Appeal promises Bont-iful Christmas

Last year, Bont Elim collected 189 shoeboxes for Samaritan’s Purse’s Operation Christmas Child appeal. This year they’re aiming even higher, as part of an action-packed festive programme. Community work coordinator Samantha Jones explains.

Following last year’s success with our Operation Christmas Child shoebox appeal, we decided to start fundraising earlier this year. In July, we hosted our first community family quiz night. The church was packed with more than 100 people, many of whom had never set foot in the building before.

We had the support of many local businesses who donated prizes, and a lot of money was raised for this fantastic cause – £1,214.68 in total! This year, we are aiming to send at least 200 shoeboxes from the church. The money raised will cover the cost of this, as well as helping to pay for some items to put in them.

As we are a local collection centre we envisage more than 250 shoeboxes being sent from here. Over and above the money raised, the quiz night also proved to be fantastic for our community outreach.

There was nothing religious about the evening but it helped build relationships with those in the community we have previously been unable to reach.

It brought people into the church building who haven’t been before and others we haven’t seen in church since before Covid, or even many years before that.

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