Ministers to go barefoot on Easter to help the shoeless

By Shelia M. Poole

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Easter Sunday will also be known as "Barefoot Sunday" as nearly 100 Atlanta-area ministers preach barefoot to  dramatize the plight of poor children who go without shoes. The ministers also will honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who was assassinated 42 years ago on April 4, which falls this year on Easter.

The project is an initiative of North Carolina-based Samaritan's Feet and involves faith leaders from around the nation.

Pastors will ask members to donate $10 to buy, ship and distribute shoes to needy children. The goal is to put shoes on a million children, including many in metro Atlanta, organizers say.

Martin Luther King III and the Rev. Bernice King, two of King's children,  joined religious leaders at Ebenezer Baptist Church for a press  conference  announcing the national launch of  "Barefoot Sunday."

The Rev. Raphael G. Warnock, senior pastor of Ebenezer, said the recent earthquake in Haiti is a reminder of "how poor the poor can be." He said the Easter service can serve as a chance for charitable giving as well as an opportunity to reflect on a "system that has robbed the poor of their shoes."

Bishop James Dixon, of Houston and a member of the board of  Samaritan's Feet,  said millions of children from around the world go without shoes. Mothers, he said, are making decisions whether they want to pay for "the school bill or pay the light bill or pay for shoes for their children."