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’s third year of working with Operation Christmas Child, a Samaritan’s Purse effort to bring gifts to children in need around the world. As congregant Judy Whitson said, “it always touches to me to know young children are getting these boxes with special gifts. It makes us feel fortunate about what we have.”
Two congregants at Covenant Presbyterian Church packing gifts.
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’s 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 “this has brought the congregation together because the older folks love visiting so much. This is just such a cool multigenerational event.”
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’s “a great way for folks in the US to tangibly be a part of caring for others in other countries.”
Congregants gather around a table to assemble the year’s donations.
Children from Covenant Presbyterian Church’s 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 “what motivates us is the parable of the good Samaritan. We are called to be the good neighbor, mercy and compassion to those in need.”
To find out more about what Covenant Presbyterian Church is up to, and to help with these efforts, check out their website: https://www.covenantpca.com/