Collective Hope Club (CHC), NC’s weekly Bible study club, decided to partake in the holiday spirit this year with a Christmas service project. The club’s officers, who have planned this project since September, wanted to promote bonding between members and spread joy through an early holiday activity: Operation Christmas Child.
“I have done Operation Christmas Child before. I like that it sends outreach and allows kids in underprivileged communities to still experience Christmas. I think Operation Christmas Child helps spread the Gospel in an efficient way by putting a good light around it and allowing these kids to have toys and letting them know who gave them those toys but also allowing them to have a Christmas regardless of whether they believe or not,” sophomore Gavin Brillinger said.
Samaritan’s Purse, a Christian organization that provides physical and spiritual aid to over 100 countries, leads the Operation Christmas Child project each year to help underprivileged children learn the Gospel in a joyful, tangible way. Thousands of volunteers pack shoeboxes with various hygiene items or toys to allow recipients of all ages to experience Christmas, similar to how children celebrate in the U.S. The organization then sends these boxes overseas to numerous orphanages or relief centers in multiple countries, where missionaries hand them out to children and teach the recipients about the Bible.
This year, CHC contributed to this project by packing two boxes through the club. Both boxes fell into the 10-14-year-old age group, with the club packing one for a girl and one for a boy. Announcing the service event October 1, the CHC leaders allowed participants to sign up for a diverse array of items ranging from glue sticks to soccer balls.
“CHC wanted to participate in a Christmas service project this year because we believe in not only serving the students at NC but also serving our community in any way we can. That’s how we can show God’s love to others. We chose Operation Christmas Child specifically because they are a global organization that sends Christmas gifts to children in underprivileged countries and we wanted to be part of the global outreach,” CHC co-president and magnet junior Nadia Guthrie said.
Members gathered their items over the past four weeks in preparation for CHC’s packing day, which took place Tuesday, October 29. Though the club completed the project nine weeks before the long-anticipated holiday, Operation Christmas Child requires participants to send in boxes early so children can receive the gifts closer to Christmas day.
CHC members arrived with their shoebox items in hand, ready to fill the gift with cheer and fun. As the club began to pack each box, they realized their generosity exceeded expectations with almost enough donations to fill an additional third box. Once the members finished their packing and organizing efforts, each attendant circled around to pray over the boxes. Guthrie offered an enthusiastic prayer that the boxes would bring their recipients joy and spread the Gospel through the club’s efforts alongside Operation Christmas Child.
Following this sincere moment, each CHC member grabbed cardstock paper, markers, washi tape and their creativity to write cards for the box recipients. Donning sweet sayings such as “Merry Christmas” or “Jesus loves you,” the students aimed to show they cherished the future box’s owner. Cards ranged from simple holiday-themed drawings to letters detailing the message of the Gospel, perfectly encapsulating CHC’s intent behind the delightful project.
Whether the club members had participated in Operation Christmas Child before or not, CHC’s service project inspired students across the group, evident in the attendants’ generosity. CHC hopes that each box will touch the hearts of the boy and girl receivers and intends to continue this project in the future, as they believe it serves as a manageable way to reach children around the world.
