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As part of our mission outreach the church has strong links with church fellowships in Southern India. Bethesda Ministries operates in the slums of Bangalore and in addition to the provision of a number of places of worship is engaged in a number of different social projects in particular the care of orphaned children. The church of St Giles through its fund raising supports the work of this orphanage by regular donations.  For more about the orphanage click here.

OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD

Put some of your Christmas into a shoe box – and send it to a child in need!

Big things can travel well in small packages. When you start planning your Christmas this year, why not plan to share some of the joy and fun? For hundreds of thousands of desperately needy children, there will be no Christmas coming at all in 2008 – unless you send it to them. In a shoe box.  Although when you are reading this it is probably too late we will be doing it again for 2009!!

Even as you read this, tens of thousands of people throughout Britain are busy packing shoe boxes to send out through Operation Christmas Child. The shoe boxes are easy to fill – but the simple toys which they contain will transform the lives of destitute children in Eastern Europe this year.

Operation Christmas Child is a project run by Samaritan’s Purse International, a Christian relief and development charity. Last year 1.2 million needy children in Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union and Africa received shoe boxes from children, families and individuals in the UK. Our church contributed many shoe boxes! Our church is one of the 6,500 churches that have taken part in the project in the last 2 years.

For many of these children, the shoe box is the first Christmas present they have ever received. The shoe boxes are given unconditionally, regardless of nationality, political background or religious beliefs.

So – how do you send Christmas to a child in a shoe box? It’s easy! Simply take an empty shoe box, wrap it in gift paper (lid and box separately) and fill it with toys, educational supplies, hats and scarves and other items that will bring joy to a child’s life.

Our church is taking part, and if you would like to contribute contact Cynthia Cogley or visit www.samaritanspurse.uk.com for more information.   There is a flier we can give you full of ideas of what to buy – plus a label to stick on the front of your box.

Operation Christmas Child is the world's largest children's Christmas project. Since 1990 the project has brought the joy of Christmas to more than 54 million boys and girls throughout the world.

Contact the curate John Horton on 024 7631 8844.