Remembering Isolated Children for the Christmas Holiday

Jim Stifler invites the community to take part in a gift drive that brings the spirit of Christmas and Jesus to disadvantaged youths in isolated locations around the world.

Entitled Operation Christmas Child, the effort has been collecting and delivering shoeboxes filled with school supplies, hygiene items and fun toys to children around the world since 1993. 

Nationwide, more than 4,000 locations will be collecting Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts during the project’s National Collection Week, which runs from November 15 to November 22, 2021. Among them is Marco Presbyterian Church, which serves as a central drop-off point for other participating houses of worship in the area. 

This is Marco Presbyterian’s 12th year taking part in the project and Jim Stifler, a deacon at the church, has led this segment of the congregation’s outreach program for the entire time. 

“It’s fantastic because when you see the number of people that it impacts – even last year, during the pandemic, the organization delivered 9.1 million shoebox gifts to over 100 countries, along with a message of the gospel,” he said. “So being a small part of such a big thing is really something. Both my wife Gayle and I get a lot of pleasure out it.”

The church’s involvement with Operation Christmas stems from its relationship with Samaritan’s Purse, a North Carolina based nonprofit led by Franklin Graham, son of the late evangelist Billy Graham. The organization provides aid to the disadvantaged, worldwide, as a key part of its missionary work. 

Stifler said Marco Presbyterian first began working with Samaritan’s Purse about 17 years ago by assisting its disaster relief efforts.

“Operation Christmas Child came out of that and that struck our heartstrings because it’s not just giving gifts to children around the world, but it’s actually sharing the message of Jesus Christ and the Gospel with them,” he added. “So far, they’re in 160 countries. Many of those countries don’t have churches or they don’t have full-time ministers, maybe other than missionaries. We’re a mission-oriented church, so that’s how it all got started.”

The project has collected and delivered more than 188 million gift filled shoeboxes to children since its creation in 1993. The packages are distributed in “some of the most difficult to reach places on earth,” according to the Samaritan’s Purse website. “That includes areas that are hostile to the Gospel, places where whole people groups are yet unreached, and hundreds of remote Pacific islands…. from densely populated inner cities to deserts and jungles—even in places where the Name of Jesus has never been heard.” 

Gifts can be for boys or girls, broken down into three age groups: two to four years old, five- to nine-year-old or 10- to 14-year-old. Suggested gift categories include:

• Personal care items and school supplies
• Clothing and accessories
• Crafts and Activities
• Fun toys, like a soccer ball and pump, or a stuffed animal
• A personal note and photo 

“This is not about drop off a box in a village and then leave,” said Stifler. “Every box goes through a local ministry in the countries they’re delivered to so that there’s follow-up with the kids and their families. This program, just over the last couple years has spawned over 1,000 new church is those countries. The kids get the message of Jesus with those boxes and when they bring it back to their family, families are interested in knowing more and then a church springs up. It’s really amazing.”

Aside from serving as drop-off center, Marco Presbyterian serves as the central collection point for gift boxes collected at four other churches located on the island and along (State Route) 951 to (U.S. 41), including Marco Lutheran Church and New Life Community Church. Once the collection period ends, Marco Presbyterian transports them to a central location site for Collier County, where they are then transported in tractor trailers to Samaritan’s Purse. 

Shoe boxes can be picked up in advance at Marco Presbyterian or the other local participating churches. People can also use sturdy shoeboxes they may have at home. 

Stifler said the church normally collects 900 to 1,100 boxes, although 2020 was far fewer, just 524, due to many churches being closed because of the pandemic. 

“But this year, we’re hoping we’ll be back to 900 to 1,100,” he added. 

There’s also the option of participating via the project’s website through the “Build a Box” program, which enables people to pick individual items for recipients for a charge of $25. 

The project provides the opportunity to have a huge impact, materially and spiritually, for those in need, said Stifler. 

“What I would say is if they have a heart for Jesus and they have a heart for children that don’t know Jesus, this is probably the biggest outreach to the lost in the world and they can participate by doing just one shoebox,” he said. 

For more information about Operation Christmas Child, visit samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/endsoftheearth/. Marco Presbyterian Church is located at 875 West Elkcam Circle. For more information, visit marcochurch.com or call 239-394-8186.