Christmas gifts and prayers under every chair

How many disciples does it take to advance massive progress for the kingdom of Christ?  

The answer is easy for East Balsam Baptist Church in Balsam Lake, Wisconsin.  

On a recent Sunday, as they came into worship, they saw a red and green shoebox under every chair. Each believer prayed that day for the child receiving the Operation Christmas Child shoebox under their chair. 

“In your imagination, you’re thinking of the specific child who’s going to receive this specific shoebox, and you’re praying for that box and that child,” pastor Jonathon Enger said. “It really makes it personal.” 

The Converge Great Lakes church filled 988 boxes and contributed nearly $10,000 in shipping and handling fees. That’s a tremendous accomplishment from 120 believers with a global vision pursued by dedicated leaders and servants. 

Cheryl Volgren has long championed Operation Christmas Child for the church, but the congregation is united in the mission. The youth group unfolded and assembled the boxes, the quilting club inserted sewing kits to help families and the children’s church included messages and pictures from boys and girls.  

A few weeks later, dozens of people from the church gathered to fill the boxes and prepare them for shipping. Many generously contributed money toward the substantial cost of shipping and handling. 

“The whole church comes around and makes it happen,” Enger said. “It’s a vessel to deliver the gospel all over the world. I’ve heard all these stories of how a child will receive Christ and then, through that child, the whole family ends up receiving Christ.” 

That kind of church makes it easy to see God’s mighty acts happen, no matter how many disciples there are. 

Converge Great Lakes is a movement of churches in Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula working to help people meet, know and follow Jesus. They do this by starting and strengthening churches together worldwide. Converge Great Lakes has helped churches bring life change to communities in the U.S. and around the world through church planting and multiplication, leadership training and global missions.