Sean Lynch is the Director of Children’s Ministry at First Presbyterian Church of San Diego.
When I told him about One Day Without Shoes, he thought it would be an awesome opportunity for some of his Youth Group members to experience what it would be like to have to walk around bare foot.
This is what they did.
The students (middle schoolers) walked from downtown San Diego to Balboa Park.
They were given two questions to consider:
1. What could you not go without for one month?
2. What is the least amount of clothes and shoes you could be content with?
Their answers for the first question included cell phones, iPods, spring break, clothes, and TV (definitely relatable to most Americans). The responses to the second question ranged from one sweatshirt to 10 pairs of underwear and 2 pairs of shoes. Sean transitioned into a discussion that 4 billion people in the world live at a level where they can only dream of having a life we experience on a daily basis.
Next they ran a relay race where they had to run on grass, then stairs of cement, then finally dirt with sharp rocks.
They all agreed they would most want to walk on grass and cement. They were asked how much is the average amount of distance they travel each day and all realized they wouldn’t be able to travel that walking like many do; and realised even more they wouldn’t be able to go a fraction of that on the dirt raods with rocks that many who are too poor to buy shoes are forced to live. They said the dirt hurt their feet and then we talked about how people without shoes are much more limited to where they can walk and more succeptible to foot injuries and infections.
They were then asked if they ever had to sit out of a sports game or perfromance becasue of forgetting their uniform. The majority said yes and seemed to resonate with the idea of being excluded from a game. They were asked how not having shoes could affect education and they came up with folowing answers.
1. People who lived too far from school couldn’t walk if they didnt have shoes
2. It wouldn’t comply with dress policy to not have shoes and they couldn’t go shoe less in school
3. Injuries to feet or feet being cold would distract from learning
4. Shame of being poor and shoeless as well as teasing and bullying due to shoelessness could distract from learning.
Sean presented the TOMS concept in a way by explaining that as Christians we can love God by loving others.
He used the Bible verse 1 John 3:16 – 17 – “We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? “
Finally, Sean talked with the students about how this would be an excellent opportunity to purchase a cool, hip, fashionable or, as some might even say “steezy”, pair of shoes and also love others the way God wants us to love them.
Sean sent some photos of the students having some fun together on their barefoot walk 
