For years, Salina residents have been a part of the Samaritan’s Purse project Operation Christmas Child, which helps millions of children in need through gift-filled shoeboxes.
According to the organization, Mark and Cherry Brumbelow are pastors of a small Texas church doing big things. They are coming to Salina to the First Southern Baptist Church at 2401 S Ohio on Thursday, July 21st at 7:00 p.m. to share how this gift changed their lives and the lives of others. They will be in Quinter on Friday, July 22nd. They will speak at 7 p.m. at Lincoln Building, 920 Lincoln St. in Quinter.
This year, Salina volunteers hope to collect more than 9,813 shoeboxes packed with fun toys, school supplies and hygiene items to contribute toward the global goal of reaching 11 million children. Each shoebox gift is an opportunity to share the Gospel and the Brumbelows are passionate about encouraging the community to continue giving generously.
Operation Christmas Child, a project of international Christian relief organization Samaritan’s Purse, delivers gift-filled shoeboxes to millions of children in need each year. For years, Salina families have packed shoebox gifts for boys and girls around the world. Mark and Cherry Brumbelow, pastors of a small Texas church, are now visiting Salina residents to share how the simple gift can have a life-changing impact, not only on the children, but also on the giver as well.
The Brumbelows will be telling their story to local groups and churches. They want to encourage residents as they kick off the upcoming collection season to fill more than 9,8,13 shoeboxes with fun toys, school supplies and hygiene items—contributing to the global goal of reaching 11 million children in Jesus’ Name.
Pastor Mark Brumbelow and his wife, Cherry, have witnessed miraculous provision in ministry. Their church, Grace Baptist in Wild Peach, Texas, had 30 members in 2014, when Pastor Brumbelow challenged them with a massive goal of filling 500 Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts for children in need around the world. That year the church packed 532. When Hurricane Harvey devastated Texas in 2017, the Brumbelows and many in their church experienced massive losses due to flooding damage. Despite the storm, Grace Baptist Church packed more than 8,000 shoebox gifts. Today, the church continues to grow and pack shoebox gifts each year. In 2019 they packed enough shoebox gifts to reach 11,139 children.
During Operation Christmas Child’s National Collection Week Nov. 14 – 21, Salina residents can bring gift-filled shoeboxes to multiple drop-off locations across Northwest Kansas to be announced in late October.
For more information, call 816-622-8316, or visit samaritanspurse.org/occ. Participants can donate $10 per shoebox gift online through “Follow Your Box” and receive a tracking label to discover its destination. Those who prefer the convenience of online shopping can browse samaritanspurse.org/buildonline to select gifts matched to a child’s specific age and gender, then finish packing the virtual shoebox by adding a photo and personal note of encouragement. Boxes built online go to hard-to-reach countries.
Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan’s Purse, seeks to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way to children in need around the world and, together with the local church worldwide, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 198 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 170 countries and territories. This year, Operation Christmas Child will collect its 200-millionth shoebox!
