Editor: Shannon Cottongame
December 1, 2021
There will be many delighted children around the world this Christmas as a result of the efforts of Hill County residents gathering 2,786 Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes.
Throughout the year, project leaders at area churches and groups have worked to collect the gifts and ascertain that they were correctly packed in shoe boxes before drop-off. Many of the participating groups made Operation Christmas Child a yearlong project, collecting a different category of gifts each month and hosting packing parties before the drop-off date. There were several new churches participating this year.
It should be noted that the actual number of shoeboxes coming from Hill County is actually higher than 2,786, as many individuals chose to purchase their box online through the “Build a Box” option on the Operation Christmas Child website.
The following 29 churches and organizations can be congratulated for their record donations: Abbott Baptist Church; Cedar Creek Baptist Church, Whitney; Central Baptist Church, Hillsboro; Central Baptist Church, Itasca; Christ Lutheran Church, Hillsboro; Church of the Nazarene, Hillsboro; Covington United Methodist Church; First Baptist Church, Blum; First Baptist Church, Bynum; First Baptist Church, Covington; First Baptist Church, Hillsboro; First Baptist Church, Milford; First Baptist Church, Whitney; First Presbyterian Church, Hillsboro; First United Methodist Church, Hillsboro; Hillsboro High School Student Council; Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, Abbott; Iglesia Bautista Nueva Vida, Hillsboro; Lakenon Baptist Church, Hillsboro; Loveview Baptist Church, Hillsboro; Malone Baptist Church; New Life Baptist Church, Covington; Open Range Cowboy Church, Whitney; Peoria Baptist Church; St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, Hillsboro; Sun Country Chapel, Whitney; The Heights Church (formerly Grace City Church), Hillsboro; Trail to the Cross Cowboy Church, Hillsboro; Whitney Fellowship.
Karen Smith, local drop-off leader, said “Our drop-off team was so excited to see the number of shoe boxes being dropped off and impressed with the faithfulness of the project leaders and their churches. Year after year, they tirelessly work and generously contribute to this project.
“Operation Christmas Child is very unique in that it unites people from all areas of the community together with one goal: to spread the love of Jesus throughout the world. My thanks go out to all the project leaders who worked through the year to fill and deliver the shoe boxes and to the volunteers who manned the drop-off location and delivered our cartons to the collection center.”
The Lakelander 