Sharing House Ministry History

According to Lib Provence in the TCM - Sharing House by-laws, the purpose of the ministry "shall be to serve Christ by ministering to people in crisis so they may become "whole" persons. The task will be not only that of meeting need through the distribution of food, clothing, & other material assistance, but also ministering to the causes as well as the effects of poverty, where possible, so that crisis will be diminished & people will become well in body, mind, & soul."

In March 1981, extensive renovations began on an old, empty, two-story boarding house called the "Webb House" located at 500 North Caldwell Street. The house which once served as a dormitory for Brevard College was originally constructed of stone rubble (ca. 1900). The owner of the "Webb House," Joe. W. Keller, initially donated the building rent free to TCM - Sharing House for 18 months which later became 3 years. Hundreds of volunteers refurbished the old abandoned house under the fervent leadership of Lorene Osborne. TCM - Sharing House continued to serve the local community needs at this same location until May 21, 1989 when a new 10,000 square-foot facility was completed in our present location.

On May 3, 1981, TCM - Sharing House invited the local community to attend its official open house, even though TCM - Sharing House had been serving the community needs since early April. The Reverend Joseph (Joe) R. Henry the Executive Director, the Board of Directors, & the Advisory Council welcomed 400 visitors from the community who brought food, cleaning supplies, & paper goods for use in the crisis ministry to assist the many needy families in Transylvania County.

In its first month of operation, TCM - Sharing House served over 100 families representing over 300 persons, by providing food, clothing, medical assistance, counseling, & other crisis services through the dedicated assistance of over 70 active volunteers. By September 1981, 270 families representing over 800 persons had received assistance from 80 active volunteers representing 25 member churches in Transylvania County. In the next 2 years (1981-1983), over 1,200 families had received crisis assistance from TCM - Sharing House.

In August, 1983, Reverend Patricia Pepper assumed the leadership role as the new Executive Director of TCM - Sharing House (1983-1990). Under Lib Provence's Chairwomanship & Pat Pepper's Executive Directorship, TCM - Sharing House's participating church membership grew to 30 churches with over 100 active volunteers. During this time, TCM - Sharing House was serving around 350 needy families a month. Also during this time, Lib Provence & Pat Pepper jointly developed the Adopt-A-Family, Christmas program & the Duke Power, Share the Warmth program.

In December 1984, Lib Provence's 3 year term as Chairwoman of the TCM - Sharing House Board of Directors came to completion. Lib Provence was publicly honored by the TCM Advisory Council of for her instrumental leadership role in the formative years of the TCM - Sharing House ministry. Until her death in 2001, Lib Provence continued to be an influential driving force behind TCM - Sharing House.

In June 1987, the TCM - Sharing House Board of Directors began to explore the possibility of relocating the crisis ministry to a larger facility. Over the years, TCM - Sharing House had steadily outgrown the existing rented facility located at 500 North Caldwell. A $350,000 capital fund campaign was initiated with donations primarily coming from the 34 participating member churches, private donations, & foundation grants for a 10,000 square-foot facility located on a 1 acre tract at the corner of Oakdale street & Duckworth avenue. The 1 acre tract was purchased for $30,000. The new facility would allow existing TCM - Sharing House services to be conveniently consolidated on one floor with adequate space for future expansion of ministry services & additional parking space available for volunteers & persons seeking crisis assistance.

During that time, TCM - Sharing House had served 4,992 households, providing 1,557 families with 3,118 bags of food & a further 3,101 families with clothing. More than 600 families received household items & rent assistance of $12,646 was given to 118 families. Heating aid totaling $47,229 was provided to 571 families & 313 wood loads were distributed. Pat Pepper stated, "With 900 families in Transylvania County depending on some form of welfare for survival - We have a lot of people in this county who are living at the poverty level or below" & "This community has two distinct groups - the haves & the have nots - it's difficult for people to accept the fact that a large section of the community is impoverished."

On Valentine's Day, February 14, 1988, the TCM - Sharing House capital fundraising drive had it's kickoff rally at the First Baptist Church with the goal of raising $350,000 over 3 years. On February 27, the First United Methodist Church held a Gospel Singing Benefit with the "Calico Chorus" to raise funds for the new facility. The "Capital Fundraising Drive" received $5,000 from the Duke Power Foundation, $1,500 from the Brevard Lion's Club, $9,660 from St. Philip's Episcopal Church, and $250 from the employees of First Union National Bank for the construction of the new ministry facility. TCM - Sharing House received an additional $145,000 in individual pledges. Later, DuPont Inc. donated 700 square yards of carpeting for the new facility and Duke Power donated a desperately needed washer & dryer.

On Father's Day, June 19, 1988, the groundbreaking ceremonies for the new TCM - Sharing House facility were held with an open invitation to the entire community. At this time, the capital fund drive had raised around $197,000 with volunteers working very hard to raise the remaining $153,000. The Cochran Construction Company prepared the site groundwork & constructed the building's exterior shell, but entire interior of the new facility was completed through the dedicated service of numerous wonderful volunteers.

On May 21, 1989, the new TCM - Sharing House facility had its official dedication & open house. By this time, the volunteers from 35 participating member churches representing 9 denominations had raised $294,000 of the $350,000 capital fund drive. Pat (Pepper) Orr publicly thanked Joe Keller, Steve Cochran (contractor), Sam Brewton (architect), Dan Roess (heating), Dan Bennett (Electrician), Bill Ives (plumbing), Bill Boggs (project director), Ray Jenkins (landscaping), Rob Goins (sign), & many other dedicated volunteers.

In November 1990, Reverend William Brock assumed the leadership role as the new Executive Director of TCM - Sharing House (1990-1992). William Brock had served for 28 years as the director of chaplaincy at two hospitals in Jacksonville, Florida. During that month, TCM - Sharing House had served 529 families by giving $5,000 to help pay for such services as housing, utilities, medication, & heating. William Brock wanted to expand the existing services at TCM - Sharing House to encourage people to better help themselves by becoming more self-sufficient. He stated, "Real help is when someone helps another to help herself or himself" & "Being responsible with people instead of being responsible for people."

On February 17, 1991, TCM - Sharing House conducted a "Service of Celebration & Dedication" for their "Mortgage Burning Ceremony" which was attended by 120 community leaders & dedicated volunteers. The Capital Fund Campaign to finance the new facility had reached a goal of $300,000 due to the many wonderful people who believed in the ministry. Burning the Mortgage were Mary Cowal (Board Chairwoman); William Brock (Executive Director); Bob French (Advisory Council Chairman); & Lib Provence (Capital Fund Chairwoman). During this time the parking lot was paved with asphalt, but another parking lot remaining unpaved & the facility basement was not finished. Then on September 9, 1991, TCM - Sharing House celebrated its 10th Anniversary at the First United Methodist Church. Lib Provence stated, "Each of us can marvel in the miracle that in ten brief years over $1,200,000, tons of clothes, & thousands of hours have been contributed by caring persons to minister to 32,000 families in crisis."

In January 1993, Reverend Beth Glass assumed the leadership role as the new Executive Director of TCM - Sharing House (1993-1999). At this time, approximately 25% (6,500 individuals or 2,000 families) of the entire population in Transylvania County lived below the federal poverty level.

In 1994, TCM - Sharing House had 6,825 individual visits representing more than 2,000 local families, where 4,445 people received clothing, 1,605 people received food, & 1,417 people received financial assistance. TCM - Sharing House annual expenditures totaled $182,584. In July 1994, 19 local restaurants participated in the Sharing with Sharing House I program by donating 10% of their one day gross tax deductible sales.

In 1995, TCM - Sharing House had 6,696 individual visits representing more than 2,000 local families, where 4,500 people received clothing, 1,630 people received food, & 1,480 people received financial assistance. TCM - Sharing House annual expenditures totaled $199,925. In July 1995, 24 local restaurants participated in the Sharing with Sharing House II program by donating 10% of their one day gross tax deductible sales.

In February 1996, TCM - Sharing House began program research for a Life Skills Ministry, a Family Partners Ministry, & a Transitional Housing Ministry. The goal of these ministries was to enhance the basic life skills of low-income families through job readiness training, financial management, & nutritional cooking so that families could become increasingly self-sufficient through cooperative partnership with local churches. These ministries were later combined to become the current Family Partners for Independence program.

In March 1996, TCM - Sharing House developed the Good Samaritan Loan Fund (Elizabeth Provence Loan Fund) which was intended to make small, non-interest loans to persons in our local community who would not qualify for bank loans. In April 1996, Harold Carr became the Financial Administrator for TCM - Sharing House. By July 1996, 15 Good Samaritan loans ranging from $180 to $2,500 had been approved for car repairs, tuition fees, business costs, & home repairs, totaling $21,800. Also, the Sharing with Sharing House III program was expanded to include retail merchants, local restaurants & all those who wanted to support crisis assistance by donating 10% of their one day gross sales as a tax deduction. In 1996, TCM - Sharing House had 6,779 individual visits (296 new people) representing more than 2,000 local families, where 4,590 people received clothing, 1,714 people received food (4161 bags), & 1,326 people received financial assistance.

In July 1997, the Sharing with Sharing House IV program had 45 participating local restaurants & retail merchants who donated more than $3,000 to TCM - Sharing House for the crisis assistance ministry. In September 1997, Hollis Andersen assumed the role as the new TCM - Sharing House, Assistant Director. In 1997, TCM - Sharing House had 6,396 individual visits (288 new people) representing more than 2,000 local families, where 4,127 people received clothing, 1,570 people received food (3930 bags), & 1,433 people received financial assistance.

In August 2000, Delores Littleson became the interim Director & accepted the position of Executive Director in June 2001. During this time TCM - Sharing House was in a difficult financial situation. At the same time the community was changing & the 3 major employers in Transylvania County, Ecusta, Agfa, & Coats, began the historic retrenchment of workers. The number of people seeking assistance through TCM - Sharing House soared. Difficult decisions were made in order to keep the ministry financially viable & at the same time meet the increased needs of those who lost jobs. In the years since then, TCM - Sharing House has grown tremendously through the ongoing support of multiple individuals, foundations & churches of various denominations.

In September 2003, Linda McCready became the current Executive Director of TCM - Sharing House. Currently, TCM - Sharing House serves about 1,200 Transylvania County families each year through its various crisis assistance ministries. TCM - Sharing House is supported by 33 member churches in the General Assembly. In addition, many individuals lend support through donations of food & clothing as well as monetary donations. TCM - Sharing House has over 150 volunteers who share their time & talents to help with the 2,000 requests for assistance made each year.

In January 2006, new procedures for assisting low-income individuals & families have been established in an effort to promote long-term financial stability. A five-year strategic plan has been developed to assure that the ministry of TCM - Sharing House remains fiscally viable & effective for the population served.

"Living Faith in Loving Action" Matthew 25:35-40