It is called P.A.C.K. (Planned Acts of Christian Kindness) Outreach. A free (no donations) program from Acts 1:8 Ministry. PACK is at work in 115 countries and we have been doing monthly events in busy public places for over 22 years. One of our events has grown rapidly over the years and that is our backpack/supplies giveaway.
The reason this has happened is because like every PACK event, Jesus gets all the credit & glory. In this case each backpack contains a New Testament Bible; A Prayer Letter, and our Connect Card, sending a clear message that this is Jesus reaching out to them and He desires a closer relationship with them. Our church/school invite is just that, a suggestion where they can experience & learn more about Jesus. The emphasis must always be on the recipients going to a church of their choosing to continue their journey with the Lord, because that is the true mission to what we have been called.
Our free PACK program is all about making it easy for Christians to do this type of outreach and to provide you the tools to be able to touch more lives for Jesus more effectively and efficiently. This is a link to the website where we purchase decent backpacks for under $3 each. https://rb.gy/8v2hf. Evangelism purchases the backpacks and then challenges our congregation to take one or as many as the Spirit moves them and fill them with the list of supplies we provide, (abbreviated list of just the key items, about $20-$25 worth). They are to return the filled backpacks by a specific date in time to add the Bibles and have them ready to go for our Neighborfest (Everything Free) festival in mid-August. For years we handed them out at a busy grocery store near our church, which is always a great option. By promoting this event ahead of time you will possibly create a long line waiting for the start of your giveaway. These may be families with more physical needs, but remember PACK is not mainly about meeting people's needs as it is the ease & effectiveness of reaching ALL people for Jesus. We do not judge the depth of anyone's "need", we are there to introduce them to Jesus, so we are to love on all people. We do promote to please bring your children if at all possible as this provides that opportunity to love on them directly, otherwise we have to limit the number of backpacks to any one person, no matter how many children they may have at home. This event gets many volunteers involved in sharing Christ's love, along with an invitation. Opportunities to put to good use the combined time, talents & treasures of the many at your church! God bless your PACK Outreach efforts. Just go to www.acts18.org for the free PACK program download.
