International Christmas Outreach Refutes Reported Ban on Christian-Themed Gifts

International Christmas Outreach Refutes Reported Ban on Christian-Themed Gifts

By Allie Martin


(AgapePress) - Recently, a story in London's Daily Mail newspaper said the Operation Christmas Child (OCC) program, an outreach of the international relief ministry Samaritan's Purse, had banned Christian and Christmas-themed children's gifts from its annual shoebox gift drive. However, an official with the North Carolina-based ministry says the British paper's report is not correct.

The Daily Mail story said the alleged ban on all Christian materials in the OCC shoeboxes was part of an effort not to offend Muslims. However, Operation Christmas Child spokesman Jim Harrelson claims that is not true and that such a ban would be inconsistent with the ministry's global mission, policies, and practices. He believes the newspaper's inaccurate statements about the giving program's policy are the result of small variations in the handling of the donated gifts in the United Kingdom.

"Christian literature is not banned from the OCC shoebox gifts, as reported," Harrelson insists. Some items, such as war-related toys, are removed from gift boxes; but, since this program has had an evangelical focus from its inception, he notes that a gospel presentation for children is placed in every shoebox OCC distributes.

However, the ministry representative notes, there is "a slight operational difference in the way the OCC gifts are processed for overseas shipment." In the UK program, all religious literature as well as "political and military things" are initially removed from the shoeboxes, he explains.
Then, according to procedure in the UK, the OCC staff sorts through these items. However, Harrelson emphasizes, the ministry "keeps all the Christian literature, and all of that is sent to the national leadership teams for distribution to the children."

So, yes, the processing of the OCC shoebox gifts in the UK "is different from what we do in the U.S. and some of the other sending countries," the program spokesman explains. But again, he stresses, "all the Christian literature is forwarded to the national leadership teams, and it's used specifically for evangelism to children in and through the local churches that we work through."
Contrary to the Daily Mail's reports, countries around the world -- including Muslim nations -- that will receive gift-filled shoeboxes from Operation Christmas Child will be getting Christian and Christmas-themed materials, Harrelson says. In addition to the donated gifts given by caring donor, needy children receive gospel booklets in their own language.

Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and distributed more than 46 million shoebox gifts to children in more than 120 countries. Last year alone, the ministry collected 7.6 million shoebox gifts worldwide and distributed them to children in 95 countries.

Allie Martin, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.

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