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By Mike Barnhardt
Enterprise Record

One thing is for certain, the volunteers at A Storehouse for Jesus in Mocksville are dedicated.
If fact, every job at the Storehouse is held by a volunteer. No one has ever been paid to work at the ministry that offers Christian counseling while helping to meet the basic needs of area residents, such as food and clothing, medical care and lifestyle help.
And the place is busy. Dozens of volunteers work there at any one time, helping to serve dozens more who come in for help. Invariably, problems arise.
They go to the executive director.
Marie Collins, the Storehouse founder, held the job for years before handing the title to Debbie Crutchfield. It’s a time-consuming, stressful job.
That’s why the Storehouse is changing its management style.
Now, there are four directors – Collins, Crutchfield, Lori Bostian and Cynthia Baldwin – each responsible for a single day. They report to each other and to the senior director, Dr. David Cline.
“Being the executive director is a significant time commitment and burden of responsibility,” Collins said. “The leadership team remains the same. It’s just a matter of distributing the responsibilities differently.”
“We will always be able to see what the other directors say,” Dr. Cline said. “We all have access to that. This is a model for the future.”
Like many non-profits and civic clubs, the Storehouse leaders worry that not enough young people are seeking that ministry. A one-day commitment allows directors for more time with their families and to do other things.
Crutchfield said the change comes with mixed feelings.
“I’ll miss being here. I love the people,” she said. “But the other side is that the stress level will be much less … and I won’t feel the responsibility of carrying everybody’s burden.”
Already, directors have shown up on their “off” days just to help out.
“It’s hard to get rid of us around here,” Collins said. “It’s a calling on our lives.”
All directors said they have made lifelong friends among fellow volunteers and clients.
Crutchfield admits she was shy when she started to volunteer at A Storehouse, and mostly worked behind the scenes. Then Collins asked her to become the executive director.
“I never thought I was a leader, but God put me in this position.”
“We represent Christ here,” Baldwin said. “We’re serving others and receiving a huge blessing at the same time.”
“A key factor that separates us,” Dr. Cline said, “is that I get to pray with every patient I see. That makes it worthwhile. They’ll tell me things during prayer they won’t tell me when I’m asking medical questions.”
“Anybody can give clothes,” Bostian said, “but clients need hope, they need to know that there is light, that they’re not being judged, that they’re treated like a human being.”
Collins said a misconception is that A Storehouse clients refuse to work. More than 60 percent have jobs, others are elderly. All have trouble making ends meet.
“We’ve seen parents who don’t eat so their kids can eat,” Bostian said. “The stigma affects these people, and it reaches all the way down to their children.”
“It’s a God thing,” Crutchfield. “Everybody here really does become your friends and family.”