At Park Place Church of God, a passion for simplicity and generosity has turned donated household items into more than $42,000 of support for local and global ministries.

By Carl Stagner | Read Time: 4 minutes

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What if you could get rid of clutter and support a worthy cause? The two goals don’t have to be mutually exclusive, especially when you’re working with former Global Strategy missionary Gwen Johnson. Though nothing new to Gwen, whose knack for getting rid of knickknacks stems from a passion she’s got for simplicity, her rummage sales are beginning to inspire curiosity far beyond her local community. Over the past several years, especially, the rummage sales she, with the support of her husband John, and her team, have organized at Park Place Church of God in Anderson, have simultaneously blessed incredible ministries both locally and around the world, and helped people here at home realize the real stuff of life isn’t all the stuff they own.

As far back as 2018, Gwen Johnson coordinated rummage sales at Park Place, but that’s not where it all began. She recalls hosting sales during their time working for Warner Pacific University (then College) and later at the international church the Johnsons shepherded in Vietnam. Proceeds from these rummage sales over the years have fueled a wide variety of ministries, from high-impact works locally to far-reaching initiatives worldwide.

Recently, Gwen tallied up the funds raised from sales at Park Place Church of God alone and realized, with great joy, the total surpassed an astounding $42,000. This spring’s rummage sale at Park Place generated enough money to fully fund a new human trafficking-prevention effort across eight remote villages near Siliguri, India. To God be the glory!

Simplicity

“The motivation for this,” Gwen explains, “is my passion for encouraging people to declutter and simplify their lives, and bless people with the things that they don’t need. Over the years, I’ve developed a reputation for decluttering. They come to me now! You encourage your church to go through their closets, attics, and basements, and their storage units, and get rid of the things they don’t use anymore that could bless someone.”

And, bless those who receive the proceeds! Gwen explains they try to alternate between local and international causes. Funds generated from the next rummage sale, for instance, will go to the Park Place Food Pantry, for instance. The benefits of supporting missions this way is way more than funding special projects and people; they also include helping the people who donate their belongings. John and Gwen can also tell you stories of those who have inexpensively purchased much-needed furniture for their homes, proving even the donors are blessed beyond the intangible.

“Having lived in third-world countries,” Gwen recollects, “and having moved 30 times in our 47 years of marriage, we learned to let go of stuff every time we moved. We lived small on Guam. We lived in an apartment on the 19th floor of a building in Hanoi. We lived in a small home the last two years at Warner Pacific. Living in a smaller space, you discover it takes a lot less time to clean! If you’re in a small space, you can’t just go out and buy more and more if you want your space to remain uncluttered. It’s one-in, one-out. You can’t just keep adding.”

Gwen recounts an interaction with the wife of a man whose dementia had inspired her to declutter their home. “I remember all you’ve taught me,” she said to Gwen. “It’s just so freeing.”

As the old Shaker song puts it, “‘Tis a gift to be simple, ’tis a gift to be free.” But John Johnson is quick to identify a story in Scripture that underscores this sentiment, as well.

“Many American Christians think stuff is the result of the blessing of God,” he explains. “If you consider how stuff might instead hinder us from being our best selves, we might see stuff differently. When Abraham and Sarah leave Canaan and go to Egypt, and Pharaoh wants to get rid of them, he gives them lots of stuff. Ultimately Abraham and Lot must separate because they have too much stuff! What if we considered more stuff as a hindrance to living life to the full? Simplicity has helped free us up to live on mission for God in this world.”

Replication

Gwen and John Johnson believe their strategy can be employed at other churches, too.

“Announce it frequently,” she encourages. “Publicize that you’re accepting donations, let the congregation know in advance the goal for the proceeds.”

John works the checkout and says people often give extra when he reminds them where the donations will go. But he and Gwen also urge strong promotion—online, via rummage sale websites and forums, through social media, and in the newspaper. Clearly visible and strategically placed signage is also necessary for a strong turnout. “Make it fun for the volunteers, and there’ll really be a great sense of community, too,” John says. He notes that volunteers get first dibs buying the stuff!

“Simple Gifts” rings true. But Gwen likes how the following rolls off the tongue: “Declutter, destress, bless.” Through rummage sales for a cause, that’s exactly what you, too, can do.