Building Boxes at Black Jack: Sharing the Gospel One Shoebox at a Time

“Building Boxes at Black Jack” had another incredible year as our church family packed more than 1,000 shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child, a ministry of Samaritan’s Purse. These simple shoebox gifts—filled with toys, school supplies, and hygiene items—travel across the globe to children in need, delivering both practical help and the love of Christ in a tangible way.

Black Jack OFWB has embraced this ministry since 2018, and each year we witness how God uses it to unite our church and bless countless children. What we cherish most is the deeper purpose behind every box. Each shoebox represents an opportunity for evangelism as children hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. Through The Greatest Journey, a 12-week discipleship program, children are taught how to follow Christ in their daily lives. Finally, the program encourages multiplication, inspiring children to share what they’ve learned with friends and family.

Samaritan’s Purse often refers to these gifts as “GO boxes”—short for Gospel Opportunity. These small boxes open big doors for the gospel, reaching even the most remote and underprivileged areas of the world. Jesus commands us to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel.” While we may not be able to physically travel everywhere, our shoeboxes certainly can.

A Year-Round Ministry

Our commitment to Operation Christmas Child doesn’t start in November—it happens all year long. Individuals and families are encouraged to pack their own shoeboxes, while our church also collects supplies monthly. Each month, we announce specific items to focus on and store them carefully throughout the year.

On September 28, 2025, we gathered for our annual shoebox folding party—a fun evening of food, fellowship, and teamwork as we prepared boxes for packing. Then on November 9, 2025, we held our packing party, where tables were arranged by age and gender so volunteers could easily fill each box with care and intention. During the pandemic, we even adapted with a “packing week” to keep the ministry going safely.

One of the greatest blessings of this ministry is that everyone can participate. There is always a role for willing hands and hearts. This year:

• One woman sewed 100 dresses for girls’ boxes.

• Several men handcrafted hundreds of wooden cars.

• Volunteers knitted and crocheted hundreds of toboggans.

• Seamstresses made dresses, pencil pouches, drawstring bags, shorts, and reusable hygiene items.

• Bargain hunters found amazing deals to stretch every dollar.

• Others faithfully donated funds for shopping.

• Behind-the-scenes helpers removed tags, sorted supplies, and kept everything organized.

It truly is a whole-church effort, and the joy of serving together is contagious.

Sending Them Out

On November 23, 2025, the third Sunday of the month, our church gathered again to pray over every shoebox. Members then picked up boxes from the altar as we loaded them onto a trailer for delivery to our local drop-off location at Parker’s Chapel.

Beyond packing, our church has also served at Operation Christmas Child processing centers. On December 1 and 2, 2025, volunteers traveled to Boone to help prepare boxes for international shipment—a rewarding and memorable experience.

The Impact

The reach of Operation Christmas Child is truly remarkable:

• 232 million shoeboxes have been collected since 1993.

• 31,020 children hear the gospel message every day through this ministry.

• 15,190 children enroll in The Greatest Journey every 24 hours.

• 8,930 children accept Jesus each day because of this outreach.

• 11.9 million shoeboxes were collected worldwide in 2024.

• 13,307 shoeboxes were collected in Eastern North Carolina alone.

• Boxes are delivered to over 170 countries and territories around the world.

These numbers represent real lives changed for eternity.

Get Involved

If you or your church would like to be part of this incredible ministry, we would love to help. We serve as year-round church relations volunteers for Operation Christmas Child and are happy to provide information, free shoeboxes, resources, or even visit your church to share more about the program.

At Black Jack, we’ve seen firsthand how God uses ordinary shoeboxes to do extraordinary work. Each box tells a child, “You are loved,” and points them to the greatest gift of all—Jesus Christ. We look forward to another year of building boxes and building the Kingdom together.