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“I knew that if they went to church, they would change. We can start over. I knew God could change us, and He did.” – Maité, The Greatest Journey discipleship program attendee

You may know Operation Christmas Child through the colorful red and green shoeboxes in the foyer, but do you know that Operation Christmas Child is more than those boxes? It all starts with boxes being filled with toys, school supplies, and other gifts for children, then they are gathered at collection center and shipped out to local churches around the world to distribute to their communities. This even includes closed countries due to their new online shoeboxes option. That special day when a child receives their box is only the beginning of the adventure.

Samaritan’s Purse says “The mission of Operation Christmas Child is to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way to children in need around the world.”  The shoebox is the first step in their outreach. After a child is given their box, a gospel message is presented to them and they are invited to participate in The Greatest Journey discipleship program. This program is 12 weeks long, and is designed to be a follow-up to the gospel presentation given during the initial shoebox festivities. Fifty-two million children have enrolled in the program since 2009, and more than 27 million of those children have made professions of faith! These children go on to witness to their families and change their community for Christ.

Through our partnership with Operation Christmas Child, Mountain Christian Church is taking part in the Great Commission. You bring change to people around the world by filling a shoebox, either in person or online, and sending to a child who desperately needs the gospel preached to them. We are changed when we are faithful to the call of Christ to “make disciples in all nations”.

Maité’s family is one example of this life changing transformation through knowing Jesus. Through Maité’s family prayer and witness to her parents, they were saved out of addiction into saving faith in Jesus Christ. I encourage you to take some time and listen to their moving testimony in their own words.

The saving power of the gospel is what Operation Christmas Child is all about! Around the world, people are yearning for hope and transformation. We are called to take part in the great commission and send the gospel message of hope to the world. I can’t say it better than Charles Spurgeon:

“If there be any one point in which the Christian church ought to keep its fervor at a white heat, it is concerning missions. If there be anything about which we cannot tolerate lukewarmness, it is the matter of sending the gospel to a dying world.”

Sending the gospel to a dying world starts with your gift to a child through filling a shoebox. You are a part of spreading the gospel to children around the world, changing families, and changing communities. The fields are white for harvest! Will you join us in the work?

Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” - Matthew 28:19-20

Jesus’ final words to His disciples have come to be known as the Great Commission. “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations” has become a central rallying cry for missionaries from the early church to the present day. Being part of missions and spreading the gospel message allows us to bring change around the world and be changed ourselves. As we enter the Christmas Advent season, we celebrate Christ’s birth and the gospel message we are called to share; here at MCC, our attention turns towards supporting the missional work of Operation Christmas Child.

Taking part in Operation Christmas Child (OCC) is a great way to get involved in missions at MCC and partner with churches around the world to spread the good news of Christ. With OCC, you and your family can prayerfully gift a Christmas-themed shoebox filled with toys and necessities for a child. In 2024, churches around the world helped to send more than 11.9 million shoebox gifts to children in need. Each shoebox not only represents a gift of toys and necessities to a child, but something even more precious: the opportunity to share the love of God.

At the outreach events where the shoe boxes are delivered, local pastors and believers have the privilege to share the gospel with shoebox recipients and their families. These pastors and believers are trained by volunteers in the National Leadership Team on how to present the Gospel in a child-friendly way. After the event, children are invited back to take part in a 12-week discipleship program called the Greatest Journey. In the Greatest Journey, children learn more about the Bible, God, and how to share their faith with family and friends. Since 2009, 46 million recipients have participated in The Greatest Journey, and 23 million boys and girls have made professions of faith, changing not only their lives but the lives of their families as well.

Lives aren’t only changed around the world, but here at home as well, through end-to-end transformation. We encourage as you prepare your own shoebox, to be in prayer for the child that receives the box. Reflect on the Gospel message and the wonderful gift of Christ as you shop. Talk with your family about missions and how to reach the people around you with the good news of the gospel. There will be resources to help with prayer and discussion at the OCC table in the lobby. Feel free to contact Brittany Wendland with any questions or if you want more details on being involved with Operation Christmas Child. 

Bring change and be changed this Christmas season with Operation Christmas Child!