God’s Closet is a ministry that helps Seventh-day Adventist churches engage with their communities. Each location collects new and gently used children’s clothes and shoes. Once a quarter, they schedule Shop-day Events, when members of the community can “shop” for a small entrance fee (usually $1.00 per family). Some locations offer childcare or children’s programming in connection with their Shop-day.
There are no requirements to receive items from God’s Closet. If your family is in need of clothes for your little ones, we invite you to check our Locations to find an event near you. God’s Closet offers clothes for newborns to teenagers. Some locations also have selections available for moms.
The God’s Closet Story
The God’s Closet idea was brought to the Adventist Church in 2009 by Merryl Tschoepe Moore, who at the time attended the Spokane Seventh-day Adventist Church in Washington. While helping a single mother locate winter clothing for her daughter, she attended an event where foster families could “shop” for articles of children’s clothing that were donated from the community. The event was provided by the state to foster families, but God inspired Merryl to envision an outreach for anyone looking for kids’ clothes.
Merryl shared her idea, and soon a team came together to host the first God’s Closet Free Shop Day in 2009 at the Central Seventh-day Adventist Church in Spokane. The first event was a success with 35 families in attendance. Volunteers provided free childcare while parents and guardians “shopped” for free kids’ clothes. The local TV station showed up and asked for an interview, and went on to feature God’s Closet on the evening news.
Three months later, more than 200 families attended the next God’s Closet event. Donations began to pour in and more families continued to attend each event. God kept blessing as the local TV station conducted a follow-up interview and the newspaper and local radio stations also ran promotions. Soon, various local conference Adventist Community Services (ACS) and women’s ministries departments became involved as well. As word spread, more Seventh-day Adventist Churches started asking how they could also start a God’s Closet chapter.
Today, the central resources and guidelines for God’s Closet are compiled and made available for local churches throughout the North American Division via AdventSource. Any church in any type of location can start a chapter of the God’s Closet ministry using this framework and connect with the community in a lasting, meaningful way.
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