Hennepin: Crystal
Reccomended Resources
Economics
City of Crystal
Government
City of Crystal
Miscellaneous
Wikipedia
"
Missions
Local thrift store raises $4 million for missions
by Carra Carr (July 2007 Minnesota Christian Chronicle)
"CRYSTAL � Bibles for Missions Thrift Center, a nonprofit thrift store, has provided $4 million for mission-oriented work in Bulgaria since it opened 10 years ago.
Started in collaboration with The Minnesota Coalition for Eastern Europe, the Bibles for Missions Thrift Center is a hub of activity, handling over 300 customers daily and making an average of $2,800 each day.
After paying for maintenance of the building, the remaining revenue is given away.
�Over 75 cents of each dollar earned goes directly to missions,� said Bob Anderson, a member of the board of directors and the public relations manager for the store.
The money raised is given to The Bible League, which then distributes it to Bulgaria. Currently, the Thrift Center�s monetary donations go toward printing Bibles, planting churches, and training ethnic Bulgarian missionaries. Four Bulgarian churches are fully supported through the store as well.
Anderson, who has been with the store since its inception, doesn�t seem phased by the amount of money the store has given. Instead, he quoted Habakkuk 1:5, the store�s official verse since the beginning, �Look at the nations and watch � and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.�
Selling everything from clothes to furniture to books to dishes, the Thrift Center comprises one 1,100 square foot room, in which customers can peruse the items for sale, a backroom where donations are sorted, and a basement for storage.
Because of the store�s limited floor space and the vast amounts of donations it receives, especially clothes and furniture, the Thrift Center extends its goodwill to other places.
�We give a lot of the furniture we get to Urban Ventures in Minneapolis,� Anderson said. �We just don�t have room for it all.�
Cliff Nez, president of Hand in Hand Together, a nonprofit organization that lends humanitarian aid to Ukraine, also makes use of the store�s overflowing donations. About every other month they ship approximately 14 tons of clothing, food and medical supplies directly from the store�s basement to the Ukraine.
�The store has been absolutely wonderful to us. They�ve generously given us materials and space,� Nez said. �We have an incredible relationship with them, and we really appreciate that.�
Yet none of this could happen without the Thrift Center�s 130 volunteers. Representing 45 local churches, these volunteers give an average of one day a week to help out at the store.
�If you are looking for a fulfilling volunteer opportunity, this is a wonderful place to work,� said Mary Pegors, a retired missionary who has been involved with the Thrift Center since before it opened, hinting later that more men are needed.
�It really is a missions-oriented endeavor,� Pegors added. �It gives you an opportunity to witness, and some people come back just to ask for prayer.�
Anderson also recalls times when the Thrift Center has been able to reach out to the community.
�There have been times when people lost all their earthly possessions due to fire, and we�ve been able to furnish their new houses or apartments,� he said.
Besides being a light to the community, the Thrift Center has also been recognized as one of the cleanest, friendliest and most reasonably priced thrift stores in the Twin Cities area by the Star Tribune, among others.
�We do our best to provide good quality things for people,� Pegors said.
ACTION POINT:
If you are interested in donating, items can be dropped off at the Thrift Center, 4713 36th Ave N., Crystal, MN 55422, during business hours. Call (763) 522-1786 for more information."
Return to Goodnews Minnesota: Twin Cities Homepage