On Thursday morning, October 17, the InJoy Thrift Store and Donation Center held an Open House Celebrating the donation of over One Million Dollars to ministries over the last 6 years. Representatives from Deaf Opportunity Outreach, (an international church-planting ministry for the deaf), and 13 local community ministries that serve within the boundaries of the North Roanoke Baptist Association were present for the event. Rev. Mike Edwards, Store Manager, led a tour of the store and the procedures involved in processing the donated items. Each representative present introduced themselves and shared a brief summary of the purpose of their ministry. Rev. John Hamm, Director of Missions, acknowledged the blessings of God on this ministry and shared appreciation for the churches and ministries that have worked together to make this possible.
A group photo was make of all of the ministry representatives to commemorate the event. The local community ministries include Your Choice Resource Center, My Sister’s House, Tar Roanoke Chaplaincy, Christian Adoption Agency, Christ-Can Ministry, Faith Christian Ministries, United Community Ministries, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Union Mission, Angel’s closet, Pregnancy Care Center of Roanoke Rapids, Hannah’s Place, and Peacemakers.
The association receives no funding through this work, but sees InJoy as a means of uniting churches in ministry and helping them connect to the community. InJoy is a joint venture between the Community Ministry Board, a non-profit ministry developed by the North Roanoke Baptist Association and a LLC formed by Deaf Opportunity OutReach.