Covenant Presbyterian Church and Operation Christmas Child
By Nikki Partlow-Loyall
On a brisk November evening, there was laughter and warmth in Covenant Presbyterian Church as congregants gathered together to pack gifts for Operation Christmas Child. This is the church鈥檚 third year of working with Operation Christmas Child, a Samaritan鈥檚 Purse effort to bring gifts to children in need around the world. As congregant Judy Whitson said, 鈥渋t always touches to me to know young children are getting these boxes with special gifts. It makes us feel fortunate about what we have.鈥�
Shoe box-sized packages include small gifts such as stuffed animals, tooth brushes, pencils, dolls, balls, and coloring books. On November 10th, congregants gathered to pack over seventy boxes with such gifts to send them on their way in time for Christmas. Barcodes on the boxes will be able to show the congregants what countries this year鈥檚 boxes ended up in!
Congregant Ellen Monroe believes that this is a perfect way to connect the church by having children and adults work side by side to pack boxes. She states 鈥渢his has brought the congregation together because the older folks love visiting so much. This is just such a cool multigenerational event.鈥�
Pastor Tim Reed had a lot to offer about this wonderful partnership with Operation Christmas Child. He believes that it is important for people to get actively involved in mercy and compassion. He states that it鈥檚 鈥渁 great way for folks in the US to tangibly be a part of caring for others in other countries.鈥�
Children from Covenant Presbyterian Church鈥檚 Bible school brought in different donation items each week with a goal of accumulating items throughout the year so that there can be a large emphasis in November when the boxes go out.
This outreach is not the only wonderful thing Covenant Presbyterian Church does in the Little Rock community, however. Congregants work with Pack Shack for an annual Feed the Funnel event to pack over 10 thousand meals for distribution to the Arkansas Food Bank.
The church also participates in the International Friend Outreach program which gives opportunities for families and students to engage international students and their families to foster connections and friendships for years to come. Pastor Reed says that 鈥渨hat motivates us is the parable of the good Samaritan. We are called to be the good neighbor, mercy and compassion to those in need.鈥�
To find out more about what Covenant Presbyterian Church is up to, and to help with these efforts, check out their website: