The Lord’s Closet Community Thrift Store

About the shop

Small shop. Open door. Generous purpose.

The Lord’s Closet is a 501(c)(3) thrift shop. We exist to make good things affordable, keep useful items in circulation, and turn everyday shopping into community care.

Mission statement

The Lord’s Closet Community Thrift Store exists to serve members of our local community and to raise funds for carefully selected ministries that help those in need and share the Good News of Jesus Christ at home and around the world.

When you shop with us, all profits go directly to support these ministries. At The Lord’s Closet, your donated items and your purchases help further God’s work. And if you’ve never heard the Good News of the Gospel and would like to check it out, click here.

A short history

The Lord’s Closet Community Thrift Store located at 525 Main Street in Griswold, Iowa has been a contributing part of the community for many years. The ministry began as an extension of The Lord’s Cupboard. However, when the incoming donations exceeded the capacity of that ministry location, founder Pat Gwinn, with the help of her husband Buddy, established The Lord’s Closet in a separate building.

After her death in 2009, those left operating the ministry came to really appreciate how much work she had done. More volunteers were added and at one time the ministry had volunteers from almost all of the churches in Griswold. Those numbers greatly decreased during and after COVID, but the ministry is still completely staffed by volunteers who donate their time sorting and pricing items, manning the shop during open hours, and reaching out to the community in other ways.

The ministry of The Lord’s Closet is threefold.

  1. First, all proceeds go to support ministries close to home and around the world that seek to help those in need and share the Good News of Jesus Christ. The Lord’s Closet is a 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to support other ministries with the proceeds earned in the shop. A list of those ministries can be found in the Our Partners section below.
  2. Second, all Bibles, Christian books, and homeschooling materials are free and our low prices, color-of-the-week sales, and fill-a-bag sales are a blessing to all of our shoppers. Additionally, household items and clothing are provided free of charge to those experiencing an urgent need, such as in the case of fire or other disaster, and free merchandise certificates are passed out annually for Back-to-School and Christmas.
  3. Third, the shop provides Griswold and surrounding community residents a convenient opportunity to give to others by donating their gently used clean clothing and other household items for resale. See our Donate page for more information if you have donations.

If you would like more information about the ministry of The Lord’s Closet, please stop by during our regular hours, Saturdays 10–Noon, and we’d love to share the vision.

Our Partners

Funds raised by sales at The Lord’s Closet support Christian ministry partners close to home and around the world. These partners are supplying aid and God’s Word to people who might otherwise never know of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Here’s a list of our ministry partners:

Open Door Mission

Open Door Mission is a Gospel Rescue Mission founded in 1954 committed to breaking the cycle of homelessness and poverty. Each day, Open Door Missions’ campus offers 917 safe, shelter beds to people experiencing homelessness, serves over 5,366 nutritious meals to feed the hungry, and provides homeless preventive resources to more than 1,270 people living in poverty to empower them to remain in their own homes. In addition, we offer more than 40 free programs and services to the community, providing pathways to stability, self-sufficiency and hope.

Open Door Mission

Makers and Means

The mission of Makers and Means is to bring together those indigenous pastors that are currently doing Gospel work around the world with those in the U.S. who desire to finance that Gospel work.

Makers and Means

LC Clinic

LC Clinic is a pregnancy medical clinic that provides free and confidential services. Located in Stuart, Creston, and Atlantic Iowa, they help clients navigate their sexual health, providing them with information for their health decisions, as well as STI testing, pregnancy testing, and limited obstetric ultrasounds.

LC Clinic

PCSI

Pregnancy Center of Southwest Iowa (PCSI) is a Christ-centered ministry serving women and men who are facing an unplanned pregnancy. The ministry provides nurturing support and advice before, during and after pregnancy. PCSI was founded in 2003. Since then, many volunteers have helped numerous women choose life for their babies by either accepting their role as a parent or giving their baby up for adoption. In John 10:10 Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” PCSI exists for the same purpose: to facilitate abundant life for parents and babies.

PCSI

Other outreaches

Bibles, homeschool materials, Christian books, and The Lord’s Closet merchandise certificates arranged on a table

Our Local Ministry Outreach:

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