GAINESVILLE - Lakewood Baptist Church is getting ready for its seventh year as a regional collection center for Operation Christmas Child in hopes of forwarding 25,000 shoebox-size gifts for children around the globe.
Operation Christmas Child is a worldwide mission of Samaritan's Purse headed by Dr. Franklin Graham.
Jim Lee is Lakewood’s volunteer coordinator.
“Last year we collected more than 22,000 shoeboxes from our congregation and nine others in the region, Lee said. "Boxes arrived from Buford, Oakwood, Hoschton, Cornelia, Cleveland, Dawsonville, Dahlonega, Toccoa and Cumming to fill two tractor trailers.”
Each shoebox is designated for a boy or girl and bound for all parts of the world based on children’s needs. Organizers suggest small toys, personal hygiene items, games, books and other items to brighten a child’s life and spread the reach of Christianity. “The thing about OCC is that you know when you pack a shoebox a child is going to receive that gift and even more importantly they are going to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ,” Lee added.
Lakewood’s associate missions pastor, Tyler Smiley, said “Each box represents one child whose life can be changed by a simple gift. I think every person who packs a box is reminded in a tangible way how blessed we all are and how great the need is to take the gospel to all parts of the world.”
Collection week is November 16-23 as caravans will arrive on the Lakewood campus from other congregations in northeast Georgia. Then the loaded trailers will be dispatched to the southeast center in metro Atlanta for worldwide distribution.
“I like being part of a big operation like this," Lee said. "We pack so many shoeboxes during collection week it is easy for forget each one is a special gift for a child. We frequently stop the operation and have everyone hold a box and pray for the child who is going to receive it.”
