It’s that time of the year again! Your first chance to think about Christmas – but more especially, your opportunity to think about Operation Christmas Child!

Operation Christmas Child is our opportunity to share a little of the joy and expectation of Christmas with children and young people who have very little. Every year, I wonder if members of the church will come up trumps for Operation Christmas Child, and every year, the piles of shoeboxes brought to church get higher and higher.

It’s become a massive international effort but it all comes down to a simple act of kindness – filling a shoebox with gifts for a child. Last year, 1.25 million shoeboxes were sent to countries including Belarus, Bosnia, Serbia, Kosovo, Romania, Swaziland and Ukraine.

The impact that a shoebox containing simple gifts has upon a child cannot be over-emphasised. Many experience challenges most of us would find hard to imagine and the toys and other gifts brighten difficult lives, particularly at this time of year.

The thought that goes into each shoebox is also special and it has therefore been fantastic that people of all ages have contributed each year to our collection. This has included the uniformed organisations and last year, a group of students from Myerscough College.

If you don’t feel like tackling a full shoebox you can donate items or money to help with shipping the boxes to their destinations. If you are a knitter there are hats, gloves and bears you can knit, just ask me for the patterns. An extra challenge this year is to ask friends, family or people at work to fill a box.

So, even if you can’t bring yourself to think about your Christmas cards and tinsel just yet, find an empty shoebox and help us to make a difference this Christmas.

Thank you for all your support