Robertson Avenue Baptist church raises funds for Operation Christmas Child

By PAMELA GRANT

Cove Leader-Press 

Robertson Avenue Baptist Church plans to ship between 125 and 150 boxes for this year’s Operation Christmas Child. They’ve already bought, created, and gathered various items to put into the boxes, and Saturday, they worked together to raise the necessary funds to ship the Christmas boxes around the world.

From 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Saturday, Robertson Avenue Baptist Church held a fundraising yard sale event with ten different crafters/vendors selling a large variety of goods. Some sold hand-crafted items such as crocheted items and jams. Others used the event as a yard sale and sold various items from around their houses such as ceramics, books, and a variety of knickknacks. 

Throughout the event, church volunteers also sold breakfast and lunch burritos/tacos, baked goods, popcorn, and water.

Esther Bailey was in charge of the fundraising efforts. She has been selling aprons, jams, and more to help raise money to ship the boxes.

“That’s what Christians do,” said Bailey. “Many people will remember this for the rest of their lives.”

Operation Christmas Child is a ministry of Samaritan’s Purse, in which churches and groups collect boxes from their communities and also serve as drop-off locations for shoeboxes the third week of November every year. 

It costs $9 to ship each of the boxes, which make their way to more than 100 countries and contain items such as small toys, like deflated soccer balls and pumps, stuffed animals, hygiene items, and school supplies. Operation Christmas Child boxes also include a copy of The Greatest Gift, which is a colorful presentation of the Gospel in their own language. Bailey said that, for some of them, this might be their first experience with the Gospel, and it can be an eye-opening experience for them. They then have the choice to enroll in The Greatest Journey which is a 12-lesson discipleship program wherein they seek to share the love of Jesus Christ with the children and their families. Enrolling in the program is completely optional for the children and not a requirement for receiving a box.

“We believe in what Operation Christmas Child does, sending the love of Jesus around the world,” said Brenda Titus who sold various items at the event alongside her husband, Dave Titus. “This is a way for us to raise the funds to ship the boxes.”

Titus said that she attended several of the church’s workshop events where they made some hand-made items to include in the boxes.

“It’s a good way to have the church come together for a good cause,” said Titus. “It’s a great way to recycle and make useful things for these children around the world.”

Billie Logue was the project leader for Operation Christmas Child. She said that she helped start a small crafting group that met once a month since July to help make the hand-made crafts and items for the boxes. They made dresses and shorts, jump ropes, fishing and/or sewing kits, school bags, pencil bags, hygiene bags, and more. They were able to hand-craft the dresses, shorts, and some of the other crafts out of pillowcases. They also recycled old shirts by cutting them into strips and braiding them together to create jump ropes.

“I’ve always enjoyed Operation Christmas Child, and I love shopping for gifts for kids,” said Logue who had sent off boxes on her own before becoming a member of the Robertson Baptist Church. She was excited to lead the church’s efforts this year.

Logue said that they were able to involve all parts of the church from the youngest members to the oldest in the crafting events.

“It’s been a great experience,” said Logue. “There’s a lot of thought and prayer that goes into it. It’s a bit more than just throwing stuff into a box…It’s really neat knowing that someone on the other side of the world is going to get something that I made. It’s really cool.”

In addition to the hand-made items, the church has collected a variety of items to include in the boxes including stuffed animals, crayons, coloring books, clothes, dolls, toothbrushes and other hygiene items, and more which will also be included in the boxes.

Nov 9 will be their last meeting and Nov 19, they will hold a packing party to fill the boxes and get them ready for shipping.