Pat Ingram said when you hand children a backpack full of Christmas presents, it lets them know they’re loved — and it’s a great open door for the Gospel. Last year, Alabama Baptists packed 15,023 backpacks, which opened just as many doors to share hope with children and their parents.

“It’s a tangible expression of the love of God,” said Pat, who serves as missions and ministry consultant with Alabama WMU and leads the Christmas Backpack project for the Missions Mobilization Team.

Each year, churches and associations across Alabama partner to fill backpacks with toys, hygiene items, art supplies, candy and food, as well as a copy of The Christmas Story. The bags are collected at 13 sites and then brought to the Alabama Baptist Disaster Relief facility in Prattville for sorting.

From there, they go to areas of greatest need — in the Mississippi River Delta, Appalachia and areas served by Alabama Baptist church planters. Funds from the Myers-Mallory State Missions Offering provide for copies of The Christmas Story and identification bands, and also help cover transportation costs.

Pat said the sites reported more than 400 salvations in 2022 and more than 350 in 2023, with reports still coming in.