SCAT-OCC Update: 6/20/2024
GREAT THINGS
By Barb Hoffmann, Church
Relations Coordinator, Space Coast Area Team
GREAT THINGS were celebrated on Saturday, April 27, 2024, at First Baptist Church, Port St. John, as 80 people representing 19 local churches and groups gathered to praise God for all that was accomplished through Operation Christmas Child (OCC) shoebox donations in 2023.
Hosted by the Space Coast Area Team (SCAT) of OCC, enjoyed refreshments prior to the start of the program while perusing CONNECT Stations with information about: building a shoebox online, as well as creating a goal page online; hosting a customized OCC Mini Meeting for their church or group; praying for OCC; learning about the 12-week discipleship program, The Greatest Journey; serving locally with OCC
Led by Lynne Phillips, Space Coast Area Team (SCAT) Coordinator, SCAT team members shared that last year 11 million shoeboxes were donated worldwide; 10 million were from the United States; and 694,624 from the Florida/Puerto Rico region.
Project Leaders participated by
sharing the number of shoeboxes donated from their church or group, and local
Drop Off Leaders stated how many boxes had been collected at their location.
Locally, 16,830 were collected from the Space Coast in 2023!
A highlight of the program was
hearing brief testimonies from 3 Project Leaders regarding how they saw God at
work last year as their church participated in OCC. Also, Beverly Gardner, a
Regional Coordinator for Florida/Puerto Rico, spoke about what year-round
volunteers do when they serve with a local area team. CITA Rescue Mission
Executive Director, Buddy Morrow, and Executive Assistant to the Director, Mark
Sweeney, were recognized for supporting SCAT by loading 10,438 cartons,
containing 156,561 shoeboxes, onto semi trailers over the last ten years.
Attendees were also challenged to set a 2024 shoebox goal, as well as set a
goal online to encourage building shoeboxes on the OCC website.
It was announced that the 2024
SCAT goal for shoebox donations is 18,180 shoeboxes, which will provide boxes
for 202 distribution events.
The celebration closed with a time of commissioning. Those in attendance were presented with a Sacred Key as they committed to leading OCC this year. Commissioning also included prayer for shoebox donors, leaders, volunteers, as well as children who will receive shoeboxes. Special prayer was offered for Lynne Phillips who would be participating in shoebox distribution events and a Greatest Journey Discipleship class near Lima, Peru, May 9-13, through an OCC Vision Trip, as well as for Beverly Gardner, attending in a Vision Trip to Kenya in June.
“The biggest blessing of this
event was seeing so many like-minded churches setting aside denominational
differences and partnering together for the sake of the gospel,” shared Andrew
Carrington, pastor, First Baptist, Port St. John.
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PERU
Vision Trip Lynne
Phillips May
I share with your church or group the impact of
Operation Christmas Child in Peru that I recently experienced by
participating in shoebox distributions, a Greatest Journey Discipleship
class, and spending time with the Peru OCC National Leadership Team? |
- Reactions of the children to hearing the gospel
- Reactions of children opening the shoebox and discovering their gifts
- God stories
- Impact of OCC on the children, families, churches and communities in Peru
- Reactions of the children participating in the Greatest Journey Discipleship program
- Diligent and faithful work of the OCC Peru Ministry Partners and National Leadership Team
- Prayer Requests for advancing the gospel in Peru
- Why these things matter for you, your church or group
Call 321-258-4918 or email occscat@gmail.com to schedule a time for me to share with your group or church. Thank you!
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SAVE THE DATE SATURDAY, 14 SEPTEMBER |
OCC WORKSHOP
Time and Location to be announced. Connect with other OCC project leaders and volunteers, share ideas, learn important ministry updates, and pray together as an OCC family.
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