OPERATION Christmas Child. Sounds a lovely idea, doesn’t it? Brightening up the life of an impoverished child with a small box of presents which cost little but bring great joy? 
If that were all there was to it then it would indeed be a lovely idea.
However, that is not all there is to it. 
Read what Samaritan’s Purse, the American organisation which runs Operation Christmas Child, has to say: “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.
“After receiving a shoebox gift, children have the opportunity to enrol in The Greatest Journey, our dynamic, 12-lesson Bible study course guiding them through what it means to faithfully follow Jesus Christ.”
Samaritan’s Purse is a fundamentalist Christian organisation – anti-abortion, homophobic, Islamophobic. Its main aim is conversion, including Catholics. It is the mirror image of fundamental Islam.
So, if you want to help stoke up religious hatred around the world, then go ahead and fill your shoebox. If you want to help children, then send a donation to Save the Children, Oxfam or Unicef.
MICHAEL GREEN
Bridge Street, Clun