Five years ago, a group of clergy, community members, and the mayor of Skokie gathered around a table with a common mission: “we have this space [in the old school building at St. Paul, Skokie]. How can we use it for good in the community?”
Over 100,000 residents from countries and cultures around the world call Niles Township home. There were, and are, numerous opportunities for the church to partner with the community to serve their neighbors. Of all the needs, together they recognized one of the best means by which they could serve their community would be to organize a community clothing closet.
Flourishing five years later, St. Paul partners with their local dry cleaner, service organizations, six local schools, and many, many individuals to ensure any of their neighbors in need of clothing are well cared for through the Niles Township Community Clothing Closet. With this opportunity and community partnerships, volunteers and staff at St. Paul, Skokie are able to share the love of Jesus on a weekly basis with members of their community who may have never otherwise walked through their doors.
How They Got Started
For decades, St. Paul, Skokie was the home to a Lutheran day school which engaged their community through relationships which were built, lessons which were taught, and the Gospel which was shared. Pastor Matthew Conrad, who now serves at Cross, Yorkville, played an intentional role in instilling a culture at St. Paul to be a church which serves the community. So, when the season for St. Paul to have a school came to an end in 2011, the church quickly began asking the question, “what can we do next with this space?” This question is what led to the round-table discussion with leaders in their community.
The Niles Township Community Clothing Closet began with a classroom which hadn’t been used in a few years. Volunteers from the church and Morton Grove’s Molloy Center for Special Education cleaned up and prepared the classroom and organized the first of their clothing donations. They began with coats on tables. As more members of the community learned of the clothing closet, donations surged, and they steadily moved into larger spaces in the former school.
The Niles Township Community Clothing Closet team speaks with glee as they look back at their humble beginnings. Joanie McKinney, the volunteer director of the clothing closet, reflects back on the growth of the clothing closet saying, “St. Paul is now known in the community as the place to go for assistance… we are blessed to have our space to offer, to be the hands and feet of Jesus, and to help these families keep warm for the winter and clothe their children appropriately for school.”
What It Looks Like
Every Tuesday during the months of the school year, the bright and fully stocked clothing closet at St. Paul is open from 6-7:30 p.m. for families with a referral from a Niles Township social worker. Every family member can choose seven tops, seven bottoms, socks, underwear, and, if needed, a coat, shoes, and cold weather accessories. Together with St. Paul’s secretary, families arrange which Tuesday would be the best fit for them to come shop at the Niles Township Clothing Closet.
Shopping at the clothing closet is fun–intentionally! Women have commented how “empowered” they feel coming to shop at the clothing closet. Volunteers play music, have toys to entertain young children, and eagerly help families find styles and sizes which suit them best. McKinney reflected back on numerous times where families have come into the clothing closet shyly–with their heads down, and by the end have literally danced with joy.
The Clothing Closet is entirely donation and volunteer driven; they don’t use any portion of the church’s budget other than the electricity to keep the lights on. By God’s grace, through partnerships with schools and local organizations, they always have willing hands and a wide variety of items from which families can choose.
How They Are In This Together
This is a community effort through and through. Humbled, McKinney says, “I can’t tell you what I’ve seen… it’s a miracle. People are helping us and we’re helping people… almost everyone says, ‘we had nowhere else to go.’”
From local elementary schools hosting Socktober festivals and high schools donating locker leftovers at the end of each semester to countless volunteers serving in various capacities, every member of the community can play a role at the Niles Township Clothing Closet.
As the members of St. Paul seek to serve the community, they are actively thinking of how to do so missionally. Through the clothing closet, they share the love of Jesus through their actions and in word when the Holy Spirit leads them in small conversations. Something is inherently different about the clothing closet at St. Paul. It’s noticeable–you can feel it when you walk through the door. It’s the presence and love of Jesus. He draws people in close and makes them feel at home. When leaders at St. Paul went to their community with an empty space and hands open to join together in service, they joined Jesus on his mission and put the Gospel in action.