When members of the Church for the Beach made their Christmas wish lists, they bypassed Santa and went straight to God.

They prayed traditionally for souls — and soles, so that barefoot residents in Guatemala would have new shoes for the holidays.

The fledgling church, whose members meet in the back of Doubles Beachside, an Indian Harbor Beach restaurant, has partnered with two Jacksonville ministries for about 10 months to collect and deliver thousands of shoes to the residents of Guatemala through Save Your Soles, the brainchild of a former Brevard County resident.

Anthony Widener, a 1997 Palm Bay High School graduate, attends Journey Church in Jacksonville, and was touched when he saw videos of shoeless children in Guatemala. Widener, who now heads up Converge on Campus ministry at the University of North Florida, is a friend of Church for the Beach member Ed Fleming, who heard about the soles project and approached Pastor Jim Caple to get involved locally.

“As the missionaries from Jacksonville initially went to Guatemala, they noticed that none of the children had shoes, so they came back with the need and began meeting it through donations from Journey Church,” Caple said. “Upon distributing the shoes, they realized the children had no socks. As they have continued meeting the needs of the children, they desire to expand the effort towards adults as well. We are happy to be a part of this.”

Widener said he is thankful for the part that the beach church is playing in the collection of shoes and socks.

“In mid-December, my wife and I took 13 college students to Guatemala,” Widener said. “Once again, we forgo a luggage bag and replace it with a 20-gallon bin filled with shoes. Excitement fills my heart, knowing we have an opportunity to love our neighbors as ourselves.”