First Blessing helps kids find the perfect fit

September 25, 2022September 24, 2022 Tex Appeal staff

By Amy Rognlie | Photos courtesy of Glenn Lackey

Children trade worn-out shoes like these for a perfect fit.

Glenn Lackey’s 25-year career in the shoe business made him acutely aware of just how many children in the Temple area lacked properly fitting shoes. This, combined with his wife Deborah’s experience as a television advertising executive and marketing skills and with much prayer, the First Blessing Ministry was born at First Baptist Church in Temple in 2014.

The idea was straightforward: First Blessing would work with local schools to identify local families in need of well-fitting shoes. Then the church would host an event where church members could share a meal with those families and each child would leave with a pair of new shoes, socks and a Bible.

Not only would this event meet a very real need in the community, but it would also provide opportunities for members of First Baptist Church to engage in meaningful conversations with families that they might not encounter otherwise.

The inaugural First Blessing event at FBC Temple in 2014 reached 300 children and parents. In 2021, First Blessing partnered with 43 congregations across Texas to serve more than 6,000 children and saw over 200 people give their life to Christ during First Blessing events. 2022 is shaping up to be their biggest year yet.

Volunteers help a boy find a new pair of shoes at a First Blessing event.

“This is my way of worshiping God…by serving my community in this capacity,” Lackey said. “Our ministry is based on Matthew 25, where Jesus commands His followers to minister to those in need. To my knowledge, there is not another ministry doing the exact same thing we do.”

Feedback from local teachers and counselors has been overwhelmingly positive.

“Some students don’t get to participate in the required physical activities if they don’t have the proper shoes,” said Gill Hollie, coordinator of Community Connections at Temple Independent School District. “If the students can’t participate, they will receive a failing grade. By having First Blessing in the schools, kids can get a new pair of shoes free of charge and the impact of that is huge.”

For children especially, not having basic needs met is often a barrier to being able to focus on their education.

A hungry child is not going to be concerned about learning material for a quiz but rather where or when their next meal will be. Likewise, a child in pain because his shoes have long been outgrown or have been worn threadbare will be distracted from learning.

“First Blessing can’t remove all barriers to learning, but we can remove one,” Lackey said.

First Blessing’s events are unique in that they are intentionally structured so that parents and children interact with at least seven different church members during the event.

“That’s at least seven different opportunities for parents and their families to connect and have meaningful conversations with someone in their community,” Lackey said.

During the event, the families are also served a sit-down meal prepared by the volunteers. It is a treat for single parents with young children to be able to relax and enjoy being served.

But by far, the most unique aspect of a First Blessing event is that the children get a real shoe-shopping experience. Organizers set up a mini shoe store and provide a variety of sizes and styles for children to choose from. Volunteers are on hand to help them decide by making suggestions based on favorite colors, styles or even characters (for the little ones). Then they help the children verify their choices fit properly.

Every First Blessing event also includes a hot meal for families and church volunteers to share before children get new shoes and socks to take home.

“One parent could not stop complimenting me on how awesome this event was,” said Les Williams, pastor of Sunset Community Church in Killeen. “They thought they were going to stand in a line and be given a pair of shoes. Instead, they were seated and served a meal. His kids felt valued as they tried on the socks and got fitted for shoes and then his kids got to pick out the shoes of their choice.”

The ultimate goal of First Blessing is to provide an opportunity for an entire church body to come together in an act of service to reach people in their immediate area of influence that are not connected to a church or who may have never even heard the gospel. Host churches recruit volunteers from their congregation, which not makes First Blessing events possible but also brings the church body together for a common purpose and creates stronger relationships among the membership.

First Blessing is also focused on the creation of relationships and partnerships that extend beyond the church walls and into the community, creating the potential to collaborate on other projects. Recently, Lackey and his team joined with other ministries and programs to provide material and spiritual resources in Bell County and beyond, including an orphanage in North Texas and a ministry to immigrant children in Houston.