2009 "Shoe Me" Church Success Stories
Kristin Catapano of The Orchard EFC (Arlington Heights, IL) loved the "Shoe Me" VBS project because she felt it was a missions project the children could relate to. When kids at their VBS program were shown pictures of children in another country who didn’t have shoes but had to walk everywhere, they were excited to help however they could. Two kids held a lemonade stand to raise money for the shoes, and when they brought the money in, they told other friends. That afternoon lemonade stands popped up all over the community! Over the course of the week, they raised more than $1100, providing 110 pairs of shoes for children in Congo.
"[On the first night of VBS], I dressed for cold weather (as if it’s always winter in Iowa) and was elated to have the kids inform me that it was summer; I could take all my layers off and kick off my boots. I was excited about going barefoot again!" shares Joy Leister of First EFC (Ames, IA) "[Then] I had our projectionist show pictures of orphans who always go barefoot by necessity and explained why it wasn’t always so fun for them." Joy encouraged the children to bring money the next day to help buy shoes for these orphans, telling them that $10 would buy a good pair.
The following day, a big shoebox sat near the door with a slot in the top where children could deposit money they’d collected. "Many children emptied their banks and brought in bags of change!" she said. "Using a few, graphic pictures of calloused, bare feet and worn out shoes seemed to move the kids toward compassion." Each day they would count the money collected and read the grand total, and they would pile empty shoeboxes into a tower to show just how many pairs of shoes they’d supplied. By the last night of VBS the shoebox tower was huge, and "everyone clapped and cheered when the total of $1,573.85 was announced."
Susan Dziurawiec’s church, First EFC (Sioux City, IA) decorated the walls with sandals for their VBS week and used different experiences to help students understand what it would be like to walk over rocky ground without any shoes. They also had a contest between the boys and girls to see who would raise the most money, and the winning team got to choose what ministry would receive the shoes on the walls. Altogether, they raised over $800. "Personally, my favorite part is the love and excitement that the kids have for children around the world," said Susan. "The more they are educated… the more they want to help. Their love for Jesus overflows into their love for their peers, regardless of where they are living in the world. Knowing that they are making a difference right where they are means a great deal to these kids, and sharing the love of Jesus all around the world is something they do not forget."
Do you have a success story? We’d love to hear about it!
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