Ministry News

Pastors Go Barefoot for Easter

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Published on Tuesday, 23 March 2010 09:53

Written by Marcus Yoars

On April 4, Easter morning, while many church members are dressing up in their Sunday best, nearly 5,000 pastors from different denominations across the country will be attending church shoeless to raise awareness for impoverished children without shoes.

The movement, called “Barefoot Sunday,” is being led by Samaritan’s Feet, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing shoes for the nearly 300 million children across the world who wake up every day without anything to wear on their feet. The pastors will ask their congregants to donate $10 each, which pays for a pair of shoes, with the goal of raising $1 million.

Among those participating in Barefoot Sunday are Martin Luther King III and Bernice King, who have partnered with Samaritan’s Feet in honor of the 42nd anniversary of their father’s assassination, which coincides with Easter on April 4. Many of the shoes raised by Barefoot Sunday will be distributed to 50 cities around the country on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 2011.

“We are partnering with Samaritan’s Feet because they serve the poor and demonstrate compassionate acts of service by washing the feet of shoe recipients,” said Martin Luther King III. “My father stood for the impoverished and Samaritan’s Feet embodies that every day. This fits the model that my father stood for and we are honored to continue his legacy.”  [samaritansfeet.org, 3/16/10]