THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 16, 1995 TAG: 9504140186
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 18 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JANELLE LA BOUVE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 160 lines
CORNELL KNOX PUNCHED the air with his new stainless steel wine cooler as he excitedly quoted a verse from II Timothy.
``Study to show yourself approved unto God,'' he began, beaming like a proud young Sunday School student. ``A workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.''
The Biblical quotation entitled Knox to select one extra item at the Shop for Free day last Saturday at Salem Baptist Church.
``It was a good fun day,'' said Knox, a Norfolk resident who attends Bible Way Temple in Portsmouth. ``It was a good way to fellowship and meet new people.''
Knox was among 900 shoppers from across South Hampton Roads who gathered at the Kempsville church for the Tree of Life ministry's fifth Shop for Free event. Although the doors didn't open until 9 a.m., half the crowd had been standing in line since 7 hoping to grab the best items from among the thousands of household goods donated by various manufacturers.
Monogrammed towels, terry cloth bathrobes, Christmas decorations, brass and stainless steel ware, sets of dishes, school and office supplies, leather goods, clothing and toys of every description were stacked on tables waiting to be carted home.
Shoppers included those who had attended previous shopping sprees and those who had seen the giveaway advertised at outlets across the area that service the needy.
One person per family could shop for seven gifts. Periodically during the five-hour event, an extra gift was offered to anyone who could quote a Scripture verse during the time allotted.
``I thank God for all these wonderful people,'' said Christine Pelzer, who was attending her third free shopping day. ``It has been wonderful each time and such a blessing to my family.
``Everybody is so pleasant and so kind,'' said Pelzer, who attends Faith Deliverance Christian Center in Norfolk. ``If you don't know the Lord when you arrive, you'll know more about him when you leave.''
Volunteers seemed equally excited as the shoppers.
``It's wonderful,'' said Denice Rowlands of Virginia Beach. ``This is my second time at Shop for Free. It's the world's best bargain and well worth the wait.''
Rowlands and more than 200 other volunteers worked some or all of six days to set up the event inside Salem Baptist Church, unloading, unwrapping, sorting and stacking goods that arrived by truck.
The volunteers represent about 60 area churches united in a single mission: to reach out and help the poor.
``The Lord put this on my heart about seven years ago,'' said Gini Ward, director of Tree of Life ministries. ``I would give money to charity. It took a while to understand that when I am looking the poor in the eye, I am looking at Jesus.''
Ward and her husband, Craig, are students at Regent University and attend Christ Covenant Church in Chesapeake. Craig Ward serves as president of Tree of Life. They moved here from California, where they had been involved in a similar ministry.
About 40 Tree of Life regulars meet every Friday for Bible study and sometimes a potluck lunch. ``Then we go to work picking up and sorting merchandise,'' said Ward.
``Sometimes we go to the manufacturer with seven big vans. It's a grass-roots organization. We have gotten this far with no equipment. If we had a truck and warehouse there's no telling what we could do.''
About 300 shoppers showed up at the first Shop for Free, which was held during the 1993 Christmas season. Since then, the event has been held about every four months.
``We would like to hold the (shopping days) in a different church in a different part of town every time because that promotes unity in the body of Christ,'' said Ward, who has offers from three Portsmouth churches to co-host the next free event in the fall.
The Tree of Life ministry began with six members in 1989 and has grown rapidly as word about the program has spread.
``The need for volunteers is strictly filled by word of mouth,'' Ward said. ``We have not approached any churches. It's as if there is no media. One staff member told her neighbor. That person passed it along to another neighbor who has turned out to be one of our hardest working staff members.''
Ward's husband and other spouses of staff members pitch in by baby-sitting, making dinner or volunteering.
To obtain the giveaway items, Ward and her staff write letters to manufacturers.
``We tell them about our ministry and ask to be considered as recipients of some of their tax write-offs,'' Ward said. ``It's not very hard to convince people to help.''
Manufacturers are generous when they have proof that Tree of Life has a non-profit, charitable status, that they will not sell the merchandise, but will actually distribute the majority received to the poor, she said.
``We have found nothing but favor and generosity,'' Ward said.
The organization currently functions as a middle man for four manufacturers.
``We are negotiating with several more to get merchandise out to the poor,'' she said. ``They'll give us everything we want and they get the tax write-off. But we must remain low-key about donor names.''
Tree of Life, staffed by unpaid volunteers, does receive some merchandise through Christian Broadcasting Network's Operation Blessing.
``We want to be a resource to missionaries and to small churches who don't have a food pantry but who do want to help feed the poor in their community,'' Ward said. ``All the church has to do is mention us. We don't want the applause. We want to connect people with people.''
The organization's major goal is to return to its first ministry - distributing food to the poor.
``We believe in delivering food, because families who are poor often don't have a car or don't have money to buy gas,'' Ward said. ``We feel it is less degrading if we go that extra mile to deliver the food. That way we have an opportunity to make a friend.''
The food branch of the Tree of Life ministry has been discontinued for now until a place to store the food can be found. They originally stored the food at a Virginia Beach church, but the congregation later disbanded.
``Because the food need is so great, we want a permanent home. We need a warehouse situation in Virginia Beach,'' Ward said.
``Right now we are like the Israelites running around in the desert without a permanent home other than a phone number and mailbox.
``But it has bonded us together,'' she said. ``When you go through hard times, it strengthens your commitment to the goal and to each other. Our goal is to help the poor.''
That bond has reached beyond denominational lines to 40 regular volunteers. Another 200 people from 60 area churches have helped at all five Tree of Life Shop for Free days over the past 1 1/2 years.
``Think about how gracious they are being to the poor at this small church (Salem Baptist),'' said Ward adding that two of her staffers are members at Salem. ``They are giving what they have. They have a building.''
The Rev. Jamie Eads, Salem's pastor, said he didn't know what to expect when he was first approached about the project.
``We were looking for a way to minister to our community, to have an outreach and show people the love of the Lord,'' he said. ``I've been pleased about how many of our members have participated in this ministry with their own hands. This has blessed them. It makes them feel good about themselves.''
The Tree of Life staff includes Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Assemblies of God members and those from non-denominational congregations.
Ward is proud of that ecumenical spirit of believers.
``I think that all the people from the different churches want to get over misgivings about each other,'' she said. ``They want to meet each other and pull together. Now they can't understand why they were ever afraid of each other.''
The picture of two women from two different denominations running to embrace each other, genuinely glad to see each other, sticks in Ward's mind.
``We don't talk about our differences. We talk about what we agree on,'' she said. ``This is our way of saying that God loves people. God's love is free. You can't earn it.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photos by D. KEVIN ELLIOTT
Shoppers sort through items donated by various manufacturers and
given away at the Shop for Free day.
Kevin Turpin serves water to some of the 400 people waiting in line
for the church to open. Volunteers from 60 area churches helped
out.
Gini Ward, director of Tree of Life says, ``It's not very hard to
get people to help.''
HOW TO HELP
For more information about the Tree of Life ministry, or to donate
your time, labor or materials, call 437-1348.
by CNB