History of Grace Community Church Friendship Circle and Thrift Shop
~Written by Rowena Kratzer circa 2000
In 1968 a group of women members of Grace Community Church UCC asked the cabinet for permission to start a Women’s Fellowship, and permission was granted. The purpose of the Women’s Fellowship was to be of service to the church. Some of the things we did included housekeeping duties, equipping, supplying and caring for the kitchen, helping with pot-lucks, etc. While we were not organized as a money-making group, we did have some fund raisers including community suppers, bake sales, etc.
At that time the lumber mill was one of the largest employers in the community (the others being the US Forest Service and the power companies) running two production shifts with the mill-wrights working the late shift, with about 340 employees in all. When the mill laid off some workers, the women of Grace Community Church saw the need for helping the families involved, so asked members to donate things they no longer needed which were to be given to anyone who needed such items. Soon we discovered that folks seemed to feel better about accepting things if they paid a small sum for them, so we began charging pennies, nickels and dimes for items. Of particular need was clothing for children.
We used the then “kitchen” (now the pre-school room). From the beginning we gave things away to anyone whose home had been lost in a fire or flood. (Yes, Willow Creek did flood homes along its banks.) This project was never intended to be a money-making venture for the church—only a service to the North Fork community. One good-hearted soul asked, “Now that we have cleaned out our closets, when these things are gone what are we going to do?” However, as word spread about our service project, community members began donating good used items they no longer needed and, like Topsy, it just grew! When it began to generate revenue, this was used to help pay bills for propane, electricity, etc. and to help North Fork families in times of special need.
In 1974 we moved to a small space in our new multipurpose building (which by the way, was able to be built by securing a loan from the United Church Board of Homeland Ministries). One important reason for its construction was to provide indoor plumbing to replace the old “outhouse”. We all remember the night the Northern California Conference Minister came to meet with us about the possibility of a loan. It was raining “cats and dogs” and he had to borrow an umbrella in order to use the outside “facilities”!
Other reasons for building were to provide more room for after church fellowship, pot-lucks, Sunday School activities, and community use as a meeting place. (This was when the present Town Hall was still used by the North Fork Elementary School for its gymnasium, before the present Kennedy Hall was equipped for sports activities.) At first the work was all done by Women’s Fellowship members but as the service project grew, various community members who saw its benefit to the community volunteered their services to help out, and the term “thrift shop” came into use. A few years ago the Women’s Fellowship changed its name to “Friendship Circle” because several men became very important helpers in our mission. Again, this is not a business, but a service project.
The thrift shop is but one function of the Friendship Circle. Others include:
- service and support to Grace Community Church and its wider fellowship,
- furthering the spiritual growth of its members,
- supporting various missions, including Our Church’s Wider Mission, the Fresno and Madera Recue Missions, local needs, such as the Recreation Center, Citizens on Patrol, Putney Ranch Camp, Madera Deputy Sheriffs K-9 Corps, and financial aid to persons in need.
The main purpose of the thrift shop has been to be of service to the community, especially those who live on limited incomes—a true mission outreach project.
Biblical references; Matthew 25:35-40 (feed the hungry, clothe the naked……..)
Luke 4:18 (good news to the poor……..)