For 10 years Roby Baptist Church has been meeting its small community’s clothing needs through its Helping Hands ministry, a retail store that charges nothing for its items. This expanding ministry just added a food pantry.
Pastor Wes Mayfield says the ministry’s vision “is to meet the needs of others, both physically and spiritually. In addition to clothing and shoes, we give out free Bibles and gospel tracts.”
The Missouri church of around 130 is located about 60 miles southwest of Rolla and 10 miles south of Fort Leonard Wood. The population for its zip code area is 200.
The pastor says the store softens hearts in a “community (that’s) very hardened toward the gospel. There have been numerous occasions where the customers open up about their problems and request prayer. The gospel has been shared on numerous occasions.
“There are so many stories of how God has provided through this ministry,” he says.
God’s provision
One visit “involved a woman who could not afford a wedding dress, and her wedding was approaching quickly,” Mayfield remembers. “She came into our store, and we had a wedding dress hanging up. She tried it on and it was a perfect fit for her. She wept and thanked God for His provision.”
Another woman who had been released from prison, Mayfield noted, lacked adequate clothing for a court hearing. “She was able to find nice enough clothing that the judge commented on how well she was dressed as opposed to the last time he saw her.”
When the same woman later needed medical clothing for a job, “she didn’t know what to do since she could not afford scrubs. Her mom told her to pray and go see if Helping Hands received a donation of scrubs.
“The day she came in to the store we had scrubs for her.”
All store items are given without charge to customers. Donated goods come from various sources.
“All clothing and shoe items are donated by church members and community members — some outside the community,” Mayfield said. “We also receive clothing from families who are being transferred out of Fort Leonard Wood. We have also received a donation of adult clothing and shoes from one of the Missouri Baptist children’s homes.”
“We’ve had small trailers full of clothing show up as well. The miracle behind this is there is never a week we do not have clothes donated. Some weeks are overwhelming for our volunteers.”
Mayfield says the ministry rarely buys clothing and then only for a specific need. That’s because the store typically has suitable clothing. “This is a tremendous testimony of how God provides.”
No qualification process
Helping Hands serves Roby and surrounding communities, but has also provided clothing to outgoing missionaries, helped families who lost homes in fires, and given clothing to Plato High School students more than 60 miles away.
“We have given away prom dresses, wedding dresses, men’s suits, etc., ” Mayfield noted.
“Everything in our store is free for the shoppers. There is no qualification process for this ministry. We receive so much clothing per week, we are happy to give it away as fast as we get it.”
He hopes the store helps shoppers consider God.
“We want people to think of God’s grace and kindness when they leave our store,” Mayfield said. “We don’t put dirty, stained, or torn clothing on our racks. We put good, quality clothing out that resell stores would charge for.”
The store serves over 100 people per week. It operates Thursdays and Saturdays from 10am to 4pm.
When it started
It began 10 years ago when church member Billie Hodges envisioned Helping Hands after visiting another church clothing store. She received church approval to pursue the idea.
The church secured a retail shop across the road from its building for $1 per year for 10 years. The lease was recently renewed for the same rate and period.
Billie continues to work with Helping Hands alongside Betty McQueen, another dedicated volunteer who also works about 16 hours with the ministry.
Last year, the ministry expanded with a food pantry.
“This allowed us to expand our Helping Hands ministry into the realm of food distribution by utilizing the leased building,” Mayfield said.
Church members and volunteers from First Baptist Hermitage, Elm Springs Baptist and the Concord Baptist Association added a 4,200 square foot extension to the church building. The Helping Hands ministry moved into part of the new space and the former location became the food pantry.
“We now have an ongoing food pantry that is available when people need it,” Mayfield said. It doesn’t have regular hours but is available when the need is known.
Volunteer Michelle Bergonzoni oversees the pantry expansion and church members donate specific items toward food boxes for distribution.
The pantry supplements the church’s annual October community food drive that provides Thanksgiving baskets to 25 families.
Any church can create a ministry like Helping Hands, Mayfield said. “I believe any size church can do a clothing and shoe ministry whether it’s a building like ours or a small room in the church building.”
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Michael Smith and originally published by the Pathway.
