This review is from the Church Council of the Flanders United Methodist Church in response to a previously posted negative review of our thrift ministry. The previous reviewer stated that he or she suspected that our pastor was selling donated items online because our pastor was using her smart phone a lot. While our pastor makes frequent use of her phone to communicate with volunteers and parishioners, we are 100% certain she does not sell items online. She has been our pastor for 12 years and has consistently put the needs of our community and our church above her own. We regret that we allowed her to be in a situation where she was unfairly accused. The previous reviewer also stated that he or she donated items and came back later to see if they were in our thrift shop. We would like to note that items do not go immediately from the donation area to the sales floor. Donated items first go to the sorting area. They are then sorted and put in different piles. Next they go to the pricing area where price tags are attached. Then, finally, they are hung and sent to the sales floor. We currently have two sheds full of items that have yet to be sorted. We have multiple piles of sorted items that still need to be priced. Our prices are very low, so when the items are finally processed and sent to the sales floor the best items sell within minutes of opening.
We understand when you interact with the public you open yourself up to criticism and accusations, even from the very people you are trying to help. While this can be frustrating, we see this as an opportunity to give the public a better understanding of what our thrift shop ministry is about. First and foremost, we are here to serve our immediate community by providing quality merchandise at very low prices. Many of our customers are of modest means and would not be able to afford to purchase the items we offer if they were to purchase them in a retail store. None of our church members are paid. We are all volunteers. All of the funds raised go to the church. These funds help our church pay for the costs of our local ministries as well as regional and global United Methodist ministries. Some of the funds raised have been sent to United Methodist charities including the “Imagine No Malaria” mission that has cut the incidence of malaria in Africa in half over the last 10 years. We also give financial support to Sandy Relief right here in New Jersey through the “A Future With Hope” mission that has built over 250 homes for victims of super storm Sandy. Our mission is also environmental. By making it easy for people to donate we provide an opportunity to find a second use for items that would otherwise end up in the landfill.
We hope this post gives some insight regarding purpose of our thrift shop ministry. We encourage anyone with a concern to bring it to the attention of our Church Council (hopefully before posting negative comments online!). In most cases you will find there has been a misunderstanding or a misconception. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of our donors, without whom this ministry would not be possible.
Flanders Methodist Thrift Shop is a US Church based in Mount Olive Township, New Jersey. Flanders Methodist Thrift Shop is located at 4 Park Pl, Flanders, NJ 07836, USA.
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