ALEXANDRIA — Main Street Baptist Church is learning that churches throughout the Tristate want to help children across the globe.

        The church has spent the past week receiving more than 4,000 shoe boxes from area churches as part of their participation in Operation Christmas Child, an international Christian relief project.

        Toys, candy, flashlights, clothing, school supplies and other Christmas items fill the boxes, destined for 2- to 14-year-olds living in about 60 troubled nations, including Haiti, Angola, Kosovo, Indonesia and Pakistan.

Pam Kinney (left) and Maryann Meyer pack gift boxes into larger boxes at the church for shipment to a distribution center. (Patrick Reddy photo) | ZOOM |

        The count could top 6,000 gift boxes. Another 1,400 should be delivered today. Collection will continue through Monday night. Two trucks will leave the church next week to take the boxes to a North Carolina processing center.

        The goal, of course, is to get the gifts abroad before Christmas.

        “It's just overwhelming. It's just such a touching project. Everybody just loves this project. We want to help the children,” said Pam Kinney, a church member and project coordinator.

        She inspired her fellow church members to get involved after seeing Franklin Graham, son of evangelist Billy Graham, give a presentation on the program in Chicago. Franklin Graham is president of Samaritan's Purse, which oversees Operation Christmas Child from North Carolina. Operation Christmas Child started seven years ago.

        Last year, Main Street members drove their donations to a Louisville collection center. The only other options were to take them to centers in Dayton, Ohio, or Indianapolis. The distance was too far, so Mrs. Kinney pushed to have Main Street become a collection center.

        On Friday, Mrs. Kinney and Dianne Miller registered all the shoe boxes coming in. Many had Christmas decorations.

        A shoe box gift designed for a girl contained a book, stuffed toy seal, pencil sharpener and Christmas pin. One intended for a boy held a flashlight, baseball, batteries, solar cell calculator and a pair of socks. All recipients will receive a copy of the Gospel of Luke, too.

        Mrs. Kinney and Mrs. Miller have seen videos of children opening their gifts.

        “It's a life-changing thing,” Mrs. Miller said. “We just want to help the children.”

        “It's been a wonderful project,” said Jerry Delaney, Main Street's interim pastor. “It started out small, and it has really grown. Everybody has gotten behind it in one way or another.”

        For more information, call Samaritan's Purse, (800) 353-5949, or visit its Web site, www.samaritanspurse.org. To reach Main Street Baptist Church, call (859) 635-5725.
       

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