How about doing something different at Christmas this year? I know this seems early but for this ministry project advance planning is necessary. Read on!

Mississippi River Ministry celebrates its 25^th birthday this year and wants to provide more Christmas backpacks for children than it ever has before. You can help celebrate by being involved in the SEND Relief Christmas Backpack effort. The River Ministry and Appalachian Regional Ministry work with over 450 compassion ministry sites and church plants across 18 states to deliver backpacks filled with necessities, gifts, and goodies at Christmas time. Included in every backpack will be a copy of the Christmas story and the opportunity to join the Mailbox Club (an age-appropriate Bible study by mail).

This year’s collection goal is 65,000 backpacks. The backpacks must be delivered to a collection site no later than December 8. Kentucky WMU is participating in providing backpacks for Appalachia so you could deliver your backpacks at Kentucky’s different associations. The list is online at: www.kybaptist.org/Backpacks  If Louisville is the closest location for you here is the address: Louisville Regional Baptist Association, 960 S. Third Street, Suite 100, 502.645.0357. The backpacks need to be at a collection site October 16-20, 2017. Instructions for packing are online, including the Christmas story and Mail Box card downloads.

Packing information is available online. Go to www.kybaptist.org/backpacks for local information or to www.NAMB.net/Backpacks for details about mailing to the Mississippi River Ministry sites.

Why get involved in something so far away? Poverty threatens 17.3 million children in the U.S. You can help! One little girl last year was grateful for the toys and other stuff, “but she really liked the food best of all, because that’s all she had for Christmas.”  (Missions Mosaic magazine, July 2017, p. 11)