Spa for the Homeless

This photo below shows Father Bob Book working on David Lindsay's toe nails at the Common Ground Church in Atlanta. Once a week Book and other volunteers wash and scrub the feet of the city's homeless. Here are a few excerpts from the USA Today article that reports on the story:

Every Monday afternoon for the last year, the Rev. Bob Book and his wife, Holly, have transformed the Church of the Common Ground into a spa for the homeless. They scrub the feet of the city's forgotten, mirroring the act of Jesus washing his disciples' feet.
...
Book says the ritual is patterned after services practiced by many Christian congregations leading up to Easter. He takes it further with about 35 homeless men and women each week: Five at a time, they get a soak, pumice, nail trim, massage and a fresh pair of socks. Volunteers wearing gloves provide apricot scrub, ointments, air freshener for shoes, nail polish and even insoles.

The church doesn't tackle medical issues; Book tells people with serious foot conditions to come back when there's a doctor volunteering time at the church.

"The worst ongoing thing is the fungus that goes on with people's feet. It eats away and destroys the toenails and just makes it very hard for people to walk," says Book, who once saw a black man whose feet were white from days in soggy shoes.
Sometimes I read something like this that really inspires me. I am so thankful for folks like Bob Book who have a heart for the homeless and are showing the love of God to those who society has discarded.

5 comments:

  1. There is a group at our former church in San Francisco that do this same thing once a month at the local soup kitchen Gospel Mission. Its an awesome ministry. Though I never did that I always donated fresh washcloths and towels for their use.
    I am so grateful for people like this.

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  2. That is a cool way to minister to the homeless in such a practical way.

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  3. Bob, this so touches my heart too. Praise God for modern day Mother Teresa's!!

    We are going to see a movie at our Thursday night Bible Study called "Father Damiam"... a priest that worked for years with the lepers and finally became one himself and continued to work until his death.

    Oh that God would touch our hearts, so we too might reach out beyond our confort zone!

    Thanks Bob... you are an inspiration too.

    LOL:Wanda

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  4. Wait a minute ... don't we have any government programs to do this? I help the poor by paying taxes, it's the government's responsibility from there.

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  5. Don't think I'd want any of those govt workers touching my toes Ken :)

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