Since 1993, churches nationwide have participated annually in packing Operation Christmas Child (OCC) shoeboxes. However, one church in Wild Peach, Texas, takes packing these boxes to the next level. In the past decade, the members of Grace Baptist Church (GBC), a current congregation of 55, have filled more than 100,000 shoeboxes.
In a recent interview with The Stand, GBC Pastor Mark Brumbelow and his wife Cherry shared how the Lord has used their church to advance the gospel via shoeboxes.
“This isn’t about passing out toys,” explained Mark. “It’s about getting the gospel message around the world. The shoebox is a wonderful and effective tool to equip churches on the other side of the world to present the gospel to children.”
Praying
GBC’s involvement with OCC began in 2013 after the Brumbelows served at an OCC processing center in Dallas, Texas. Cherry explained that while there, they realized “the magnitude of the ministry.”
“Most of all, we really learned a lot about how every shoebox is a gospel opportunity,” she continued.
Following this experience, in 2014, Cherry began to pray and ask God to show her how many shoeboxes the church should pack for that year. After much prayer, Cherry told Mark she believed the Lord was leading them to pack 500 shoeboxes.
As the pastor of less than 30 members at the time, Mark was initially concerned that directing more funds to the growing OCC project would decrease the support for other ministries. Nevertheless, he joined his wife in prayer and received the same answer.
“God asked us to pack 500 shoeboxes,” Mark explained. “We packed 532. … God provided every penny plus more of the suggested donation [per box for shipping]. … [And that year,] every other mission cause that our church supported more than doubled what it had ever been.”
Packing
Over the past 10 years, GBC’s God-led mission to pack shoeboxes has grown exponentially. This May, GBC church members celebrated packing their 100,000th shoebox since 2014 – and they don’t plan on slowing down. Their 2024 shoebox goal is 15,000 boxes, and they were well on their way to meeting that goal at press time. But to fill this many boxes, GBC must be diligent in its planning, purchasing, and packing.
At GBC, packing OCC shoeboxes is a fellowship opportunity. Ten months out of the year, the church plans and hosts a monthly packing party. Due to limited storage space, a team purchases most of the boxes’ contents the week of that month’s party, and then church members gather at the church over the weekend to pack the boxes. According to Cherry, those fun-filled packing nights include activities ranging from movie watching to shooting fireworks. Volunteers of all ages enjoy participating.
“[Once,] we had a little boy, 18 months old, and a lady, 100 years old [participate],” Cherry shared. “And I thought, what a beautiful picture … showing that this really is a ministry that anybody can be a part of.”
Mark explained that by joining together in this project, the Brumbelows and their church family have seen “Scripture in action.” They have witnessed the Lord provide and strengthen their fellowship through members’ faithful service and giving.
“I wish I could just tell every pastor in the whole world, ‘This will change your congregation like nothing I have ever seen in my life!’” Cherry exclaimed.
(Digital Editor's Note: This article was published first in the November 2024 print edition of The Stand. Click HERE for a free six-month subscription.)
