Emmanuel Thrift Shop Announcement
Like many people trying to find Emmauel Episcopal Church, the first place my GPS led me two and a half years ago was the Thrift Shop. This staple of our parish and the wider Sandhills community has been in existence since 1932. It’s original purpose was to help build a home and office for the Rector, with its proceeds funding the construction of the parish house.
Over the decades, the mission of the Thrift Shop shifted from supporting the church to supporting the community, and it grew into an outreach machine in the truest sense of the word.
The Thrift Shop as outreach provides quality clothing and home goods at incredibly low prices, allowing all people to shop with dignity and respect. As outreach it gives 100% of its profits to local ministries that care for the marginalized of Moore County. And as outreach, it extends Emmanuel’s presence into the heart of downtown, often serving as people’s first point of contact with our church and Christian values.
In this way, the Thrift Shop builds relationships through community service, advocates for those in need through generous nonprofit support, and engages in quiet evangelism by reflecting the light of Christ to all who walk through its doors.
This week, the Thrift Shop marked an important milestone as Kara Broughton stepped down as General Chair. During her nearly three-year tenure, Kara guided the shop through the challenges of reestablishing itself after the pandemic, developing a strong social media presence, and completing a full renovation of the space.
Because of her leadership, we have seen organized and joyful volunteers, creative solutions to complex problems, record sales, and—because of those sales—record donations. Through the generosity of many and the tireless dedication of Kara, the Thrift Shop is now not only beautifully redesigned for effective ministry, but structurally and electrically updated, enabling us to serve for decades to come.
Personally, I cannot thank Kara enough for keeping me connected in the incredible work of the shop. I have always been confident that the thrift shop was in faithful and capable hands.
As Kara steps away to be more present with her parents and new grandchild, I am pleased to share that, after a unanimous vote of the Thrift Shop Board, Martha Wicker will assume the role of General Chair. Martha brings tremendous energy and excitement to this ministry. As the psalmist writes, “they go from strength to strength!” I hope you will join me in welcoming her to to this new leadership position.
And if you haven’t stopped by the Thrift shop lately, now’s the perfect time to do your holiday shopping!
Morris+