LifeWay 'LifeBoxes' give spiritual encouragement to troops
by Allie Martin
February 12, 2007
(OneNewsNow.com) - - Late last year, LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) kicked off the "LifeBox" Project, a campaign designed to supply U.S. soldiers with Christian literature and spiritual encouragement. And as the project continues in 2007, LifeWay reports that it is gaining momentum. Through the program, Southern Baptist congregations and other churches gather "care package" sundries and essentials such as socks, chewing gum, candy, stationery supplies, and other items and place them in a "LifeBox," which the church volunteers then send to soldiers in the Middle East.
Rhonda Buescher, director of LifeWay's magazine advertising and circulation, says military personnel need spiritual encouragement, and Christian literature plays an important part. "About a year and a half ago," she recalls, "a captain from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, contacted the president of LifeWay and asked how could his unit in Iraq receive LifeWay magazine.
"Many types of magazines are currently available to deployed personnel," Buescher notes. "But this captain and some of his colleagues are accustomed to receiving the LifeWay magazines in their church, and they like the biblical worldview presented in the content," she says.
The LifeBoxes Project is important, the LifeWay official observes, because the it gives Christians around the United States a chance to impact an American soldier's life. Many Christian groups are getting involved, she points out, noting that some 150 associations made up of approximately 4,500 churches have already committed to the project.
"We predict that between 35,000 and 50,000 boxes will be shipped by Easter," Buescher adds. "One church in North Carolina has let us know they will be shipping 300 boxes, just from one church," she says.
"If just one person's life is touched positively for the kingdom," Buescher adds, "then we know that this project has been a success."
