The story of Jesus and the Roman Centurion, found in the eighth chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, is among my favorite to share with the children.

Jesus heals the soldier’s servant.

We don’t know the name of the servant. We don’t know his location. We don’t know his nationality, his faith background, what language he speaks. We don’t know anything about his circumstances. But the Centurion asks Jesus to bless his ailing servant. He trusts Jesus, and Jesus responds.

“I can’t help him, Lord. But I know you can.”

Matthew tells us that Jesus “was amazed,” and you can feel his joy and his energy rise in the passage.

“Let it be done just as you believed,” Jesus said.

Don’t you hear the story of the Centurion echoing in our Operation Christmas Child campaign?

As we gather gifts, we don’t know the names of the children who will receive them. We don’t know their location. We don’t know their nationality, their faith background, or the language they speak. We don’t know anything about their circumstances. But we trust Jesus.

We can’t help them, Lord. But we know you can.

The Sewickley UMC family, led by the Fellowship of the Cross, has trusted God with more than 1,100 shoeboxes in the past 11 years. We have packed 100 or more boxes in each of the past 10 years. In addition to the Dominican Republic and Honduras, our boxes have reached children in Ecuador, Columbia, the Bahamas and multiple nations in Africa. Twice, our boxes have reached children in Ukraine.

August is traditionally a month shaped by your contributions of school supplies. Our greatest needs this year include pens, pencils, pencil sharpeners, scissors, rulers (with a metric edge), and glue sticks. We always welcome crayons, markers, colored pencils, notebooks, erasers, and paper.

The Fellowship of the Cross will also be accepting donations such as combs and brushes, small toys, balls, stuffed animals, jewelry, hair accessories, socks and t-shirts, ball caps, and water bottles. We can accept very “gently-used” gifts. We cannot accept toothpaste, bar soap, liquids of any kind, war-themed gifts, or candy.

A collection box for OCC sits outside the church office, and we can accept financial gifts through church-giving windows throughout the year, which helps cover the $10 per box processing and shipping cost.

FOTC is immensely thankful to everyone who left something beneath the trees in the sanctuary during our Christmas in July services, and we’re thankful for everyone who has contributed gifts and empty shoeboxes through spring into summer. We are thankful for Kara, Elliett, and Evarett as they continue to take our shoeboxes and gift wrap them through the summer.

We are thankful for everyone who, in faith, contributes to our OCC campaign. We are encouraged as we hear each of you whisper, “I can’t help them, Lord. But I know you can.” We know He is amazed by all of you.