Published: November 11, 2009 08:54 am      

London joins in Christmas spirit

New drop-off center for Operation Christmas Child program

By Carl Keith Greene / Staff Writer

London residents have it easier this year to participate in the Operation Christmas Child program.

The program, which in the past was based in Corbin, has developed a site in London for the dropping off of “shoe boxes” of gifts for children.

The Christmas child program, part of the Samaritan’s Purse program of the Franklin Graham ministry, has provided gifts for children worldwide for several years.

Corbin’s program continues as before, but the addition of London as a site, “should ease some of the workers in Corbin,” said Susan Slusher, who is part of the London endeavor.

This will be the first year that in addition to Corbin, London will be a pickup point for trucks taking the boxes to Beacon Hill Baptist Church in Somerset for preparation for sending to Boone, N.C., for shipping.

She said London’s First Baptist put together more than 500 boxes last year with London’s First Christian Church (DoC) adding 50 to 75.

This year, the London group is trying to get word out to churches across Laurel County that they might join the program.

Boxes will be prepared for shipping from Nov. 16-23 between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, and 1-5 p.m. Sunday.

For more information, contact Nancy Perkins at 878-9759.

For information during the week between the 16th and 23rd, call 864-1459, ext. 233.

Pamphlets describing the program are available at London’s First Baptist Church.

Once the boxes are collected by local churches and organizations, Slusher said, they will be taken to a location on Monty Drive off Commercial Drive south of London. Commercial Drive connects U.S. 25 from just south of South Laurel High and KY 229 just south of Flea Land flea market. There they will be prepared for transfer to Beacon Hill Baptist.

Once in Boone, they are prepared for shipping. An envelope of money sufficient for shipping is included in each box. And those who provide the box of gifts may also add the cost of a story book about the life of Jesus.

The contents of each box are checked before they leave the country to make certain nothing is in a box that shouldn’t be.

The list of approved items is fairly explicit, said Slusher.

Those who would rather sponsor a box than actually put one together can make $30 contributions to First Baptist and its workers will assemble the boxes in the contributor’s name. For more information, call the church at 864-4194.

More information about Graham’s program can be found at www.samaritanspurse.com.