SAN ANGELO—San Angelo children whose parents struggle financially will start the school year with freshly styled hair, thanks to volunteers at the Hope and a Haircut event at Calvary Baptist Church in San Angelo.
Volunteers provided 134 haircuts and shampoos during the Hope and a Haircut event at Calvary Baptist Church in San Angelo. (Photo courtesy of Bobby Roger)In four hours Aug. 5, 10 hair stylists and one barber provided 134 haircuts and shampoos at no cost to the children, senior adults and others who filled the church’s fellowship hall.
Meeting needs and sharing the gospel
About 200 people enjoyed a free lunch together, with chicken sandwiches provided by a local fast-food restaurant and hot dogs prepared by church members. Gideons distributed 169 Bibles, and the church gave away 59 bags of clothing to families in need.
“It was busy, and it was tiring, but it was exciting,” Pastor Bobby Roger said. “People lined up early for the haircuts, and some had to wait quite awhile.”
As they waited, a presentation of the gospel message played in a continuous loop on screens, and volunteers engaged guests in meaningful spiritual conversations. Four people prayed to accept Christ as Lord and Savior, and one family who participated in Hope and a Haircut attended Sunday school at Calvary Baptist the next morning.
Third time Calvary Baptist sponsored the event
It marked the third time Calvary Baptist sponsored a Hope and a Haircut event, Roger noted. Between the three events, about a dozen people have made professions of faith in Christ.
A girl enjoys having her hair cut and shampooed at the Hope and a Haircut back-to-school event at Calvary Baptist Church in San Angelo. (Photo courtesy of Bobby Roger)Roger’s daughter, Stacy McCormick, makes her living as a hair stylist, and she invited her colleagues to volunteer at each of the three events.
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Of the 10 volunteer stylists who worked Aug. 5, three are members of Calvary Baptist, and one of them began attending the church after participating in an earlier Hope and a Haircut event.
One of the previous Hope and a Haircut events centered on providing haircuts for homeless individuals, and the church promoted it through local shelters and benevolence ministries. Volunteers provided more than 150 haircuts at Hope and a Haircut in April, and the local Christian Women’s Job Corps set up a booth to let guests know about the ministry’s job-skills and life-skills programs.
In recent weeks, Calvary Baptist Church served as a site for a summer food service program that offers nutritious meals to children from low-income families when school is not in session. So, the church decided to promote the latest Hope and a Haircut Saturday through the summer lunch program primarily as a back-to-school event, although the volunteers also provided shampoos and haircuts for some adults.
“It was a glorious day,” Roger said.
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