Operation Christmas Child at GCC - 2020 News
Grace Community Chapel Receives Five Year Drop-off Location Award from Samaritan’s Purse
On Friday, October 30, 2020, Tim Holeman, the retiring Logistics Coordinator for the St. Charles Area Team of Operation Christmas Child (OCC), a ministry of Samaritan’s Purse, presented an award to Grace Community Chapel on behalf of Franklin Graham and Samaritan’s Purse. The award was in recognition for partnering with Samaritan’s Purse as a drop-off location for OCC since 2015, and was presented to Jason Krute, the senior pastor of Grace Community Chapel (GCC) in St. Peters, and Linda Holeman, the Drop-off Team Leader for Grace since 2015.
GCC has been collecting shoeboxes for more than 20 years and since 2004 has collected 7,574 shoeboxes. Since starting as a drop-off location in 2015, the church has served as a collection point for the community during National Collection Week and has collected 17,889 shoeboxes from the community. Each shoebox has the potential to touch up to 10 lives for the Gospel. That means GCC has had a part in impacting more than 215,000 people’s lives for the kingdom of God through OCC! Packing and collecting shoeboxes is part of an amazing movement of God in fulfilling the Great Commission as a ministry partner with Operation Christmas Child!
When you pack a shoebox, you are taking the Gospel to the farthest corners of the world. Even in this unique season, as the world navigates this pandemic and unrest, OCC continues to move the ministry forward, with children being saved and churches planted. Now, more than ever, children need hope!
Operation Christmas Child is all about Evangelism, Discipleship and Multiplication!
First, Operation Christmas Child is focused on evangelism and reaching children with the message of the Gospel. At each outreach event, the Gospel is presented, and children are invited to respond to Jesus before they ever receive their shoebox gift! What a blessing it is to know these children are hearing the Gospel message and being invited to respond!
Next, OCC focuses on discipleship, teaching children how to know Christ and grow in their faith. After receiving shoebox gifts, many children are welcomed back and participate in The Greatest Journey discipleship program, through Samaritan’s Purse trained Ministry Partners around the world. The Greatest Journey is a 12-lesson Bible study that teaches students how to follow Christ and share Him with others. They learn Bible stories, memorize verses, and participate in activities. After completing The Greatest Journey, children attend a graduation celebration and receive a certificate and a New Testament Bible in their own language. The Lord is using the Greatest Journey Discipleship Program to reap a tremendous harvest across the globe. In 2019 alone, 2.2 million children reported decisions for Christ!
Evangelism and Discipleship through Shoebox Outreach Events and The Greatest Journey lead to the Multiplication of the Gospel. Children are becoming Disciples and Disciple Makers. Churches are being planted, and unreached people groups are being reached with the Good News of Jesus!
Here are some recent statistics:
• Every 14 seconds, a child decides to follow Jesus through the ministry of Operation Christmas Child!
• During the next hour, 257 children will make decisions for Christ, 353 will graduate The Greatest Journey and 1,212 will hear the Gospel at a Shoebox Outreach Event.
• The Gospel is being multiplied in mighty ways, and as an outgrowth of OCC, more than 1,000 churches are being planted around the world annually.
• OCC is also aiming to bring the message of the Gospel to more than 290 unreached people groups in the next five years.
God is using each of us through this ministry to powerfully impact the world! God is using our prayers to open doors for ministry partners around the world to share Jesus, disciple new believers and grow the local church. God is mobilizing individuals, families, churches, community groups and students to pack more shoeboxes so more children have the opportunity to respond to Jesus. And, God is raising up people right here to partner on the year-round team to engage even more people to be hands-on with the Great Commission through this ministry. Through you, God truly is multiplying Good News & Great Joy!
For more information or to volunteer with OCC, please contact Tim or Linda Holeman at 2013occ@gmail.com.
On Friday, October 30, 2020, Tim Holeman, the retiring Logistics Coordinator for the St. Charles Area Team of Operation Christmas Child (OCC), a ministry of Samaritan’s Purse, presented an award to Grace Community Chapel on behalf of Franklin Graham and Samaritan’s Purse. The award was in recognition for partnering with Samaritan’s Purse as a drop-off location for OCC since 2015, and was presented to Jason Krute, the senior pastor of Grace Community Chapel (GCC) in St. Peters, and Linda Holeman, the Drop-off Team Leader for Grace since 2015.
GCC has been collecting shoeboxes for more than 20 years and since 2004 has collected 7,574 shoeboxes. Since starting as a drop-off location in 2015, the church has served as a collection point for the community during National Collection Week and has collected 17,889 shoeboxes from the community. Each shoebox has the potential to touch up to 10 lives for the Gospel. That means GCC has had a part in impacting more than 215,000 people’s lives for the kingdom of God through OCC! Packing and collecting shoeboxes is part of an amazing movement of God in fulfilling the Great Commission as a ministry partner with Operation Christmas Child!
When you pack a shoebox, you are taking the Gospel to the farthest corners of the world. Even in this unique season, as the world navigates this pandemic and unrest, OCC continues to move the ministry forward, with children being saved and churches planted. Now, more than ever, children need hope!
Operation Christmas Child is all about Evangelism, Discipleship and Multiplication!
First, Operation Christmas Child is focused on evangelism and reaching children with the message of the Gospel. At each outreach event, the Gospel is presented, and children are invited to respond to Jesus before they ever receive their shoebox gift! What a blessing it is to know these children are hearing the Gospel message and being invited to respond!
Next, OCC focuses on discipleship, teaching children how to know Christ and grow in their faith. After receiving shoebox gifts, many children are welcomed back and participate in The Greatest Journey discipleship program, through Samaritan’s Purse trained Ministry Partners around the world. The Greatest Journey is a 12-lesson Bible study that teaches students how to follow Christ and share Him with others. They learn Bible stories, memorize verses, and participate in activities. After completing The Greatest Journey, children attend a graduation celebration and receive a certificate and a New Testament Bible in their own language. The Lord is using the Greatest Journey Discipleship Program to reap a tremendous harvest across the globe. In 2019 alone, 2.2 million children reported decisions for Christ!
Evangelism and Discipleship through Shoebox Outreach Events and The Greatest Journey lead to the Multiplication of the Gospel. Children are becoming Disciples and Disciple Makers. Churches are being planted, and unreached people groups are being reached with the Good News of Jesus!
Here are some recent statistics:
• Every 14 seconds, a child decides to follow Jesus through the ministry of Operation Christmas Child!
• During the next hour, 257 children will make decisions for Christ, 353 will graduate The Greatest Journey and 1,212 will hear the Gospel at a Shoebox Outreach Event.
• The Gospel is being multiplied in mighty ways, and as an outgrowth of OCC, more than 1,000 churches are being planted around the world annually.
• OCC is also aiming to bring the message of the Gospel to more than 290 unreached people groups in the next five years.
God is using each of us through this ministry to powerfully impact the world! God is using our prayers to open doors for ministry partners around the world to share Jesus, disciple new believers and grow the local church. God is mobilizing individuals, families, churches, community groups and students to pack more shoeboxes so more children have the opportunity to respond to Jesus. And, God is raising up people right here to partner on the year-round team to engage even more people to be hands-on with the Great Commission through this ministry. Through you, God truly is multiplying Good News & Great Joy!
For more information or to volunteer with OCC, please contact Tim or Linda Holeman at 2013occ@gmail.com.