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Clothing Center Facing Difficult Challenges
SNEEDVILLE, TN (March 5, 2001) - For more than three decades, the 30-member Mulberry Covenant Church has been living out the biblical mandate to clothe those in need through its clothing center ministry.
However, the time has come for others to join in the effort as demand outpaces supply. The local church is hoping that people throughout the Covenant will join the effort.
Clothing, blankets and bedding are needed, according to Pastor Peter Anderson. Financial assistance is also appreciated as the church serves the needs of individuals not only Sneedville, but also in surrounding towns throughout the Mulberry Valley.
Sneedville, a county seat community of 6,778, is located 85 miles from Knoxville. The farming community has many people who benefit from the clothing center, including one local family devastated by a fire in their home. Revenue from sales at the clothing center also helps support local Covenant camps and other area ministries.
"When my father (long-time Covenant missionary and pastor Walter Anderson) came in 1972, there were two clothing centers, but one of them is no longer running," Anderson said. "The clothing center next to Mulberry Covenant Church has been refurbished and a lot of work
has been put into it."
Leona Southern, Louise Parkey and Julia Hopkins founded the Mulberry Covenant Clothing Center, according to Anderson, with much of the work now handled by Madge Burke and June Dugger. The center is open Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Describing the clothing center as a labor of love, Anderson questions of the current momentum can be sustained without immediate assistance. "To me, the church is designed to take care of those in need," said Anderson, who has served as a lay pastor for 15 years while running two businesses. "It has been a long-term ministry, but it has been struggling recently. It's been tough to find someone to do all of the work."
For more information about the clothing center's operations, contact Burke at 423-733-8807. Donations of clean, usable clothing may be sent to Mulberry Covenant Clothing Center, Route 4, Mulberry Gap, Sneedville, TN, 37869.
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