|
To answer these questions as clearly as I can...
Our ministry sponsor was Church Of The Servant, Episcopal. The Church decided not to share publicly this information about closing. We were restricted in telling the story and the reasons for closure until recently.
A mandated safety and security program was implemented in the National Episcopal Church, which includes the Diocese of East Carolina and Church of the Servant. This new mandated requirement was for all Episcopal churches and church affiliations in the U.S. The Bargain Box fell under those guidelines.
These new rules required all persons working with children and challenged adults to have a background check. This was an understandable safety requirement for all those who need protection, and because we were a ministry of the Church of the Servant, the staff at the Bargain Box were required to have this background check. All three staff members were agreeable to this check without hesitation. All was fine.
The second part of these new rules was that anyone who handled any money was required to have a Credit History Check. Even though our staff had been handling money for over seven years, with security checks in
place daily and with an annual professional audit the Credit Check was
now mandatory.
After several church members and clergy explained the process, the staff felt it was unnecessary and an invasion of their privacy. They chose not to comply. They had explored it on line and they decided to leave the job they loved and find another. All staff quit. Saturday, Aug 17 was the last day I had
employees at the store.
This complex model of a second-hand thrift store requires months of training and experience which I provided many times in the past. However at my age now (76) I decided I didn’t want commit to this time consuming and demanding training process while also working to maintain the workplace.
I offered to help shepherd in another manager and share the written detailed instruction manual we used. I also had informed the Church of The Servant from the start that if the staff were leaving, I would also leave. There was no alternative, so sadly, the staff found other jobs and I "retired".
This was not what the staff or I wanted to happen, but there were no exceptions possible in this mandated requirement of the National Episcopal Church. We all loved The Bargain Box and its ministry, and we had hoped there would be some alternative to closing down the store. The Church of
The Servant’s Vestry asked the Bargain Box Advisory Board to review the possibilities and make a recommendation to the vestry as to what they thought about continuing this ministry. The Board proposed to hire a new manager, try to keep the store open, and continue the ministry. The church vestry reviewed it but did not see that as feasible option that would work. I am sorry that no other alternatives were explored to keep this ministry open and active.
I very much wanted to see this ministry continue because I knew how
vital it was to the neighborhood. I don’t know of any other church ministry
in Wilmington that compares to the magnitude of what the Bargain Box has provided and achieved. The store was full of stock, had all the equipment necessary, and was beautifully laid out for this outreach ministry program.
We had a long history of faithful customers and an abundance of donors
and donations. It seemed a transition could take place, even using another method or system, and continue. With great disappointment and sadness,
we emptied the store and permanently closed.
| 
