Operation Christmas Child

National Collection Week 2008:

November 17-24

Ask about an Operation Christmas Child presentation at your church or group!

About Operation Christmas Child

Grace Lutheran Church is the Centre County Collection Center for OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD , a project of Samaritan's Purse, an international Christian relief organization. Operation Christmas Child collects gift-filled shoe boxes and delivers them in the name of Jesus Christ to children living in desperate situations around the world.

Everyday boys and girls worldwide suffer from war, poverty, disease, and natural disaster. Operation Christmas Child makes it possible for millions of these children to experience God's love through shoe boxes filled with gifts. These shoe boxes open doors for presenting the Good News of Jesus Christ by working in and through local churches and organizations. Operation Christmas Child is kids helping kids. The project provides a simple, tangible way for children and teens to join adults in sharing the joy of giving to children around the world at Christmastime.

The Social Committee of Grace Lutheran Church serves as the connection point between the congregation, the Centre County community and Operation Christmas Child.

Please call 1-800-694-8176(after August) for more local information on Operation Christmas Child! Please leave a message and we will respond promptly! Or, call or email:

Marilyn Peterson,Collection Center Coordinator,
238-2478 or occ@glcpa.org

Or, please visit the Samartitan's Purse Web site.

Grace Lutheran Church
Operation Christmas Child Collection Center
205 South Garner Street
(corner of Garner St. and Beaver Avenue, downtown)
State College, PA 16801
814/238-2478

For directions to our Collection Center, please refer to our Home page, or call 1-800-694-8176

Click here for Suggested Gifts List

Operation Christmas Child Visits Jamaica!
Dateline February 19, 2006

They say Jamaica is a "little slice of Heaven." I had the privilege of experiencing a little bit of Heaven in my trip to Jamaica. But it wasn't on the beautiful beaches, though I am sure they are beautiful; and it wasn't because of the comfortable climate, though I did appreciate that!

For me the little slice of Heaven was found in the Jamaican mountains, about an hour east of Kingston, in the voices of little children singing "All Things Bright and Beautiful" (at least four verses) and "Jesus Loves Me." I saw it as they all stood attentively in the schoolyard as they listened to the Gospel story being told with the aid of different colored balloons that magically turned into a beautiful flower when twisted together - a visual example of how each of them is like that flower in that they are beautiful in God's sight and how they should GROW in their faith. I heard a little of what the laughter in Heaven must sound like when I listened to the uncontained excitement of hundreds of children as they opened their shoebox gifts in their classrooms and found the tangible, material gifts that we had brought along with our message of the Greatest Gift of All, Jesus Christ. And I felt it when the children rushed into my arms, and around my legs, sometimes ten at a time (!), to give hugs of thanks for the joy that we brought to them that day.

Samaritan's Purse, through Operation Christmas Child, is doing wonderfully powerful things in the name of Jesus Christ around the world. It is a huge project, some 7.6 million shoeboxes strong, and it all starts with ONE PERSON at a time, packing a shoebox full of gifts, to help Operation Christmas Child tell the story of Jesus to children in over 100 countries.

As you can imagine, it takes a lot of work by a lot of people to make it all happen. The journey of a shoebox takes that box through NINE steps from the giver to the hands of the child. But Samaritan's Purse realizes the impact they have had on the world through shoebox gifts, and they are committed to growing the project even more. 7.6 million is a lot of shoeboxes, but we would need 10 times that to reach all the needy children in this world that need to know that there is hope for a life of eternity in Heaven with Jesus, where there is no poverty or pain.

I sincerely thank ALL who helped make this trip possible for me by supporting our spaghetti dinner and/or for your financial contributions. The spaghetti dinner was a huge success, and I was able to raise all the funds necessary for my trip. I will be sure to share pictures and tell stories of this experience with as many as possible in the coming weeks/months.

I appreciate the interest and commitment that so many of you have for Operation Christmas Child. It is a project that is well worth your support. And someday, when we experience the real Heaven, we will see the children that join us there because of a simple shoebox packed in the name of Jesus.

God Bless!

Marilyn Peterson
Area Team Coordinator,
Operation Christmas Child