Christmas backpack ministry brings gospel, toys to children
By David Dawson
Baptist and Reflector
ddawson@tnbaptist.org
FRANKLIN — This Christmas, hundreds of underprivileged children in Tennessee will be receiving Barbie dolls and board games, matchbox cars and model planes.
More importantly, they will be receiving hope through the good news of Jesus.
All across the state, Tennessee Baptists are participating in “Christmas Backpacks for Children and Teens” — a ministry that originally started in 2001 with a group of GAs (Girls in Action) in Georgia. The ministry, which has grown dramatically since its inception, provides children with brand-new backpacks, filled with toys, card games, hygiene products and more.
The backpacks also include Bibles and other age-appropriate Christian books, and the gospel is shared with each child who receives the backpack. Since the beginning of the ministry, more than 3,000 professions of faith have been made in Tennessee.
Although many churches in Tennessee are involved with the ministry, the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board is encouraging more churches to participate in order to ensure that the ministry expands this year and more children are reached.
Tennessee WMU is helping promote the ministry with funds from the Golden Offering for Tennessee Missions.
More information about the Christmas Backpacks can be found at the TBMB website at www.tnbaptist.org/backpacks.
Also, see this issue for a column by Joe Sorah, compassion mission specialist for the TBMB, about the ministry.
