Backpack Ministry Blesses Thousands of Kids

December 4, 2022231 views0

Backpack Ministry Blesses Thousands of Kids

2022-12-04T16:17:18+01:00

By Church News

The Christmas backpack ministry in partnership with the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, the state’s Baptist associations and local churches has blessed nearly 10,000 kids around the community with backpacks filled with toys and other goodies.Ricky Thrasher, the state Mission Board’s liaison to the associations said, “This is a ministry that our churches have gotten excited about in a big way, It’s a tangible way for our churches to show children they’re loved, God always has a way of putting the right backpack with the right children.”Each year in the weeks leading up to Christmas, eager children gather with their parents to receive their backpacks, which are stuffed with a variety of toys, hygiene items, Bibles, non-perishable foods, clothing, school supplies and other items.Gift for younger children include small cars, balls, dolls, stuffed animals, kazoos, harmonicas, yo-yos, jump ropes, sidewalk chalk, card games like Ol’ Maid and Go Fish, Slinkys, Etch A Sketches, and Frisbees.For older children, depending on gender, gifts might include costume jewelry, friendship bracelets, craft kits, LEGOs, hand-held electronic games, flashlights, basketballs, soccer balls, even NERF footballs.“One thing is certain, Georgia Baptists know how to make Christmas special for children,” Thrasher said. “I’ve never seen a child disappointed by what they find in these backpacks. You’d be surprised how many items they can squeeze into these backpacks.”Gene Roberts, associational missionary in the Summerhill Baptist Association, said volunteers from his churches will be handing out more than 1,100 backpacks in the next two weeks in Dawson, Preston and Lumpkin communities in Georgia, United States.Roberts said children and their parents typically gather in a gymnasium or other large room. A church leader will present the gospel, including the real meaning of Christmas. After that, the children will line up at different stations, based on age and gender, and receive their backpacks.ALSO READ Eastern European Missions Donates Bibles to Children