Matthew West is kicking off this holiday season with a mission: to remind others of the true reason for the season wih his "Give This Christmas Away" campaign.
West was inspired by the song "Give This Christmas Away," which he wrote and recorded in conjunction with VeggieTales for its new DVD release, "Saint Nicholas--A Story of Joyful Giving." The campaign calls attention to practical ways we can reach out to those in need around us.
West explains in a press release, "What it means to me to 'give this Christmas away' is to pause long enough to look at the world from a perspective of 'How can I help? How can I give? How can God use me to help meet the needs of somebody else this Christmas instead of just checking off the list of everything I want?'"
In keeping with that sentiment, West, spokesperson for Operation Christmas Child, a division of the international relief organization Samaritan's Purse, is asking fans who attend his fall tour to donate shoe box gifts for children in need this holiday season. The collection will continue on West's "Give This Christmas Away" Christmas tour, kicking off late November.
Furthermore, West offers additional ideas for living out the Christmas spirit via a book release, 101 Ways to Give This Christmas Away, to be published by Tyndale Publishers. The book, along with a Something to Say Christmas Edition featuring the song "Give This Christmas Away" and three new acoustic recordings, will be available in retail stores this month.
Operation Christmas Child is a really fun way to get your entire family involved in sharing hte gospel with a child somewhere in the world. It's easy: you fill a shoebox with toys and other items a child in need might use (the OPC site gives you a list of suggestions). Then you bring the shoebox to a local collection site - this is collection week! - and your box is delivered to a child somewhere around the globe. This year, you can also track your box to find out which country it ends up in.
You can learn more about Matthew West on his website.
You can learn more about Operation Christmas Child on the Samaritan's Purse website.
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