Something for Everybody

First published in The Daily Sentinel, Friday, May 16, 2008

(note: I've somewhat anonymized this from its original publishing because of the less secure nature of the internet. Anyone who would like more details may contact me through the comments feature.)

I went to fill up the car the other day. The cost of gasoline has now reached mind-boggling proportions – and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight! I most often tool around the area in a 1993 Toyota Celica. I bought it from my father-in-law almost 4 years ago after he bought it new. I used to think it did OK in the gas-mileage department, but at $4 per gallon, I’m not so sure anymore. I never dreamed I would pay over $40 to fill up that car’s little gas tank – I shudder to think what pick-ups and SUVs cost to fill up these days!

I’ve seen more stickers lately on the pumps describing the dollar limits placed on pay-at-the-pump transactions by Mastercard and Visa. I think Visa limits are $50 and Mastercard’s are $75. Those limits were probably set somewhere back in the “good old days” of under-$2 gas. (Was that really as recently as two or three years ago?) Now, some people actually have to “fill up” in two transactions in order to really fill up their cars. Ouch!

Gas isn’t the only thing that costs more these days. This week, the cost of postage went up, too. I sure wish I’d bought more of those “forever” stamps at the old rate when I had the chance. Milk prices have been in a pretty close race with gas prices on a per-gallon basis. Orange juice has shot through the roof. Even the cost to make money isn’t the same. Did you see that Congress is considering making pennies and nickels out of steel instead of zinc?

Living is certainly more expensive. All of us are trying to figure out how to stretch those dollars farther. That’s why I’m excited about the new store that opened up recently in my town. It’s called the “Equal Opportunity Store” and it’s run by the Southern Equal Opportunity Mission (SEOM). The SEOM is made up of area churches around town. The Equal Opportunity Store is located on 3^rd Street just down from the US Post Office, Home National Bank, and the Kountry Kitchen restaurant. Folks who’ve been around long enough will recognize it’s location as the old Post Office building. It’s open 10-2 Monday thru Saturday, plus evening hours (5-7:30) on Tuesday and Thursday.

Equal Opportunity is named that way because it’s designed to be a store for everybody. It is not a store just for “those people” but for all of us. The Equal Opportunity Store is trying to fulfill a mission of providing clothing and basic grocery items at 1980s pricing. And everybody can take advantage of the opportunity to save!

Two pastors are the primary drivers of the ministry. And they rely on volunteers from their churches plus the other churches in the area (I’m proud to include my church in that list) to make it work. But they need more help!

What kind of help, you ask? I’m so glad you asked that question! They need help with donations – good, quality clothing and even old clothing that is good only for rags. They’re making lots of rags. Several area businesses are now buying rags from the store, and so the store needs all the rag-making material it can get! They also can use donations of non-perishable foods, small appliances and household items. Eventually, they hope to expand the store to include major appliances – but that’s still a ways down the road.

They can always use volunteers to staff the store. You could volunteer once-a-week, once-a-month, or whenever it can fit into your schedule. They need sorters, rag-makers, and stockers, just to name a few duties.

But most of all, they need a steady stream of customers! And you owe it to yourself to check out their selection. I would expect you’ll find a bargain or two that will help you stretch that paycheck, pension check or even IRS rebate check much farther than you thought possible! And you should stop by often because there’s always something new.

So besides the stores’ economic mission, why does this place exist? Is there a more fundamental reason for it to be here? Perhaps a Biblical reason? How about Luke 4:14-21:

Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised him. He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, and to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."

The Equal Opportunity Store is continuing the work of Jesus to bring good news, to proclaim freedom, recovery, and release for all. Compared to the riches of God, all of us are poor. All are held captive by the general economy, blinded by materialism and greed, and in need of release from the oppression of an uneven distribution system.

I believe being a Christian as about being in right relationship with God through Jesus Christ, to confess both my personal sins and my participation in society’s sinful practices, and to proclaim Jesus as my Lord and Savior. But I also think that right relationship extends into how I live right in the sour here-and-now as much as in the sweet-by-and-by.

The Equal Opportunity Store is one example of how we can do that – to love our neighbors as we love God. Why not join me in supporting this new, vital, and gospel-spreading ministry?