This year Clayton Church is hosting the Melbourne Community Packing Party event for Samaritan’s Purse/Operation Christmas Child. Held on Saturday 9 July from 12pm to 4pm,
The following extract is from the Facebook event:
The world’s largest Christmas project of its kind, Operation Christmas Child shares God’s love in a tangible way by giving gift-filled shoe-boxes to impoverished kids around the world. This year, Samaritan’s Purse invites you to be part of the Melbourne Packing Party open to everyone.
Come along and pack a shoe-box for a child in need overseas, while also supporting a variety of local social enterprises and community groups. An indoor market set up at the event will feature vendors from these local groups, selling items suitable for 2 – 14 year olds in a price range from $1 – $30 to include in Operation Christmas Child shoe-boxes.
What do I pack in my shoe-box?
✔ Something to love ✔ Something to play with
✔ Something to wear ✔ Something for personal hygiene
✔ Something for school ✔ Something specialEmpty shoe-boxes will be available on the day and gift-filled shoe-boxes will be collected, processed and distributed overseas by Samaritan’s Purse. We ask you to bring $9.50 to cover the cost of the pre-printed shoe-box and other project costs. You can pack as many boxes as you like and even buy some stocking fillers for your own Christmas gifts this year! Bring the whole family to this event and enjoy child-friendly entertainment and a festive atmosphere.
This event has been in preparation for the last two months and Clayton Church as the event host, has been working to replicate our proven packing party model from previous years, and simply super-sized the scale of items that will be available at the market stall. In many ways, this 2016 launch event is a continuation and extension from the 2014 and 2015 season campaigns that Clayton Church has embarked upon. In previous years, we have held a packing party for our group of Young Working Adults, which filled the cafe area of our church with 60-70 young people, during this July period. This year as part of integrating the OCC ministry and the event, this Packing Party event has been championed as THE opportunity of 2016 for life-groups to unite, across all age-groups and ministries.
One of the interesting things about integrating the OCC ministry and wider Samaritan’s Purse program into the calendar of Clayton Church activities is that even though a number of local programs have been planned, God has provided and indeed may be showing us how He can work across all our efforts. The Packing Party event is timed for July because it is in reality, the launch event for the 2016 packing season. With the Federal Election scheduled for the weekend before, the weekend of Saturday 9 July also falls at the end of the school holiday period. From a Clayton Church perspective, the event timing is fortunate in not clashing with the major 40 Days of Community program which commences in mid-July. One of the interesting crossover opportunities is for life-groups to consider hosting a packing party as part of the 40 Days of Community program.
The conclusion of the packing season has now become known as Shoebox Sunday, which has been marketed by Samaritan’s Purse as the last Sunday of October each year. Clayton Church participated in 2015 as a host drop-off centre, and in looking to repeat this role and contribution for 2016, we find the date coincides with the 65 Year Celebration for the church. Fortunately, an early discussion has ensured that both programs can be conducted concurrently on the same Sunday 30 October 2016. No doubt, this should prove an interesting exercise in organising logistics, but still demonstrate how God’s kingdom values can guide our way with all these programs.
Getting involved in this packing party is an opportunity for sowing into God’s Kingdom. Whilst we may not think too hard about the shoe-boxes we fill with gifts, having been to Cambodia has taught and shown me just how we contribute to the lives of children in places like Cambodia. Videos from Cambodia will feature throughout the day to help show visitors to the Community Packing Party first-hand how Samaritan’s Purse make a difference through the shoe-boxes.
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