Church shoe collection has one week to meet goal

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - This week is the final week in Pathway Community Church’s first ever shoe collection. The church is hoping to collect 2,500 pairs of shoes by next Sunday for orphans in Fort Wayne and beyond.

The project is a branch off of True Vine, a ministry focused on orphan care.

Church members came up with the idea to collect 2,500 pairs of shoes to cover a 5,000 foot wall.

The church has collected about 1,000 pairs over the past few months and Pastor Ron Williams said he believes the church will meet their 2,500 goal.

“Meijer stepped up to the table and assisted at the beginning providing us with shoes at a reduced cost and then from there we’ve really depended on the people of Pathway to make it their project,” said Williams. “We want to let our people get their hearts and hands around the needs of orphans around the world.”

Around 400 pairs of shoes will stay in Fort Wayne and the rest will be sent to a Texas organization called Shoes for Orphan Souls.

They will in turn send the shoes to places around the world.

“This is a bigger deal for us than just shoes. As our body begins to understand the needs of the orphans and widows we can express the love of Christ to them and tell them that we do help and we do want to make a difference in their lives,” Williams said.

Charis House , Ave Maria House , YWCA Northeast Indiana and Love Church have also helped on the project.

For more information visit Pathway Community Church’s website or call the church office at (260) 469-4444.