When a church wants to press into outreach and make new partnerships in the community, the Lord opens our eyes to existing connections.
Trinity Church in Port Alberni found themselves standing between two facts: that many families and unhoused individuals in the town are struggling financially; and that through interim minister Sulin Milne’s secular job at an Under Armour factory outlet, there were unsold clearance items sitting in the stockroom at rock bottom prices. Overarching these facts was the church’s desire to do more to connect with those they live alongside and to help those who need it.
With the support of Under Armour store management and staff, to date they have purchased $16,000 (pre-tax) worth of Under Armour clothing with $2,500 raised in the parish for this project. They formed a partnership with the Port Alberni Shelter Society who already have a clothing distribution network which in turn supports several other agencies in the community, vastly extending the reach of this project.
Interim ministers by definition move on after their work is done, so this is understood to be a short-term project, but the connections and partnerships forged through this project will continue into the future, and the raised profile of the church in the community will live on as more ways to serve the community come to light in the future.
