Just about the time Christmas lights start to go up around Historic Brookhaven, members of the Brookhaven Bible Study meet for their annual Christmas box packing. Each year, the group purchases toys (soccer balls with pumps, baby dolls, jump ropes, and stuffed animals, for example), school supplies, and hygiene items and packs them in a shoebox for the Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child project. This year, the Bible study packed 58 boxes and collected extra funds to have Samaritan's Purse fill and ship an additional 12 boxes. After the packing party, the women gather for wine and appetizers.

Packed boxes are delivered to local collection centers and ultimately shipped to children in over 100 countries around the world. As well as providing toys and necessary items to needy children, Operation Christmas Child spreads the word of Christ.

The Christmas box project is only one of the Brookhaven Bible Study's several community service projects. In the past 12 months, the group has prepared and served dinner to the youth at Covenant House, collected coats and baby items for refugees in Clarkston, delivered cards and Easter gifts to residents of a nearby skilled nursing facility, helped to stock the Atlanta Mission's Welcome Home Closet and more.

If you are interested in joining the Bible study, which meets each Thursday at 8 a.m., contact Suzy Brister at suzbrister@aol.com.