Thinking inside the box!

An encounter at the Elim Leaders Summit (ELS) led to a hugely successful Christmas 2024 appeal at Bont Elim. Organiser Samantha Jones explains

When Bont Elim met Samaritan’s Purse in the exhibition area at ELS and signed up as a collection centre for its Operation Christmas Child shoebox appeal they had no idea what to expect.

But in November 2024 they were overwhelmed when local support led to a massive 189 boxes being collected to bless children around the world with a loving gift and ensure they hear the gospel through The Greatest Gift – a child-friendly gospel booklet given with each shoebox.

“We were blown away by the incredible support of the whole community,” says Samantha Jones, community work coordinator at Bont Elim.

“Star Dance Academy – a group based in the church who teach children to sing and dance – put 50 boxes together.

“We had donations from the chair aerobics group who meet weekly in the church, as well as the Age Concern group who have a monthly cooked meal here.

“The Knit and Natter group knitted hats, Pontarddulais Co-op set up a donations basket and raised money, the DVLA donated, and pre-school group Cylch Meithrin got involved with colouring pictures to put in the boxes too.

“Last but not least, the fantastic people of the church gave generously. The cost of sending each box is £5, so financial donations received were put towards this, meaning that all of the boxes we’ve sent have been paid for.”

The 189 boxes included 157 from Bont Elim and 32 from neighbouring churches.

“This is what being part of a community is all about, and together we have made a difference to so many people’s lives – not just the children who will receive the box, but their families too,” Samantha told the church in her newsletter.

The news was shared on ‘Shoebox Sunday’ too, a service where the church learned where their boxes would be going.

“Your heart for the people of your community really does shine through,” Samaritan’s Purse regional manager Hannah Atkins told the church. She explains that every child who receives a box is also invited to attend a 12-session follow-up discipleship programme called The Greatest Journey, through which Operation Christmas Child sees millions of children make decisions for Christ every year. “Thank you for making such a huge difference to the children receiving the boxes.”

Samantha and church pastor Jason Beynon were keen to tell this story at a time when planning is underway for this year’s ELS.

“We wanted to highlight the importance of linking up with people at the Elim Summit and also to get other churches thinking about whether to get involved with the shoebox appeal for 2025,” they say.

If you are planning to attend this year’s Summit in May, could you make a new charity connection that blesses their work and the people they support?

This article first appeared in Direction Magazine. For further details, please click here.