Mountain Brook Community Church hosting Operation Christmas Child event

The Operation Christmas Child Birmingham Area North Team will be holding a kickoff and workshop on Sunday, Oct. 22, from 3-5 p.m. at Mountain Brook Community Church in the Fellowship Hall.

Former shoebox recipient Dana Thomaston will be sharing her story about how she received a shoebox while growing up in communist Romania and how it impacted her life. She now lives in the Bessemer area with her family.

The event is open to the public for both adults and children. Attendees are encouraged to bring friends, including those who might interested in getting their churches or community groups involved with packing shoeboxes for the first time.

A special door prize will be given to whoever brings the most friends or new shoebox packers. There will also be display tables about Operation Christmas Child and refreshments will be served.

Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan's Purse, an international Christian relief and evangelism organization headed by Franklin Graham. The mission of Operation Christmas Child is to demonstrate God's love in a tangible way to children in need around the world and, together with the local church worldwide, to share the good news of Jesus Christ.

Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 146 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 160 countries and territories.

-Submitted by Rubin E. Grant