Our Work
OUR HISTORY
A Brief History of Open Hands
Open Hands began as a worshiping body of believers on March 11, 2013. The roots of Open Hands run a bit further back than seven years. In early 2012 a group of members from Bethany United Methodist Church completed a 32-week Disciple Bible study led by Pastor David Talbert. A recurring theme that we found in scripture was God’s call to feed those who are hungry. We interpreted this to mean both spiritual and physical hunger. Even as the Bible study was happening we began hosting monthly “Free Meal Mondays” at Bethany, feeding all our neighbors who would come. Through this ministry we forged friendships with people who lived at the Economy Inn of Lexington, ten miles away from Bethany UMC. Despite the distance, we felt a spiritual kinship and closeness. We were assured of a call to be friends and neighbors with our new acquaintances in Lexington. When the weather became warmer we hosted a series of cookouts at the Economy Inn, sharing hot dogs, hamburgers, children’s activities, and God’s love together. At Christmas of 2012 several members of Bethany UMC went Christmas caroling at the Economy Inn, bearing gifts and good will.
With our hearts turned toward our friends, we prayed about a way to have a weekly meal and worship experience together.
After much prayer and a season of seeking God’s will, we asked Wesley Heights UMC to partner with us and serve as the host site for Open Hands –the name we gave to the weekly meal, music, and message event. They opened their doors to us. We met for the first time on March 11, 2013 with 14 people in attendance (plus invited guests). From the very beginning, the hallmarks of Open Hands have included: everyone is welcome; everyone matters; the world needs more grace and less judgment. We practice these beliefs in our worship, our decision-making, and our daily living. We are empowered to do so by the love of God experienced in the sacraments of baptism and communion.
God led us to the Lexington Church of God. The people of the church graciously joined our effort and we became partners in ministry. The love of God tied us together in mission. We began meeting at LCOG in October of 2013. As we have met there we have seen attendance steadily grow on Monday nights, reaching a high of 257 for our Christmas 2015 celebration. Along with growth in attendance, we have also grown in the number of individuals and churches that have become part of the ministry team.
In December 2013 a Board of Directors was formed to advise this growing ministry. We hired Bob Harmon to be our Open Hands Director, and overseer of daily operations. On January 27, 2014 we opened Mercy Station Matthew at 506-C National Blvd in Lexington. We were at this site until April of 2016 when we opened Mercy Station Stephen at St. Stephen United Methodist Church. We entered into a partnership to utilize part of St. Stephen as our newest Mercy Station that gave us a better location and enabled us to serve more people. This site is open Monday thru Friday for the purpose of Bible study, devotions, prayer, connecting neighbors with needed resources, fellowship, and a myriad number of God’s other purposes in Davidson County. In April of 2017 we began serving breakfast on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at Mercy Station Stephen for our friends on the street.
In October 2016 we opened a new Monday Night worship site at First Reformed United Church of Christ in Uptown Lexington. This has opened up new avenues where more people are serving and being served.
In 2015, Pastor Jay Belk, who had served with us in Lexington, began a feeding ministry in Albemarle, NC called Soul Food. This consisted of a group of churches and individuals who wanted to make a difference. With a call to serving God and bringing our friends to Christ, a Monday Night Meal, Music, and Message gathering began. The program was welcomed and it began to grow into a phenomenon for our friends. Friends who lived on the street as well as people who were searching for a closer relationship with Christ came and a wonderful worship community was formed. There were several locations utilized along the way until a permanent home was found in the recently closed Tabernacle United Methodist Church Building at 132 Church Street in Albemarle. At this time, Open Hands and Soul Food merged in a partnership to serve the community in 2018.
Through this partnership, a new Mercy Station model which we named Grace Place opened to serve the people in Stanly County. This was the next step in showing More Grace… Less Judgment to more of God’s children. We are very excited about the success of this ministry as we continue to develop new ministries.
Currently, breakfast is served Monday-Friday (7:30 AM – 9:00 AM) and Soul Food continues on Monday and Thursday Nights from 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM) These gatherings include grace-filled messages full of hope and redemption.
In December of 2019, we began a program in Albemarle in partnership with the Stanly County Health Department that strives to help our friends who are struggling with their addictions and health issues. Uwharrie Harm Reduction Initiative helps our friends in Stanly County find ways to protect themselves from various illnesses and to find help with addiction services, de-tox, and rehab.
UHRI works with our friends who are suffering from Substance Use Disorder (SUD) by providing sterile and sanitary items to those who are at risk of death and disease through their substance use. By providing safe supplies, we prevent the exposure to diseases that are common in this community. We also provide naloxone that can reverse overdoses and also fentanyl test strips to help detect dangerous and often fatal drugs. While this may seem like an odd service for a ministry to provide, by helping our friends stay alive, we are given the opportunity to assist them in changing their lives that leads them to a sober future by leading them to rehabilitation services but also to a life with a relationship with Christ through exhibiting More Grace… Less Judgment. The opioid crisis touches all walks of life and the harm it causes our community grows daily. By confronting this crisis in the depths of where it exists, we are able to bring hope to the hopeless.
In August of 2021, we began a Peer Support program that goes hand in hand with UHRI. Our peer staff all have lived the life that those we are serving are enduring now. Through their guidance and the experiences and growth they have had, they can help our friends see that they can change their lives and find new hope and a new life.
Loaves and Fishes Food Ministry began in August 2019. With this ministry, we are able to better serve our friends who are unable to come to Mercy Station during the week. They are open on Saturday Mornings from 11AM until noon. They have been a wonderful addition to our family.
February 2021 brought a new opportunity for us to serve our friends. We began a Saturday Free Lunch program with First Reformed UCC. This gives our friends an opportunity for at least one meal seven days a week.
As you can see, so much has happened in this short amount of time. As we celebrate our young age we also appreciate the opportunity that is before us. God’s grace is laced through and among the lives of all the people of Davidson and Stanly Counties. God desires an end to cycles of brokenness and despair that have haunted so many for so long. We believe that God is calling Open Hands to be a big part of the word of grace that he speaks to his beloved people. With that in mind we will continue to seek ways to expand opportunities for employment, increase the presence of Mercy Stations and worship sites, pray for new ways to help those in need, and give glory and honor to God in all that we do.
From early on, we have stuck to the motto of More Grace … Less Judgment. All of us have been fallen short but with the grace that God has available to us all we want to share that grace with those who are part of our community. We do not judge where any of us have been, but we celebrate the grace that is available to us.
Not one bit of this would be possible without the committed volunteers and staff who give many hours to make Open Hands/Grace Place/UHRI/Loaves & Fishes happen. Some assist with food service; some clean; some drive vans; some play in the band; some serve daily at Mercy Station; some greet; some prepare and serve breakfast in their love of Christ and neighbor. Others reach deep into the lives of those who are burdened with suffering beyond belief and show them the love that Christ has for them. Beyond hearing the gospel call of sacrifice and servanthood, they are living it out through Open Hands of North Carolina. We salute all of our wonderful volunteers. It is an honor and a privilege to serve Christ alongside each of you.
We have undergone many changes over the years and the future will bring more ministries to serve our friends. Please keep Open Hands in your prayers as we continue our journey.