For 2020 - Due to Covid-19 we will be unable to operate as a Church Collection Centre. We are encouraging you to still consider children across the world not only caught up in poverty and war but also now facing this same pandemic as us. If you can spare £20 then please do consider creating a shoebox online this year. We have produced this guide to help you through the online process. Online Shoebox Guide
If you cannot spare £20 then please do send us whatever you can afford and we will gladly combine these donations together and create online shoeboxes on your behalf.
Thank You
Mark and Sandra
Below is the original text from this page:
Join the world's largest children's Christmas project. Through Operation Christmas Child, we can show God's love in a tangible way to needy children around the world. Each child receives a filled shoe box as an unconditional gift of love, based on need, regardless of their background or religion. They will also receive a book called The Greatest Journey (whew safe to do so) and be invited to take part in a Bible teaching course based on that book. We launch our appeal in October, ready for the filled shoe boxes to be collected in at our special service.
Shoe boxes are filled for boys and girls in the age groups 2 to 4 years, 5 to 9 years and 10 to 14 years. Items from the following categories are included:
Toys - that a child can love like a cuddly toy (with CE label), doll, toy truck, skipping rope, small puzzle, musical instruments etc.
School Supplies - Pens, colouring pencils, sharpener & eraser, felt pens, stamp & ink pad sets, writing pads or notebooks & paper, colouring & picture books, solar calculators etc.
Hygiene Items - Toothbrush, bar of wrapped soap, comb or hairbrush, flannel.
Other Items - Hat, cap, gloves, scarf, sunglasses, hair accessories, wind up torch, jewellery set.
NOTE From 2019 import restriction means that toothpaste and sweets can no longer be included in Shoeboxes.
We are asked not to include any of the following items: used or damaged items, war related items such as toys guns or knives or military figures; clothing other than as listed above, playing cards of the 4-suit variety, liquids or lotions including bubbles; medicines; hand-made or knitted toys, sharp or fragile items, chocolate or food; anything of a political, religious or racial nature; books with mainly words.
A personal note and/or photo may be added.
We are also asked to include a £5 shipping donation for each shoe box (this can be made online or by cheque).
...and finally we are asked to pray for that unknown child that will receice our shoebox.
For 2019, St Peter's has been asked to be a Church Collection Centre for the local community. This means we will open our doors between 11th of November and 18th of November to not only receive shoeboxes from our own congregation but from our community and we will invite those people to join us at our ShoeBox Sunday service on Sunday the 17th of November at 10.30am.
It is always wonderful to see the shoe boxes collected from our church, at the start of their journey. In previous years, our boxes have been received by children in Serbia, Kosovo, Romania and Ukraine, and Kyrgystan.
The church will be open
Mondday 11th November 2019 to Friday 15th November and Monday 18th November.
8.30am to 12.00pm and 2.00pm to 4.30pm
Saturday 16th November
10.00am to 4.00pm.
If you would like to be involved in our shoe box gifts, there will be leaflets available in church, as well as go boxes (a flat pack shoebox). For more information, please contact Mark & Sandra Ellis - ellisfamily21bc@btinternet.com or you can visit the Operation Christmas Child website for all the details from the link below.
