Church Briefs

Churches open food pantry

A new food pantry in Vandalia, operated by an offshoot organization of the Vandalia Ministerial Alliance, opened last week.
Named the 6:35 Pantry, the operation will be run by the Vandalia Association of Churches, an affiliation of pastors that was formed as a 501c3 non-profit organization. It will be located at 214 N. Elm St., just south of Randolph Street.
To begin with, the pantry will be open Thursday evenings from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Participating families may receive food once per month. Donations of non-perishable food items are being sought.
For more information, go to 6:35 Pantry on Facebook, or email [email protected].

Operation Christmas Child

First United Methodist Church, 127 N. Fourth St. in Vandalia, will once again serve as the area’s collection site for a global Christmas project.
Known as Operation Christmas Child, the organization prepares shoeboxes filled with toys, school supplies, hygiene items and notes of encouragement for needy children throughout the world.
This year, the Vandalia site is attempting to collect 1,926 boxes, according to local project coordinator Jill Zimmer.
The collection site will be open Nov. 18-25. Hours are: Monday, Nov. 18, 3-5 p.m.; Tuesday, Nov. 19, 5-7 p.m.; Wednesday, Nov. 20, 3-5 p.m.; Thursday, Nov. 21, 5-7 p.m.; Friday, Nov. 22, 5-7 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 23, 10 a.m. to noon; Sunday, Nov. 24, noon to 2 p.m.; and Monday, Nov. 25, 8-9 a.m.
The project is overseen by Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian relief and evangelism organization, headquartered in Boone, N.C. The head of Samaritan’s Purse is Franklin Graham, the son of Billy Graham. For information, call 800-567-8580 or visit www.samaritanspurse.org.
For information, call the First United Methodist Church at 283-3684.