August 2017
By Diane Strzelecki
On shoe distribution day at Friends in Christ Lutheran Church, Morris, Illinois, a 7-year-old girl is admiring the sneakers she’s just put on her feet. The volunteer working with her asks how they feel, and the little girl smiles but then hesitates, looking up at the volunteer with wide eyes and a dubious expression.
“Are these my shoes? I can keep these?” she asks. When the volunteer tells her yes, the shoes are hers to keep, she jumps up from the chair and exclaims, “I’ve never had new shoes before!” Pretty soon she is running around the church, shouting “They’re new, they’re mine, they make me run faster!”
Vicki Kahn, who heads up the church’s Keep Your Kids in Shoes (KYKS) ministry, can share many stories like these. Since August 2011, KYKS has given out 2,576 pairs of brand-new, name-brand shoes to children in their community.
Families preregister (noting their children’s expected shoe sizes) and prequalify through We Care of Grundy County. Fittings take place in early August and then the shopping so the children can be ready for a new school year.
Way to Serve Community Children
“A group of folks at church wanted to do something for kids in the area, maybe give them something they could go back to school with,” Kahn remembers. “Someone with one of the agencies in town said ‘kids always need shoes.’ And that’s how it got started.”
KYKS is supported primarily by the congregation, notes Rev. Mark Willig, pastor at Friends in Christ since 2013. He estimates the congregation’s annual outlay to be approximately $8,000. “It’s a huge commitment,” he says. And no small feat either: Friends of Christ is a small church (less than 230 members) in a small town (population 13,636 by the 2010 Census).
By a Small, but Growing Church
Despite these numbers, Friends in Christ is growing. Wittig says that since September 2015, the church has welcomed at least one new member each month. And Wittig feels that KYKS has a lot to do with it.
“We have had a baptism, two confirmations (mother and daughter) and a very mission-focused family join our congregation as a result of this ministry,” he says. “We’ve also had others who’ve seen the work of our church and our caring, say what a friendly group we are, and start coming to worship.”
‘We Do Feet’ Helps Spread the Word
As the lead shopper for KYKS, Kahn scours sales, uses coupons and department store cash, and accepts donations from outside sources. In the past, KYKS received donations ranging from 100 pairs of shoes from a Lutheran church to a check for $100 from a woman in the community who wanted to support KYKS’s work.
Aside from the occasional mention in the church newsletter—and members marching in the annual Morris Cornfest parade sporting KYKS T-shirts with “We Do Feet” across the back—news of their ministry spreads mostly through word of mouth.
For Kahn, the best part is shoe distribution day. “The whole congregation shows up to help—little kids all the way up to the seasoned adults,” she says. “And we’ve all gotten to know each other better through this ministry. Sometimes I think we have gotten the most blessing out of giving the shoes away.”
And They Do More Than Feet
KYKS isn’t the only way Friends in Christ cares for its community. Members collect food for the community food pantry as well as their congregational food pantry, a strong youth group provides energy and sends young representatives to national conferences to learn and grow, and Willig and his wife Paula are active in ministry to the deaf and welcome members of the deaf community to worship.
“Through our regular activities we find connections, and we are blessed by members of the congregation who show genuine love and a desire to have people be part of our fellowship,” Willig says. “And it works.”
Kahn tells another story of a father of seven children who comes to shoe distribution day every year. “He always stays and thanks us with tears in his eyes, telling us that with these shoes he can put food on the table that night for his family,” she says. “It breaks my heart, but I’m so glad we can make going back to school easier for them.”