Breaching the subject of Operation Christmas Child

[BeanBag7]

Over the last few years it has become clear to me and many others that Operation Christmas Child is not as "good" and charitable as they appear to be. Many schools and youth groups still put together shoe boxes for them.

I want to let others know about this when they ask about which shoebox charity to support, or post pictures of their shoe boxes ready to go. But I dont want to look like a dick about it and be preachy.

Should I just leave it and let it continue, or am I right to make people aware of the issues? If so how would you go about it?

It does come with a 12 step discipleship program if they choose to persue it.

Why? Why is there a leaflet about bible studies given out with a gift to a child that should have no strings attached? How does Samaritans Purse guarantee that no child feels they have to join up in order to get their gift? Why do they target children and not just give the gifts straight to the parents?

I find the best approach with Samaritan’s Purse /OCC is to encourage people to read through their website, the pronouncements of Franklin Graham and the commentary on the sister site Billy Graham Evangelist Association.

It’s very ... enlightening

Evangelistic

the UK websits is quite edited. I believe the USA site is much more revealing, from what I recall.

GreenyEye - I have just been comparing like-for-like on the US and UK versions of the 'eternal impact' page about Operation Christmas Child, and the difference is eye-opening.

Anyone would think Samaritan's Purse were aware that the general public in the UK were not keen on evangelism and they were therefore playing it down so that people don't stop donating, but I am sure a Christian organisation could not possibly be that cynical and manipulative...

US: In the hands of local churches, every gift-filled shoebox is a powerful tool for evangelism and discipleship —transforming the lives of children and their families around the world through the Good News of Jesus Christ!
UK: In the hands of local churches, every gift-filled shoebox is a tool transforming the lives of children and their families around the world through the good news of God’s greatest gift, Jesus Christ.

US: Gives a church an effective outreach tool.
Local churches use gift-filled shoeboxes as a tangible inroad for evangelism. The shoebox gifts allow them access to places they might never be welcomed otherwise.
UK: Gives a church an effective outreach tool
Local churches use gift-filled shoeboxes to reach out into their communities. They are able to access places they might never be welcomed otherwise.

US: Makes disciples through the local church.
After receiving shoebox gifts, boys and girls are invited to enroll in The Greatest Journey, our 12-lesson discipleship program. They learn from trained local volunteers what it means to faithfully follow Christ and share their faith with others.
UK: Links families to the local church
After receiving a shoebox gift, a child may be invited to enrol on The Greatest Journey, 12 fun and interactive lessons based on the Bible. It is taught by local volunteers who have been trained to deliver the programme. The programme is offered free of charge, without obligation and with the consent of their parent or guardian.

US: Grows congregations and plants new churches worldwide.
Through the efforts of local believers on our National Leadership Teams, entire communities are being evangelized as shoebox gifts are delivered. Some of these areas do not have any existing church.
UK: (no mention)

If you want to see for yourselves, here they are:
US: www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/eternal-impact/
UK: www.samaritans-purse.org.uk/what-we-do/the-greatest-journey/make-an-eternal-impact/

Wow @exexpat

Good work

I think even less of them now. How fucking deceitful.

Wow - and your answer now @Lsbc601601?

Haven’t read the full thread, but our school sent an email asking for shoe boxes for operation Christmas child last year. I went to see the head that afternoon and explained why I was opposed- she sent an email the next day reversing the decision and the school supported a local charity instead. I think approaching schools/community groups etc in a friendly way and giving them info makes sense. Attacking friends publicly (on Facebook) is unlikely to go your way, and will just leave them feeling embarrassed and defensive

FamilyOfAliens you don't know what happened behind the scenes - it was really quiet stressful

exexpat

Very interesting.

They can’t even object because all you are doing is quoting their own public sites.

This thread does not surprise me. How else are people converted? Bribery is definitely in the top spot, with children, desperate and vulnerable adults being an easy target.
But than, it is also a very Christian thing to give presents at Christmas... It's a tradition that needs explaining to non Christians, we celebrate the birth of Jesus.... he died at the cross for our sins... some find that attractive. It may even give hope and a new purpose in life. (Disclaimer: I am an atheist - but had a very Christian upbringing!)
So I conclude, giving to charity is great, just choose some without the religious aspect or indeed one closer to home.

Chaz - no, they can't object.

I was one of the most active and persistent posters on the threads a few years ago which led to the threats of legal action, but I was not threatened with anything as I am always careful to check my sources and am able to back up everything I post. A lot of it really is just letting their own words/websites do the talking.

I would be very surprised if OCC/SP tried to stifle debate on here again, as it went down very badly and got them damaging publicity last time, as well as alerting more people to what they are really like: a standard case of the Streisand effect.

Same. I was on that thread and spent a lot of time quoting what Franklin Graham actually says in public. I didn’t need to ad anything to it. It spoke for itself and they couldn’t threaten me with anything.

add

A lot of people seem very touchy about me saying that I've noticed a lot of people who rail against OCC don't actually go on to do anything better.

When in fact doing nothing at all would be a lot better than sending some plastic tat to a child in a distant country courtesy of a racist, homophobic, evangelical organisation headed by a fundamentalist bigot who is violently anti-Islamic and supports gay conversion therapy and opposes same-sex marriage, and draws a hefty salary from both Samaritan's Purse and his father's foundation.

”When in fact doing nothing at all would be a lot better than sending some plastic tat to a child in a distant country courtesy of a racist, homophobic, evangelical organisation headed by a fundamentalist bigot who is violently anti-Islamic and supports gay conversion therapy and opposes same-sex marriage, and draws a hefty salary from both Samaritan's Purse and his father's foundation.”

Exactly. Doing nothing is absolutely preferable.

I raised this with the head at my kids’ (catholic) primary, a few years ago now.

They stopped supporting OCC and started doing shoeboxes for a local charity.

Local soup kitchen, the old worker's union, food and clothes that could be picked up at the local church to everyone in need (regardless of faith). That's at least how I grew up...

Sending things a child may not even need / use, disrupting the local economy, important cultural context that isn't provided plus the political and religious ideology of Graham... No thanks!!

Clue is in the title - christmas child -

I think another possible problem is that sometimes "The Samaritans" and "Samaritans Purse" get mixed up (this was certainly the case with some people I have spoken to!).

FamilyOfAliens you don't know what happened behind the scenes - it was really quiet stressful

I’m sure it was. But I’m really pleased that no one was actually sued and that in the end, Samaritans Purse ended up looking like complete idiots for sending someone like (whoever the guy was whose name I forget) to fight their corner against a load of angry women

Clue is in the title - christmas child

What’s that’s supposed to mean?

@FamilyOfAliens

I was wondering as well tbh. But Idk... 🤷🏻‍♀️

I presume @monstiebags is one of the people who always pops up on these threads to say (usually rather more articulately) that if something has the word "Christmas" in the title we must all be idiots for objecting to any accompanying missionary activity, because it is a Christian festival. This does not seem to apply to anything else - if you booked a Christmas lunch or Christmas show somewhere, would you expect it to come with added fundamentalist evangelising? - but never mind.

Funnily enough, the name "Christmas Child" is rather misleading, like much else about the whole thing: the boxes are collected in the run-up to Christmas, as that is when many people feel charitable, but in fact they are distributed all round the year, whenever there are enough people and resources in a particular place to organise an "outreach event".

When OCC is promoted in schools, churches and so on in the UK, it relies on people imagining the boxes being handed out to poor, grateful children at Christmas parties on or near Christmas day, but that is a long way from the truth in most places.

The name started with the scheme's founder Dave Cooke, who was British, and led a convoy delivering aid to Romanian orphanages in time for Christmas in 1990. A few years later the name and organisation was taken over by Samaritan's Purse, and it has changed beyond all recognition since then.