A Joplin church, as well as one in Miami, Okla., will continue an annual Christmas event next week that touches lives around the world. Operation Christmas Child gets under way Monday at Forest Park Baptist in Joplin and Immanuel Baptist in Miami.

OCC is a project of Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian relief organization headed by Franklin Graham. Anyone wishing to contribute may simply pack shoe boxes with school supplies, toys, necessity items and candy and turn them into one of the two churches. The boxes are then transported to regional distribution centers, where they are distributed worldwide in time for Christmas.

“Each individual gets one box packaged for either girls or boys in age groups of 2 to 4, 5 to 9 or 10 to 14,” said Kerry Lohman, Immanuel Church clerk and Sunday school teacher. “In addition, we include in every box a Jesus booklet, which tells the story of Christ in terms that children can understand.”

Times to turn in boxes at Forest Park, located at Seventh and Range Line, are from 2 to 5 p.m. Monday through Wednesday as well as Friday, 2 to 7 p.m. Thursday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and noon to 3 p.m. Sunday. Collection times at Immanuel, 228 H St. SE, are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to noon Saturday and 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday.

Anyone needing more information may call Forest Park at 623-4606 and ask for Pastor Brock Cummins or Immanuel Baptist at 918-542-4241 and ask for Lohman.

Betty Montgomery, administrative assistant to Cummins, estimated the OCC drive began at Forest Park about 12 or 13 years ago. This marks the fifth year for the effort at the Miami church.

“It has been a successful project,” Lohman said. “The first year we got involved we just collected 200 to 300 boxes and last year we received around 850, which was 200 more than the year before. We mostly have area churches involved but we also get some boxes from individuals as well as teachers bringing them over from schools.”

Lohman added that this is not just a Baptist project. In fact, before Immanuel took it over, collection sites were located at a number of different Miami locations, including a Christian bookstore.

“When we started, we had eight relay centers for Tulsa and now we have 19,” Lohman said.

The boxes are taken from Miami to a Tulsa collection center, then transferred to a regional site in Denver, Colo., where the final processing takes place. After the boxes are checked in at Denver to make sure there is nothing inappropriate or breakable, they are transported to ships, which make the final delivery.

“Once arriving at the destination in country, they are delivered by trucks, boats, camels, wagons, caravans, horses and even bicycles,” Lohman said.

Although OCC is a big part of the ministry of Samaritan’s Purse, it is just one of many. The nondenominational evangelical Christian humanitarian organization works worldwide to meet the physical and spiritual needs of people suffering from war, poverty disaster, disease, famine and persecution.

Graham, son of evangelist Billy Graham, took over as the Samaritan’s Purse president from Bob Pierce in 1979. Pierce, who founded the ministry in 1970, died in 1978.

International headquarters are in Boone, N.C., with additional U.S. facilities in Charlotte and North Wilkesboro, N.C. Affiliate offices are in Australia, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Hong Kong, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Field offices are in some 20 countries across five continents.

As you might guess, the name is taken from the biblical story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:30-37, where Jesus uses an unlikely example to teach people how to love their neighbors. This year Samaritan’s Purse hopes to deliver eight million shoe boxes through the OCC program.