Church Will Collect Shoes On “Barefoot Sunday”

Photo by Francine Fulton
St. James Lutheran Church in Geigertown, led by Pastor Beverly Wenrich (above) will be invited to leave their shoes at the altar during "Barefoot Sunday" on Sunday, June 7. Community members are also invited to participate in the effort by placing shoe donations in a container available outside the church, located at 1337 Geigertown Road.

By Francine Fulton

Congregation members at St. James Lutheran Church in Geigertown will be invited to leave their shoes at the altar during "Barefoot Sunday," which will be observed during the 10:30 a.m. worship service on Sunday, June 7. Donated shoes will be given to Soles4Souls Inc., a nonprofit shoe charity that collects new and gently worn shoes to donate to victims of natural disasters and those living in poverty in the United States and around the world.

Community members are also invited to participate in the effort by placing shoe donations in a container available outside the church, located at 1337 Geigertown Road, just east of Route 82.

"Shoes should be new or gently used, but if they are (in) really bad (condition), (people) can take the soles and still use them," said the Rev. Beverly Wenrich, pastor, noting she read about the effort in a church newsletter. "We like to do things that help other people. It can help us, too, because it cleans out our closet."

Wenrich noted that since the church picnic follows the service on June 7, and for safety reasons, participants will be encouraged to wear sandals or flip-flops after placing their shoes on the altar.

According to www.soles4souls.org, the organization has provided shoes to victims of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita and to the victims of the Asian tsunami. The agency's motto is, "Changing the world one pair at a time."

Pastor Wenrich, who has been at the church for 17 years, said that St. James has a history of helping others in need.

"We are the second-largest contributor to World Hunger in the West Berks Mission District, which consists of 45 congregations in the Reading area. Our donation was over $5,000, and most congregations are much larger than we are," she said.

In the past, the church has donated over 1,000 quilts and health kits to Lutheran World Relief. It also supports missionaries in Germany.

"We might be small, but we are mighty," Wenrich said. "Our mission statement is, 'Large enough to serve the world, small enough to care for you,' and I think we try to follow that statement in our daily lives and ministry.

"The congregation always gets behind projects to reach out and help folks who are in need, including collecting food for dogs and cats after Katrina in addition to the money we raised to help people affected by the storms and the toys we collected for children after Katrina," she added.

The Sunday service at St. James is held at 10:30 a.m. Sunday school for all ages begins at 9:30 a.m. The summer schedule will begin on Sunday, June 14, when the service will be held at 8:30 a.m. (There is no Sunday school during the summer months).

The pastor describes the church as traditional, but contemporary hymns are featured during services.

"During the summer, we do 'Pick a Hymn' so people who come to church can choose what they want to sing," she said.

For more information about St. James or the shoe collection, interested readers may call Ginny at the church office at 610-286-6271 or e-mail stjamesgtown@dejazzd.com .

Elverson-Morgantown-Honey Brook Community Courier - 06/03/2009

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