Chaplain’s Corner

Operation Christmas Child

Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act. Proverbs 3:27

Therefore, if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. Philippians 2:1-4

Each year, we have the opportunity and the privilege to partner with Samaritan’s Purse and Operation Christmas Child, to provide a gift to a child who is underprivileged, living in a third world country and in desperate need of love and hope and the good news of Jesus Christ. Oxley has been putting together Christmas Shoe Boxes for over 22 years and was one of the very first schools to take part when the program was first established in Australia. 

Again, this year, your help is needed more than ever. We want boys and girls around the world to know that God loves them and has not forgotten them during this time of fear and uncertainty. Will you help fill a shoe box this year, ready to be sent to children in villages, slums and towns across Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, PNG, Fiji, Vanuatu, and Samoa?

Every child receiving a shoebox will also receive a greatest journey booklet, translated into their language. This helps them to understand the love of Christ, as demonstrated through those who have prepared and shared a box.

Shoeboxes are only the beginning, an entry point into a community. I have seen firsthand, how a shoebox distribution in a community soon turns into water filtration projects, safe migration training, parenting classes, establishment of maternal health centres and the rebuilding and resourcing of schools. Together we are making a quantifiable difference!

Further information on how to pack a shoebox can be found at: 

In 2022 the College, Life Ministry Church and Oxley Kids community collected 956 shoeboxes! In January 2024, we are excited to recommence our Mission Trips to Cambodia, where we will see a team of current Year 11 students assist with the distribution of Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes. Photos below show our 2020 team during their Cambodia visit. 

I hope you will join with us in filling a box or two, sharing care and the love of Jesus Christ in this way. Thank you for partnering with us to help transform lives! 

God bless,

Pastor Matt Daly

College Chaplain