

4. I have packed my own boxes. My family has packed our own boxes. When do we turn those in?

Operation Christmas Child at Pawnee OK: Can I Still Help?

Some members or attenders of Pawnee First Baptist Church may ask:

"I meant to help, but I have been very busy this season. Can I still help?"

Answer: Yes! Here are some important ways:
1. Pray. Pray for the recipients of the gifts, their families, and their home villages and countries. Pray that they will be receptive to the Gospel message.
2. Give. The 30-40 boxes our church will pack as a cooperative effort do not currently have a mechanism to pay for the shipping costs incurred. Samaritan's Purse asks for a $7 donation for each box to cover this. As you can see, we will need $200-280 to cover this.
3. Pack a box anyway. If you're reading this before Nov 22 or 23, you've got a little time left.
4. Prepare for next year. Recommended contents for OCC shoebox gifts are often on steep seasonal discounts. Watch for summer sales on school supplies, bulk sales on hygiene items, seasonal clearances on children's clothing. Stock up and help us help kids next year.

Shoebox Collection Sunday is Here

A Reminder to the Faithful Members of First Baptist Church, Pawnee, OK:

Please bring your Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts to the church on the morning of Nov. 22, 2009. They will be loaded into a vehicle for transport to the regional collection center in Stillwater, OK, on Monday, November 23.

How Are the Shoebox Gifts Distributed to the Children Who Need Them?

This is an excellent question, and one that could be answered many different ways. After all, Operation Christmas Child distributed nearly 8 million shoebox gifts in 2008-2009, and will likely exceed 8 million in this year's collection for 2009-2010.

Your shoebox gift(s) are collected at a local church or business, forwarded to a regional city (in our case, usually Tulsa), and then forwarded to one of the 6 Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child regional processing centers scattered across the United States. The closest one to us is Denver, and there are 'home missions' opportunities for volunteers to help with processing during December. That might be the subject of a future post.

At the regional processing centers, your shoebox gift undergoes final processing to meet OCC's guidelines and to prepare it for shipping. It is my understanding that the #1 desire of the processing crews is to only seal the box to prevent shipping damage. However, the processing crews might remove prohibited objects such as liquids, war-related toy items, or other inappropriate content. Unwrapped shoebox gifts are then wrapped with a thematic wrapping material for final shipping.

I am very unacquainted with the logistics and timing of final delivery to villages and cities of the recipient countries. I'm almost certain that Samaritan's Purse has to 'declare' these goods at some checkpoint as they enter countries. Samaritan's Purse will 'network' with their own missionaries and cooperate with other missions staff to optimize a gift delivery to a village's children.

The video below shows how the final shoebox delivery might look in an impoverished village. In this case, the delivery occurs in Kamenica, in the war-torn country of Kosovo. Also, in this case, the uploaded video is very raw. I sought out and chose such a video for a reason. I wanted our participants to see a 'real' shoebox gift distribution, free of professional editing, musical backgrounds, perfect weather, etc. I personally have nothing against the 'official videos' and will gladly show them, but I wanted to show a more realistic presentation of a typical gift distribution.

Will There Be a Movie at Our Local Shoebox Packing Party?

Yes! As part of our first church-wide Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Packing Party, we will show a new VeggieTales release "St. Nicholas - A Story of Joyful Giving."

This video has an important thematic tie-in to the joyful giving that defines Operation Christmas Child. We think the children will enjoy it, and it will be a great finish to our Shoebox Gift Packing Party.

Embedded below is the promotional movie trailer for "St. Nicholas - A Story of Joyful Giving."

What Is a Shoebox Packing Party?

Our church is trying something new this year - a Shoebox Gift Packing Party. Read on and watch the video to get the background and see a very large packing party in action.

The year 2009 represents the fourth year for our church (First Baptist, Pawnee, OK) to formally participate in Operation Christmas Child. (Our efforts for 2006, 2007, and 2008 are briefly summarized here, here, and here.)

Our local organizers have proposed a 'Shoebox Gift Packing Party' for several reasons:

1. It can be a fun fellowship time with a missions emphasis.
2. It can foster new participation in the Shoebox gift program, especially for those limited with available time or resources.
3. It can introduce an 'economy of scale' to increase the number of children that can be positively impacted by this program.

This 'Shoebox Packing Party' is not a substitute for the regular shoebox gift giving by our participants. It is a SUPPLEMENTAL activity created for the reasons above.

But, now to return to the title of the entry - What is a Shoebox Packing Party? It will be a defined time for our church to come together and package 30 boxes - assembly line style - using resources donated by our church family - one box of crayons and one stuffed animal at a time. The embedded video - provided courtesy of Operation Christmas Child - shows what one Shoebox Gift Packing Party might look like. In this case, they package 2000 boxes. Enjoy!

First Baptist Pawnee: 2008 Shoebox Gift Collection

In the year 2008, the First Baptist Church of Pawnee, OK, corporately donated approximately 85 boxes, showing again steady growth in the program from our local perspective. Our collection point changed this year to the First Baptist Church in Stillwater (pictured). From this point, boxes are placed into larger cardboard boxes, shipped in trucks to Tulsa, then in larger trucks to Denver or any of 5 other regional processing centers for final inspection and preparation for sending to a needy child overseas.

First Baptist Pawnee: 2007 Shoebox Gift Collection

The year 2007 marked our church's second year to formally participate in an organized fashion. This year, we contributed over 75 shoebox gifts.

Operation Christmas Child: How To Pack a Shoebox Gift

This video provided via Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child website. Following these instructions makes it easier on those who prepare your gift for final shipping - it ensures your intentions make it all the way to the child.

First Baptist Pawnee: 2006 Shoebox Gift Collections

The first year for First Baptist Church of Pawnee to participate fully in Operation Christmas Child was 2006. That year, we collected and donated over 65 shoebox gifts. Our church is relatively small, but supports missions efforts enthusiastically.

Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child: More Info

How do I find out more information about Samaritan's Purse "Operation Christmas Child"?

Follow this link:

http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/

Welcome: Pawnee - Operation Christmas Child

Hi
This site is constructed for sharing announcements, FAQ's, and other helps for Operation Christmas Child for the people of Pawnee, Oklahoma. Currently, this is directed at members of the First Baptist Church of Pawnee, OK, but there may be efforts in the future to incorporate other Pawnee area churches into the effort.