To have written to the school about the Christmas shoebox scheme?

[gastrognome]

Just had a look through the leaflet sent home from DD1's school about the Christmas shoebox scheme that they are involved in.

Turns out the organisation adds religious literature to the boxes before they are distributed.

I love the idea of filling and sending a Christmas shoebox for somebody less privileged than us, but I really don't like the fact that these schemes are used as a means to evangelise. Of course Christmas is by its very nature a Christian festival but I don't think that it's right to "spread the word" by stealth.

So I just wrote to DD's school and suggested that next year they look for a similar scheme that isn't so evangelical in nature. I said I'd be happy to help research any organisations they could work with.

Do any others feel the same way, or have I turned into Scrooge?

Please cite examples of that on this thread SGVB?

I've just thought of something else.

Shoeboxes have to be filled with new stuff, it can't be second hand.

I used to have 4 kids at school, 2 were at scouts, one at Rainbows, all 4 at Sunday school.

Quite apart from anything else it would have cost me a flipping fortune to fill 7 or 8 shoe boxes

I have a problem with Billy Graham and his evangelism.I also have a problem with his published thoughts on Muslims and Jews.

I emailed copies of Billy Grahams statements on above to my daughters Head teacher when they wanted us to collect for OCC, and also to the council I work for. Due to a possible Equal Opportunities breach,they thought it was in their best interest to withdraw support.

I have no problem donating shoeboxes to churches or other Christian organisations that don't want to use a Christmas box to convert them.

Last year I sent one to the forces if Afghanistan

shoebox to the boys in Afganistan not an email re OCC :)

DD1's school has just participated in this. It didn't sit comfortably right from the start. The leaflet that came home in the book bag infuriated me - the instructions are so prescriptive! Not only that, but it's gender assumptions at their worst, e.g. first category (toys) - "For boys trucks and cars, for girls dolls, clip on earrings, etc".

Category 4 is sports items. "Tennis ball, skipping rope, baseball hat...., stop watch, sweat bands, toy medals (let's celebrate the 2012 Olympics by sending sports items to needy children!" Umm, hello? Do we think that beautiful Haitian child on the front of the leaflet really gives a stuff about the Olympics? Is she really in need of a stop watch or sweat bands?

I thought long and hard about it. I know there are much better ways to help a child in need. I wasn't comfortable with the religious element, but hadn't realised to what lengths that goes (should have researched it). The environmental aspect seemed bonkers. We did do it in the end, dd was very into it and I trusted the School to have chosen a worthwhile charity

The object of Samaritans Purse is to turn poor Muslim children into Protestant children. The shoeboxes are a means to that end.

I have no particular problem with that object, they're not sticking a gun to anyone's head, and I am completely indifferent as to whether the children of Bosnia owe their allegiance to the Pope, Billy Graham, or their local imam.

But it's not an aim I personally wish to support, and I think it would be a very strange thing for a non-faith school to support (or a faith school if they didn't make it clear so families who didn't support that aim could opt out).

I wrote to DD's school regarding my concerns with Operation Christmas Child/Samaritans Purse with links to where they could read more. It was too late for that year as the scheme had already been launched but they haven't run it since. I did speak to the class teacher at the time and the head did have a word with me, thanked me for the information and, as I say, it hasn't been run since.

Oh, and DD's school is a C of E school, and almost all children did take part. So, just because a school is a religious school doesn't mean they won't listen. I just gave them the information and let them make their mind up.

There are other schemes that are not run in this way which could be offered as alternatives.

Children can be taught about the gift of giving in many different ways. It doesn't have to take the form of the Operation Christmas Child scheme.

DD's school is doing this. It's being run by a local charity, but having skimmed the thread it sounds so similar to the Samaritans Purse thing I am now convinced that it's related - maybe they do local appeals through small charities but the distribution is managed by the same organisation?

I am really torn. I don't give to religious charities. DD is keen to do it. I have the same concerns as the OP and DH suggested we put in a humanist leaflet to balance things a bit

But no doubt it if we do that it will be taken out and binned, since they check all the boxes before they send them.

I also got annoyed at how prescriptive and gender-specific the lists were.

I think that we might do something else as a family and not this. Agree with Himalaya's post early on in the thread - you don't see big charities like Oxfam using this idea because it's not the best way to help people in need.

From the OCC website: "Distributing Shoe Boxes

Finally, your shoe box gets into the hands of a child!
? Lively, fun event for children
? Creative Gospel presentation by local churches and ministry partners, where appropriate
? Shoe boxes are given to children unconditionally
? Wherever appropriate, children are offered a copy of The Greatest Gift of All booklet in their own language by local churches and ministry partners.
? Soon after an OCC distribution event, the local churches and ministry partners may offer The Greatest Journey (TGJ) to the children participating in OCC in many of their communities. You can read more about this program here on our web site.

The Greatest Journey

This exciting discipleship program (click here to read more) teaches children to become faithful followers of Jesus Christ.
? After the OCC distribution event, where appropriate, children who received shoe boxes are invited to participate in TGJ by the local churches and ministry partners.
? TGJ is a 12-lesson discipleship program, in the local language, from Samaritan?s Purse. It is utilized by the Operation Christmas Child project and is implemented by local churches and ministry partners.
? Children join with other children from their community to participate.
? Volunteers are trained to lead children through the lessons.
? Children who complete TGJ are awarded a personal certificate and many receive a copy of the New Testament in their local language."

had a look on Samaritan's purse to see about this main aim being to reach Muslim dc but I didn't find that. How do you know that maskedwoman? I would have thought they evangelise world-wide in poorer countries via these shoeboxes not taht they specifically target Muslim countries. There'd be the whole Eastern block for instance where Christianity lapsed through lack of practise under Soviet rule , poor communities in South America etc

Yes true, I'm sure they'll happily convert children from families with no faith as well as muslim children. Either way, they're welcome to try, and you're welcome to support them if you want to, I'm just not going to help.

Hi, have been reading with interest, just as I did last year when this topic came up and threw the leaflets that came home from school in the bin.

I wondered if anyone who had written to their schools would pm me the letter?

My DS says they were shown a film about the shoebox scheme which I am really unhappy about and would like to write into school but I am useless at writing informed, well written letters so if I could cheat that would be great!

Thanks very much.

It seems a shame to me that underprivileged DCs are missing out, while those who have DCs who will get presents argue about the organisation sending it. Stop it by all means-but only if you have something to fill the gap.

Gastro- Sorry if this has been asked, I'm trying very hard to not get sucked into a debate about this but is the school a faith school?

The other thing I wanted to ask is, have you asked the school to do it at another time of year?

Do you celebrate Christmas or allow your children to participate in the nativity or sing Christmas carols etc within the same school?

Doggies- that's because Oxfam won't make as much profit from it.

Exexpat;

"And I would guess very few Christians in the UK would be entirely happy with Franklin Graham's particular brand of evangelism".

What makes you think this?

"ShowOfHands Wed 02-Nov-11 09:40:36
startwig, Christmas is a mishmash of other celebrations and religions, adopted by Christians in around 300AD iirc because it was convenient. Jesus wasn't born in December, it's just that the pagans et al were already celebrating on December 25th, so they nicked it and renamed it. It's yuletide and most of the traditions - mistletoe, gift giving, Christmas tree, 12 days of celebration, St Nicholas etc - belong to ancient religions which predate Christianity."

They were celebrating the "Sun"-worshipping the the "Sun", this was altered to worship the "Son" instead-entirely because it was convenient.

People are welcome to not celebrate it if they feel so strongly against it....but I imagine loads of people will be attending mass, and giving gifts, and seeing the nativity being performed.

Jesus may not have been born on December 25th but it is A day to celebrate it.

I hope all the parents on here crying about Christianity have scrapped their plans for advent calendars too.

exotic
There have been many many suggestions on this thread of alternatives to this scheme.

Carty
Will PM you with a link to my blog where I set out my objections, perhaps you can use some of that.

There are people saying 'Oh but my DC love doing the shoeboxes and so do I.' When you've been told that this charity is a bullshit racist scam and that shoeboxes are a wasteful, pointless way to give to charity in the first place.
If you persist in supporting this scheme then you are far more interested in either peddling your superstitious bullshit or in feeling smug and virtuous despite the fact that what you are doing is Not Good for the recipients, and there are plenty of more useful and genuinely helpful charities you could support instead.

HitTheRoadJack - Oxfam is a not-for-profit organisation. They don't make a profit.

Get the school to do it next year then MmeLindor but don't wait until October-get in early. I'm not sure how you send presents for a Christian festival without mentioning what it is for. Why would you send Christmas presents to Muslims-why not send them for Eid?

Himalaya, really? Who pays their staff and CEOs then?

"Oxfam's Chief Executive Barbara Stocking earns £109,100. Oxfam employs 5,000 staff and has an annual turnover of £300 million."

Someone must be paying her.

Hittheroadjack - Franklin Graham's brand of Christianity is at the far-right, ultra-evangelical end of the spectrum which does not find nearly as many adherents in the UK as it does in the USA. Franklin Graham.

The majority of UK Christians, as far as I am aware, tend to be more moderate, and for example don't have much truck with the kind of person who still maintains, despite all evidence to the contrary, that President Obama is a muslim, and thinks that natural disasters (eg the Japanese earthquake and tsunami) are evidence of approaching armageddon.

I may be wrong, of course - but there are quite a few Christian MNers who have posted on this thread and said they do not support the tactics of Samaritan's Purse.

Christmas is Christ-mas, a celebration of the birth of Christ. The celebrations have taken on board some aspects of other traditions, including the time of year, trees and so on, but to Christians, these are secondary to Advent, the birth of Jesus, and Epiphany.

"Christmas is a mishmash of other celebrations and religions"