Rick Patrick
rick@greenepublishing.com
During the opening meeting of the 2026-2027 season, the 55-Plus Club heard an inspirational message from Mark Nelson, Regional Director for Samaritan’s Purse. Nelson spoke about the many ministries undertaken by Samaritan’s Purse, with the most popular being their annual Operation Christmas Child (OCC). This is a program where donors fill special shoeboxes with gift items that will go to children around the world, many of whom will likely not receive any form of present, except for the shoebox. Since the OCC program began, over 260 million shoeboxes have been collected. Last year alone, 13.1 million shoeboxes went to children around the world. Anyone interested in donating a shoebox may do so between Monday, Nov. 16 through Monday, Nov. 23. Shoeboxes may be dropped off at the Madison Church of God, located at 771 NE Colin Kelly Hwy., in Madison. Drop off times are yet to be determined.
Other ministries carried out by Samaritan’s Purse include field hospitals in disaster striken areas around the world. Nelson stated there are a number of community field hospitals being set up in church parking lots around the U.S., in rural areas where healthcare is difficult to access. One of the newest programs under the Samaritan’s Purse umbrella is “Operation Heal our Patriots.” Begun in 2010, this program is focused on helping to strengthen marriages among military families. For more information about Samaritan’s Purse, including how you can help with a donation, please visit www.samaritanspurse.org.
The 55 Plus Club meets on the second Wednesday of each month, from September through March, at the Methodist Center, located approximately five miles north of Madison, on Highway 145 (Colin Kelly Hwy.). The luncheon meetings are free of charge and open to any Madison County resident, 55 years of age or older. The luncheon begins at noon, followed by a different program each month.
For more information about the 55 Plus Club, or any other outreach ministry of the Methodist Cooperative Ministries, please contact Deborah Brown at (850) 253-2133.