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| The Intersection Free Store opened on Jan. 8 in Evart, Mich. |
When three United Methodist Churches heeded God’s call, an intersection of community and charity was created on U.S.-10 in Evart, Mich.
The Intersection Free Store celebrated its grand opening on Jan. 8 by providing 475 pieces of clothing to more than 50 families — a fitting declaration for a ministry that has been a long time coming.
Local pastor Joe Beavan said several guests asked for prayer and others shed tears of joy at the reality of being able to take home bags of new and like-new clothes.
“When a young girl comes in and is basically in tears talking about how her family has lost almost everything due to job loss and what a blessing it is to be able to come in and get her children some much-needed clothes, that’s a wonderful thing,” he said.
Beavan started his three-point charge at Sears UMC, Brooks Corners UMC and Barryton Faith UMC in January 2010. Soon after he was inspired to consider his part in “changing the world” after hearing Ginghamsburg UMC’s pastor, the Rev. Mike Slaughter, speak about local and world mission at Bishop’s Day in Mt. Pleasant.
“I felt like, ‘Hey maybe we could do something, but I don’t know,’” he said. “So I prayed about it and read his book (Change the World) and God just started opening one door after another.”
Behind those initial doors were familiar faces from his years as a member of Cornerstone UMC in Caledonia, including the Rev. Brad Kalajainen and Director of Outreach Tracy Bowers.
Beavan said Cornerstone provided his churches with seed money for the store and implemented plans to receive donations from its congregation.
“Tracy said, ‘Hey, we even have an extra trailer,’ and I thought, wow, that’s pretty convenient,” he said. “So they use the trailer at their donation site down there and when it’s full we go down and get it.”
After searching long and hard, Beavan stumbled on a vacant hair salon that he insists “God was right in the middle of” because of its “perfect space and size” and the fact it could be had for a good value.
Several local church members even offered to foot the bill for liability insurance.
The store’s momentum is soaring thanks in part to local media who recently showcased the store, Beavan said, but the Intersection did not open without some reluctance early on in the process.
Beavan said there were church members who struggled with the concept of a new venture at a time where ongoing membership and funding strains are the norm.
“The best advice I can give anybody is number one, if you feel it is truly God’s call then proceed with it,” he said. “You will find opposition, there will be opposition in your church and we have lost a couple of people over it. And that’s okay because they were adamant against it and they actually left the church and I can’t help it — I just hope and pray that they find their spot in the family of God and they’ll understand why we are doing it.”
Ultimately, Beavan hopes the store will not only provide a vital service to neighboring communities, but it will also create unity among his three appointments.
The churches have regular “sorting parties” to identify, separate, and store clothes until there is low inventory at the Intersection and churchgoers are making a habit of taking home newly donated clothing to wash and fold.
Due to space constraints the store currently is a clothing-only facility, but Beavan said he also likes the idea of creating “emergency living kits” in the future for families who are suddenly out of their homes.
Roughly 15 regular volunteers help run the Intersection.
The store is open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday’s and “as needed” throughout the rest of the week.
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