One year ago, Bea’s Love Closet was little more than a young boy’s dream. Today it is a ministry that seems almost to have taken on a life of its own.
When we started planning this ministry, I thought we would just be providing coats, hats and gloves to members of the community. I was not even sure how we were going to manage more than just a small handful of families. After all, Cascades Wesleyan Church is a small church and many of our members survive on a fixed. I could not imagine where we would get enough coats to help very many people at all.
Of course, I knew that there were people praying for this ministry every step of the way. God would show us what to do and would provide the means to accomplish His plans.
Looking back, I think I am glad I didn’t know just what God had in mind! Honestly if I’d been told that we would help nearly 200 families and that we would provide not only coats, but shoes, complete outfits, and even bedding, I probably would have run away. I did not expect that Bea’s Love closet would grow so big so fast.
We opened for the first time on August 21. It was a modest opening. I believe only 8 families came through that day. We did get a boost in publicity, though, when John Lund from WILX News 10 came out to do a story on what we had put together. Of course I had to let Andru talk to to the reporter, too. After all, this ministry was his idea. The news story was the lead on the 6 o’clock that evening and also aired twice on Sunday and once the following Monday. That exposure allowed us to reach more people throughout Jackson County than we that we would reach. The need for help was so great that we had to add a second date just to help kids going back to school enough clothing to start the new year.
The clothing that we have had to give away has been very high quality. And it has all come from donations. We received a large donation from GG’s Walkers, a team that takes part in the Jackson Relay for Life every year. These ladies held a yard sale and donate all unsold clothing and shoes to Bea’s Love Closet. We also received the unsold clothing from the annual Hillsdale College rummage sale.
By far, the biggest donation we received came from The Hodge Podge Shop in downtown Jackson. This resale shop specializes in brand name women’s clothing. We have received donations from them twice. And not just a few pieces, either. Each time they made a donation, they gave us enough clothing to fill the bed of a full-size pickup. Every time I opened a bag from them I found myself near tears. There were clothes from petites to plus sizes, all in great shape, some with the original store tags on them. I felt like we had been given a huge blessing.
The generosity of people in the Jackson community has allowed us to help, as I said, nearly 200 families in just five months. Not only that, but we have been able to help two families who lost their homes and all they had in house fires.
Each time we are open, people thank us for the clothing and tell us what a blessing Bea’s Love Closet has been to their families. The truth is, seeing the smiles and gratitude on each face is a blessing to me. I feel honored that God has allowed me to be a part of this.
I can hardly wait to see what He has in store for this ministry in 2011.
