The Church charity for this year is an international one - Samaritan's Purse, the overarching body for Operation Christmas Child. The Mission Statement for the charity explains what the charity does and the ethos behind its work:

“Meeting critical needs of victims of war, poverty, famine, disease, and natural disaster while sharing the good news of Jesus Chris, Samaritan's Purse is committed to meeting the needs of under-privileged people through the delivery of practical every day items and necessities. Through Samaritan's Purse, we help people throughout the year by providing practical gifts during times of war, disaster, famine, disease and extreme poverty. You and your family, church, school or organisation have the opportunity to reach out and share God's love with needy people in desperate situations around the world. Practical gifts are distributed to people regardless of their nationality, political or religious background.”

In order to achieve this mission and purpose, the programme work is split into three areas:

Emergency Relief	Development Prog.	Church & Community Support Programmes
Sending workers to disaster areas	Water programmes	Operation Christmas Child
Food distribution	HIV / AIDS programmes	Teams
Shelter	Child & Family support	Gifts in kind
Distribution of non-food items	Agricultural projects	Prison Ministry
Water & Sanitation	Training & capacity development