’Tis the season to give
Liberty plans to collect thousands of boxes for Operation Christmas Child
A simple shoebox contains a toothbrush, toothpaste, a small stuffed animal and the hope of the gospel. It is just one of the 3,000 shoeboxes the Liberty chapter of Operation Christmas Child (OCC) hopes to collect during this year’s Shoebox Blitz on campus.
Service — Students from the 2014 Shoebox Blitz spent their time packing boxes. Photo provided
“Each box represents a child who is going to hear the gospel,” OCC Club President Ellen Ferguson said.
According to Ferguson, the Blitz will be Nov. 9-13 in the bookstore parking lot on University Boulevard. Students may drop off their packed shoeboxes at a tent that will be referred to as
Shoebox Central.
During the week, different activities will be held each night at Shoebox Central. Wednesday, Nov. 11, will be an approved late-night for students, with cookies and milk provided for those who pack boxes. Resident halls are being encouraged to pack shoeboxes together. Friday, Nov. 13, there will be a time of worship, free Chick-fil-A and prayer over the shoeboxes.
“Our goal of the Shoebox Blitz is to reach nations for Christ without having to leave campus,” Ferguson said.
The OCC club on campus launched their social media campaign Oct. 13 on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Students now have the ability to keep updated with the happenings of the Blitz through these outlets. Also, everyone is encouraged to use the hashtag #LUShoeboxes when posting on social media. Ferguson said the purpose of the social media campaign is to gain the attention of students and encourage them to pack a shoebox.
“Using social media is a way we can get the word out,” Ferguson said The planning for this year’s Blitz has been in the making since early last year. Ferguson explained that the OCC club on Liberty’s campus has grown in size and has a board of committed leadership to help organize the Blitz.
However, Ferguson said they are still in need of volunteers. This year, students can sign up to serve on volunteer teams. The volunteer teams are: tent volunteers, walking shoeboxes, on-call volunteers, hall representatives, set-up/tear down, skateboarders and prayer team. There will be a volunteer meeting held Oct. 29, and students may also email lushoeboxblitz@gmail.com.
“We can’t put on the Blitz without volunteers,” Ferguson said. “The leadership team is incredible, but we can’t do any of this alone. … Just imagine how much more God could use an entire army of students all committed to seeing the children of the world come to know the Lord.”
According to Ferguson, packing boxes is a simple thing to do. Starting Nov. 8, all one must do is pick up a box from the Vines Center, pick a gender and fill the box with miscellaneous items such as toothbrushes, small stuffed animals or crayons. The only restrictions are that there cannot be any war-related items or liquids in the boxes. There is an optional $7 shipping charge per box.
The Shoebox Blitz is a regional event sponsored by OCC Samaritan’s Purse. Ferguson said there will be OCC employees helping at different points throughout the week. Liberty’s OCC club serves as a support arm for this event to take place.
FROST is a news reporter.