By JEREMY WELDON

Members of Batesville Presbyterian Church will present a community con- cert Sunday afternoon in the church sanctuary. The special presentation begins the congregation’s annual drive to support Operation Christmas Child, a world- wide ministry now in its 25th year of reaching needy chil- dren in foreign nations.

Following the concert a soup and salad fellowship will be open in the church’s Rec Room. Pastor Jerry Long has invited everyone to attend and make a donation for the

Christmas ministry.

A part of Rev. Franklin Graham’s Samaritan Purse International Ministry, the program has delivered more than 157 million shoe boxes of to children living in third world countries, and also to Native American children on reservations in the United States.

Born from a burden to provide Christmas presents for the thousands of chil- dren subjected to genocide and war in Bosnia in 1993, Operation Christmas Child (OCC) has grown from 11,000

boxes one year, to millions of boxes each year to children in 160 countries.

OCC’s national week of collection is Nov. 12-19 and anyone wanting to make a financial contribution or donate items for shoe boxes should contact Long, or the church, soon.

The Batesville Presbyterians have set a high goal for their fifth year as part of OCC, hoping to gather enough goods to fill 500 shoe boxes, and enough money to cover shipping and expense at $9 per box.

The local church prepared and sent 17 shoe boxes five years ago, and Long said he is encouraged that members are now working to send so many more.

Organizers say the best items to donate are small toys, small stuffed animals, wash clothes, soaps, pens, pencils, workbooks, crayons, soft balls, and similar items.

Donation suggestions are on the ministry’s website at www.samaritanspurse.org along with a list of items that can’t be included in the boxes. Toothpaste and candy, for example, have recently been banned in some countries, and are no longer accepted.