Church marks 4th year as site for Operation Christmas Child

Staff report

NEW WATERFORD

For the fourth-consecutive year, Abundant Life Fellowship is a designated drop-off location for churches, groups and individuals participating in a global outreach project for children.

The church at 46469 state Route 46 is the Columbiana County drop-off center for Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan’s Purse, an international ministry affiliated with evangelists Billy and Franklin Graham. People fill shoeboxes with gifts for age- and gender-specific children. The gifts can be toys, school supplies, hygiene items, small clothing items and other things children would enjoy. More details about preparing the boxes and what can be sent are available at www. samaritanspurse.org.

Collection will be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday; 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 to 7 p.m. next Friday; 9 a.m. to noon Nov. 20; and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov. 21.

Vivian Carvender of Columbiana, relay-center coordinator at Abundant Life, has been involved in the project since 1995. Carvender can be reached at 330-482-3964. Questions also can be directed to the church at 330-457-7317.

All boxes dropped off at the church will be loaded onto a tractor-trailer and hauled to Warren, then transported to Samaritan’s Purse headquarters in North Carolina and then sent to children in the United States and overseas.