On November 20 th 2005 we are encouraging churches up and down the country to "Celebrate the Gift of Life" by either
- holding a National Shoe Box Sunday Service
or
- holding a National Shoe Box Sunday Event

What resources will be provided?

There will be:

• flexible service outlines
• songs specifically written for the day
• sermon outlines
• a powerpoint presentation

These will all be available from our website in October.

How will our Church benefit?

This is an ideal opportunity to put your church back at the heart of your community. Why not invite the schools, clubs and neighbourhood groups in your community to bring the boxes they have already completed into your church on 20 th November and make it a real community event.

Why not:

• Encourage church members to ask their neighbours to fill a box and bring along to the Shoe Box Service or event.
• Encourage church members to ask work colleagues to fill a box and bring along to the Shoe Box Service.
• If you have a school connected to your church, get the school to bring the boxes to church & have a short service.
• If your church were to be involved as a Drop-off point or Processing Centre, then you could invite people into your church to help with various aspects of processing boxes.

What do we do with all the boxes that people bring in?

You can take the boxes to your nearest warehouse which will be listed our website from 1st October, or you can request a collection on our website or by calling 0870 011 2002 or 01993 770 652. (Which number is cheapest to use will depend on your telephone supplier.)

How else can my Church be involved in Operation Christmas Child?

1. If your church is able to offer part of it's buildings for receiving shoe boxes between November 5th and November 20 th then please contact Ruth Jones on 01978 367722.
   
2. There may be members of your church who would like to offer their services as volunteers in practical ways during the campaign. Please contact Ruth Jones on 01978 367722 and we will put you in touch with your area co-ordianor.
   
3. You can pray for the campaign and for the millions of children who will receive boxes this year.