AIBU to hate charity Christmas shoe boxes?

[unlucky83]

We get asked to one from the school and from Sunday school ...2 Dcs that is 4 of them...last year I cut it down to 2 - doing the same this year
I really really really hate doing them...but DDs are upset if we don't ...
(at school they have an assembly where the people organising it talk to the DCs about them)...
We wander round the shops/supermarket making sure we get all the essentials on the list - buying the cheapest stuff there is ...kind of think hats/gloves/underwear are probably made by the people we send them back to..
I know I'm not on my own - everyone I know who does one says they do the same ...
Even then each box costs at least £30 ...could the money not be better spent directly by the charity buying good quality stuff that is going to last?
On the lists they say extras - like PJs - how the hell do you fit a pair of PJs for a teenager in a shoe box with all the other stuff...I find I can never fit much 'extra' in...usually just sweets as treats - good job they get toothpaste and toothbrushes or they'd have rotten teeth to add to their misery..

Then you have to find a box...then wrap the bloody things...
I just find it really difficult to wrap the box and lid separately and not get an end result that looks like it has been chewed by the dog...just spent the best part of 30 mins wrapping one that looks like a 2 yr old did it...

So am I being unreasonable to hate them and dread the leaflets coming home?

Alemci - Franklin Graham recently urged Operation Christmas Child supporters in the US to go out and support Chick-Fil-A, a restaurant chain which was being boycotted by many people because of its owner's statements against same-sex marriage and general anti-gay attitude. This is on the Samaritan's Purse website and apparently the same appeal went out to people on the OCC supporters mailing list.

I'm not sure if there is any other overtly anti-gay stuff on the website (I have spent far too much time on there, but haven't read every page...) but I really can't see what business an 'international relief organisation' has in getting involved in the debate on same-sex marriage in the US.

thanks Exepat,

had a quick look and need to go out and food shop :)

I agree they shouldn't be getting involved in this, too political.

Sorry, coupon, of course you're right. Some churches are worse than others and it's usually the evangelical ones who are the most obsessed, because they want to change everyone else's lifestyle to match theirs

I'm glad people are interested by the Steve Chalke article -as I said, I certainly don't share all his views, particularly that on pre-marital sex etc but I am impressed that he is willing to re-think on controversial issues. IMO nothing is more depressing than someone so blinkered that they cannot at least admit the possibility that their view maybe wrong or that there is stuff they do not know-or that changing their mind is somehow turning their back on God. To me, using our God given brain and empathy to re-think stuff is a positive compliment to him!

With regards to the political agenda of OCC and Samaritans's Purse, Franklin Graham seems to be increasingly leading the charity down a political path -this pulse.ncpolicywatch.org/2012/06/08/report-samaritans-purse-spent-150k-on-marriage-discrimination-amendment/ speaks of how much was spent on the adverts against same-sex marriage, and this danielsilliman.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/billy-grahams-big-ads.html speaks more generally about their increasing use of advertising, and also questions how much Billy Graham actually knows of it.

Thanks Suburban.

Some churches are worse than others

some churches are not at all homophobic so not less homophobic. DPs previous church the junior vicar (I forget the title) was gay, as was a FT church employee. so were some members.

of course if someone wants to see the worst in a group of people, they will. but that applies to all people.

Hi, youare.

I'm not sure having some gay clergy and a few of the congregation necessarily means there is no homophobia whatsoever in a church.

Is it possible to know definitively that any organisation or church is "not at all homophobic"?

SuburbanRhonda -some churches are defined by their inclusivity mccchurch.org/ and were set up as GLBTQ friendly I think.

Others are mostly inclusive like www.urc.org.uk/ which seems to say that they have no definitive statement but allow individual congregations to decide such matters as gay clergy etc -but the ones I have seen are mostly pro-equality and have spoken out in favour of equal marriage etc.

Oasis church (led by Steve Chalke) identifies as inclusive www.oasischurchwaterloo.org/who/faithworks-charter

Then there are the CofE churches which have gay clergy but the leadership of the Cof E and it's rules are still a bit dubious-gay clergy can be in a civil partnership but should be celibate for example.

I suppose as with society there are a lot of views but I would guess that these churches actively which welcome and embrace the GLBTQ as equals would have very few congregation members who are homophobic -as there are so many churches where their views would be welcomed iykwim?

My local CofE church has a big sign outside saying that it welcomes people of whatever age, race, gender & sexuality. I think some of them are trying hard to be welcoming - there are good biblical grounds for being tolerant and non-judgmental, if I remember correctly from my RE lessons a few decades ago - but other churches are actively hostile. Much more so in the US than the UK, I think.

Blimey, trockodile, there are more different permutations there than the parent and child shopping trollies at Tesco!

Can't help wondering how much better it would be if all churches kept their noses out of people's bedrooms altogether

What would be nice, exexpat is for churches to be actively supportive of LGBT people rather than just tolerant, which makes it sound like they're putting up with them against their better judgement. Though I guess we should welcome any steps in the right direction

As DLSayers , that high church author, put it

As I get older and older,
And stagger towards the tomb,
I find that I care less and less
Who goes to bed with whom.

ancientbuchanan

In answer to gooners question about why is occ getting bigger and bigger each year...... Could it possibly be because (on your own admission) that the British public are not completely aware of the full picture.

Do you believe that it would be getting bigger if everyone who gave a shoebox was 100% informed of the reality?

The answer can't possibly be yes otherwise you would have always told the truth, not hidden it away and given different info to different establishments. Happy to let people give in ignorant bliss, but not confident enough that the GBP would make their minds up and fall on your side of the fence.

Looks like Brian/Gooner has disappeared - he presumably realised he was just digging a deeper and deeper hole for himself. But he never answered my question about whether they are doing anything to promote the schools leaflet. Oh well. Business as usual, I guess.