Operation Christmas Child

Bethany Baptist Church is excited to partner with Samaritan’s Purse with Operation Christmas Child! We pack small boxes with practical and fun items that will be hand delivered as gifts to needy children around the world. It’s a blessing to bring joy to these kids, but the greatest part is that the gospel is also shared with them in their own language. Each one has an opportunity to learn more through local teaching.

This is clearly a ministry that reaches beyond individuals to families and the community, and it has an eternal impact. You can share in the ministry personally by including a note or photo in the box that you pack, and you can even track the box to find out where it ends up. This is a great opportunity for individuals, or a fun project to do together as a small group, Sunday School class, or family.

Since 2009, Bethany has been a relay center, helping individuals and churches across the western UP deliver their boxes, and transport them to distribution centers where they are combined with boxes from around the country for overseas shipment, ultimately to their final destination.


It’s Packing Time!

It’s the time of year when we start packing and collecting shoeboxes that will be delivered around the world to tangibly show God’s love to children everywhere. We hope that you might be excited to join us in this effort to share the Gospel with children far and near.

Want to pack a box?

  1. Get a shoebox – you can use a pre-printed Operation Christmas Child box, an actual shoebox or even purchase a plastic shoebox sized “tote”!
  2. Choose a category of children to love on – Girl or Boy? Age 2-4 years? 5-9 years? 10-14 years?
  3. Fill out a label for your box – pick up a pre-printed label from BBC or print your own line.
  4. Fill the box with a medium to large sized “wow” toy and then add some smaller toys, school supplies or even personal hygiene items. For suggestions and tips, check out Samaritan’s Purse’s How to Pack a Shoebox site.
  5. Pray for the child that will receive your box.
  6. Donate $10/box for shipping and other project costs. For easiest processing, you can give online through the Label Options or Ways to Give pages, or by mailing a check in the postage-paid envelope available in the print brochure.
  7. Bring the shoebox to Bethany Baptist Church during National Collection Week – November 13-20, 2023!

Contact the church office with questions or for more information
about Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes.


How can I get involved?

  • Pray year-round for the children and families who are receiving these boxes and the gospel message.
  • Pray for those who volunteer and work in this ministry, and for the local missionaries and pastors who follow through with the distribution and teaching.
  • Donate items or build a shoebox. Individuals, small groups, families – there are many ways to build a box.
  • Volunteer to help staff the relay center at Bethany Baptist Church in November, or to help transport boxes to the distribution center.

Find out more about the ministry from Samaritan’s Purse.