The roots of Open Hands run a bit further back than nine years. In early 2012 a group of members from Bethany United Methodist Church completed a 32-week Disciple Bible study led by Pastor David Talbert. A recurring theme that we found in scripture was God’s call to feed those who are hungry. We interpreted this to mean both spiritual and physical hunger. Even as the Bible study was happening we b
egan hosting monthly “Free Meal Mondays” at Bethany, feeding all our neighbors who would come. Through this ministry we forged friendships with people who lived at the Economy Inn of Lexington, ten miles away from Bethany UMC. Despite the distance, we felt a spiritual kinship and closeness. We were assured of a call to be friends and neighbors with our new acquaintances in Lexington. When the weather became warmer we hosted a series of cookouts at the Economy Inn, sharing hot dogs, hamburgers, children’s activities, and God’s love together. At Christmas of 2012 several members of Bethany UMC went Christmas caroling at the Economy Inn, bearing gifts and good will. With our hearts turned toward our friends, we prayed about a way to have a weekly meal and worship experience together. After much prayer and a season of seeking God’s will, we asked Wesley Heights UMC to partner with us and serve as the host site for Open Hands –the name we gave to the weekly meal, music, and message event. They opened their doors to us. We met for the first time on March 11, 2013 with 14 people in attendance (plus invited guests). From the very beginning, the hallmarks of Open Hands have included: everyone is welcome; everyone matters; the world needs more grace and less judgment. We practice these beliefs in our worship, our decision-making, and our daily living. We are empowered to do so by the love of God experienced in the sacraments of baptism and communion. God led us to the Lexington Church of God. The people of the church graciously joined our effort and we became partners in ministry. The love of God tied us together in mission. We began meeting at LCOG in October of 2013. As we have met there we have seen attendance steadily grow on Monday nights, reaching a high of 257 for our Christmas 2015 celebration. Along with growth in attendance, we have also grown in the number of individuals and churches that have become part of the ministry team. In December 2013 a Board of Directors was formed to advise this growing ministry. We hired Bob Harmon to be our Open Hands Director, and overseer of daily operations. On January 27, 2014 we opened Mercy Station Matthew at 506-C National Blvd in Lexington. We were at this site until April of 2016 when we opened Mercy Station Stephen at St. Stephen United Methodist Church. We entered into a partnership to utilize part of St. Stephen as our newest Mercy Station that gave us a better location and enabled us to serve more people. This site is open Monday thru Thursday for the purpose of Bible study, hot meals, family food boxes, street food for those with no way to cook, devotions, prayer, connecting neighbors with needed resources, fellowship, and a myriad number of God’s other purposes in Davidson County. In April of 2017 we began serving breakfast on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at Mercy Station Stephen for our friends on the street. (Breakfast is available at the Salvation Army on Tuesday and Thursday.) In October 2016 we opened a new Monday Night worship site at First Reformed United Church of Christ in Uptown Lexington. This has opened up new avenues where more people are serving and being served. In 2018 we began a formal partnership with Soul Food in Albemarle to begin a new Mercy Station model which we named Grace Place to serve the people in Stanly County. This is the next step in showing More Grace… Less Judgment to more of God’s children. We are very excited about the success of this Grace Place as we expand our service to new areas. Loaves and Fishes Food Ministry began in August 2019. With this ministry, we are able to better serve our friends who are unable to come to Mercy Station during the week. They are open on Saturday Mornings from 10AM until noon. They have been a wonderful addition to our family. This provides perishable foodstuffs as well as staples to our friends. They can visit Loaves & Fishes twice a month. This provides them with a wonderful supplement to their household food needs. In December of 2019, we began developing a program in Albemarle in partnership with the Stanly County Health Department that strives to help our friends who are struggling with their addictions and health issues. Uwharrie Harm Reduction Initiative (UHRI) serves our friends in Stanly County who are struggling with opioid addiction. We provide safe injection supplies as well as topical antibiotics, sterile water, and other items that help keep them safe. We also provide naloxone to our friends to reverse overdoses quickly. By providing naloxone to people who are using, we have helped to decrease the average number of opioid overdose transport by Stanly County EMS from 45 per month to 11. We also provide fentanyl test strips which enables our friends to know if the drugs they are using have been laced with fentanyl. The bottom line of all of our services is to guide our friends to detox and rehab in order for them to be released from the chains of addiction and resume a healthy lifestyle with the opportunity to prosper. We have also opened up a small clinic where our friends can be tested for HIV, Hep A &C, STDs, and other diseases that are common in that population. February 2021 brought a new opportunity for us to serve our friends. We began a Saturday Free Lunch program with First Reformed UCC in Lexington. This gives our friends an opportunity for at least one meal seven days a week. As you can see, so much has happened in this short amount of time. As we celebrate our young age we also appreciate the opportunity that is before us. God’s grace is laced through and among the lives of all the people of Davidson and Stanly Counties. God desires an end to cycles of brokenness and despair that have haunted so many for so long. We believe that God is calling Open Hands to be a big part of the word of grace that he speaks to his beloved people. With that in mind we will continue to seek ways to expand opportunities for employment, increase the presence of Mercy Stations and worship sites, pray for new ways to help those in need, assist in helping our friends find sobriety, and give glory and honor to God in all that we do. From early on, we have stuck to the motto of More Grace … Less Judgment. All of us have been fallen short but with the grace that God has available to us all we want to share that grace with those who are part of our community. We do not judge where any of us have been, but we celebrate the grace that is available to us. In March, 2022, we changed our name from Open Hands of Davidson County, INC to Open Hands of North Carolina, INC. to better reflect our regional coverage. Not one bit of this would be possible without the committed volunteers who give many hours to make Open Hands happen. Some assist with food service; some clean; some drive vans; some play in the band; some serve daily at Mercy Station; some greet; some prepare and serve breakfast in their love of Christ and neighbor. Beyond hearing the gospel call of sacrifice and servanthood, they are living it out through Open Hands of North Carolina. We salute all of our wonderful volunteers. It is an honor and a privilege to serve Christ alongside each of you. We have undergone many changes over the years and the future will bring more ministries to serve our friends. Please keep Open Hands in your prayers as we continue our journey.
