An abundance of blessings at the Deacon’s Den

Every Tuesday, a fleet of about 10 volunteers shows up at an out-of-the-way country church building ready to work. They dress warmly — there is no heat. They don’t sip coffee — there is no bathroom. 

No, the surroundings are not glamorous — but there are no complaints. 

This group, led by the Rev. Brenda Fowler, a deacon in the parishes of Upham and Central Kings, operates the Deacon’s Den, a thrift shop housed at Holy Trinity, Smithtown. 

The New Brunswick Anglican visited after hearing about it at the 139th Session of Diocesan Synod in November. 

The Deacon’s Den is indeed out of the way. Housed at 1342 Route 860 in Kings County, it’s an eight-minute drive from the Hampton Tim Horton’s.

“It’s kind of in the middle of nowhere,” said Brenda. “I was a bit skeptical. Are people going to come? It’s not in a town. There’s not a lot of traffic here. All we have is just a sign out on the road.”

But they do come, drawn by a quest for bargains, and buoyed by the fact the money they spend goes directly to people in need. 

“Last Saturday, we made over $1,000,” said Brenda.

REPURPOSING A CHURCH BUILDING
Holy Trinity hasn’t been used as a church building in more than a decade, and what to do with it was heavy on Brenda’s and Archdeacon Rob Marsh’s minds. Then came an epiphany in early 2022.

“A vision was laid out for me while I was on my way to Nova Scotia,” she said. “The whole plan just became clear.”

She knew what needed to be painted, and how to manage the customer flow during a pandemic. She knew that the nave would be the sorting and pricing area, the old kitchen would be the seasonal and storage area, and the hall would be the actual store.

Then she got to work making it happen, with the help of lots of volunteers. Barely two months later, it opened.

It’s a rather low-tech enterprise. There is no database of inventory, no computer, no sales receipts. The prices are written on green painter’s tape because it’s cheap and it’s easy for customers to peel off once they get home with their treasures.

Early on, they realized the power of Facebook to draw in customers. Each Tuesday, Kim Rodgers uses her phone to take dozens of photos of items they want to showcase. Then over the next couple of days, she uploads them to the
“Deacons’ Den”  page so people can see some of what’s for sale. Then Kim makes a list, using pen and paper, of who has expressed interest in what. 

They have more than 1,600 followers online, but Brenda remembers the euphoria when they reached 100.

“Every week there are new people,” she said. “I’m flabbergasted.”

As Kim takes photos, the crew unpacks, sorts and prices items in preparation for Saturday, the only day they’re open. Then at 9 a.m. on Saturday, the “open” flag goes up and a shift of volunteers arrives to manage sales. While they usually work a morning or an afternoon shift, but not both, Brenda is there all day.

“I call it my fast day,” she said. “I don’t eat or drink anything!”

MONEY IN, MONEY OUT
The store has a huge inventory, and sells what you might expect: clothing and accessories, footwear, linens, décor and glassware, housewares, puzzles and games, toys, craft and pet supplies, books and seasonal items. 

Prices are nominal, $2 for tops, $3 for sweaters, and it’s cash-only. There are plenty of bargains, but that’s only part of the story.

Donors like giving their excess household items because they know there is no middle man, no administrative fee or anything else that takes a chunk out of sales. Every bit taken in goes out to help people in need.

In the two-and-a-half years they’ve operated, they’ve given away about $30,000. 

“That’s money this parish does not have,” said Brenda. “We couldn’t have helped those people without this place.”

The majority of what they’ve given has been in the form of grocery gift cards, but they recently helped pay down an outstanding power bill, and even helped pay for a funeral. They give gas cards to people travelling to medical treatments like dialysis and chemotherapy. 

They actively seek out those in need, spreading the word among their customers about what they do. And Brenda keeps her eye on bulletin boards in the community, looking for fundraisers that might need a boost.

“We’re starting to get quite well known,” she said. “Right now we have lots of money and I don’t feel we’re reaching everyone.”

VOLUNTEERS
Many of the crew are parishioners, while some are friends, and at least two were shoppers who liked what they saw. 

“I love to help people,” said Maryann Kellar. “I’m retired and it gives me something to do. It’s like Christmas here every day. You never know what’s in a new box.” 

Recently, she definitely proved her dedication. She and Brenda reshingled the old kitchen section of the building before it could leak onto their inventory.

Donna Belyea, a retired teacher, manages the book room, which is in the foyer. She enjoys the camaraderie of the group.

“We get a lot out of this,” she said. “We’re able to help people. It’s good to be part of it. It’s what we do.”

Taylor Skinner, originally from Ontario, is new to the area, and he and his young family have just begun attending church in the parish. He’s been the fix-it and carpentry guy and has proved his worth. He’s a stay-at-home dad, and while Tanner’s wife is on maternity leave, he has a few hours he can devote to the Deacon’s Den each week.

It was his love of thrifting that brought him here, and his love of helping that has kept him coming back. 

BLESSING THE COMMUNITY
After hearing about the Fredericton Mothers’ Union community pantries at Diocesan Synod, Brenda enlisted Tanner’s help to build one at the Deacon’s Den.

“We just put it up on the tree this morning,” said Brenda, adding she hopes “The Giving Tree,” as they call it, will alleviate, in some small way, the urgent need for food in the rural area. 

It’s been almost three years since Brenda’s thrift store epiphany. And in that time, she, the crew and the recipients of their efforts have shared blessings too numerous to count.

“It has exceeded my expectations,” she said. “I say that at least once a week! There are blessings every day.”

Hearing from recipients is especially heartwarming. She reads thank you cards in church so that everyone can share in those blessings. 

But Brenda has an even bigger hope for the Deacon’s Den. She thinks parishes across Canada could launch their own thrift stores, repurposing unused buildings, recycling unwanted items, and blessing their own communities as they’ve done here in the Parishes of Central Kings and Upham. 

“Part of the vision was this happening not just here,” she said. “I could actually see the Anglican Church being known for its deacon’s dens.”

PHOTO CAPTIONS:
1. The Rev. Brenda Fowler, a deacon in the parishes of Upham and Central Kings, puts out the OPEN flag each Saturday. Next to the flag is the new "Giving Tree" community pantry.
2. Donna Belyea manages the book room, housed in the foyer of the church.
3. Kim Rodgers take a photo of an item for sale at her makeshift studio. Later she will post the photos on Facebook to illustrate what's for sale the coming Saturday
4. The Rev. Brenda Fowler, a deacon in the Parishes of Upham and Central Kings, checks out merchandise at the Deacon's Den, a thrift shop in the Parish of Upham, which, over the past two and a half years, has funneled $30,000 to people in need in the local community around Bloomfield and Hampton. 
McKnight photos