Ministry Meets Fashion
The Rack Clothing Boutique
We were driving to meet with the ladies at a residential recovery program, something we did every week. Suddenly, I interrupted our excited discussion, “Wait! Haven’t we missed our exit?” We had! We were so engrossed in talking about the plan that the Holy Spirit had whispered to Lisa that we lost track of where we were!
Inspired to Serve
Lisa had a dream to encourage women who are leaving crisis situations as they transition into new lives through fashion. The idea was to gather donated clothing and make it available to women at no cost. She had seen the need as we worked with the ladies in the residential program. These ladies are working tirelessly to break the cycle of addiction and move forward to be strong, confident women with hope and a future. The ultimate goal was to help these brave ladies in transition to gain confidence in themselves, and to feel good in a new outfit for a special occasion… Perhaps to go to a job interview, or simply to brighten their day. Lisa wanted the women to have an enjoyable “shopping” experience and was determined to provide good quality clothing. She envisioned a boutique-style store full of gently-loved in-style clothing.
What did we have to lose? We decided to just go ahead and start and see what happened. Lisa requested clothing donations and they came pouring in. She began with one rack, which quickly became two then three. We requisitioned an unused bathroom in our church building for storage. During our ACT 2 Café Christmas open house, the ladies from the residential program came to shop for holiday outfits at the pop-up boutique in our lobby. Their joy was contagious; the delight evident on their faces.
As soon as we could meet again, we set up shop in one of our main meeting rooms which had doors directly to the outside. When people came to the café, they could also shop at The Rack. We were able to bless the ladies from a local shelter for women and children when they visited. It’s so good to see them twirling in front of the mirror when Lisa and Sara, our style gurus, have helped them to put an outfit together. Lisa has started reaching out to other residential recovery houses, and recovery organizations. They will be able to visit and replenish their wardrobes with a new outfit. For those who have had to leave everything behind due to crisis, or for those who have just come out of prison, we offer several outfits. Through fashion and style God is giving us opportunities to bless and serve our community.
Reclaimed and Revived
Recently we moved back inside. The Rack has moved in to one of our kids’ work rooms for this next season. Lisa’s original vision has come to pass. When you enter the room, there are beautifully displayed outfits hanging on the end of racks chock full of gorgeous clothing, and tables full of beautiful shoes and accessories. The Rack is a boutique where each outfit has been revived, reclaimed and reimagined for new owners to wear and to love. Those words – revived, reclaimed and reimagined – are our prayer for the lives of the women we serve.
