Interview: Why we run a charity shop supporting Open Doors

A charity shop in Northern Ireland gives all its profits to the work of Open Doors. Will and Margaret explain what’s behind the idea.

Will and Margaret run Hope Unwrapped, an independent charity shop in Coleraine, Northern Ireland. What makes it so special is this: they donate their profits to the work of Open Doors, and have done for nine years. In this interview, Will and Margaret explain what inspires them to support the persecuted church this way – and some of the most unusual things that have been donated to the shop!

What is Hope Unwrapped?

Will: Hope Unwrapped is an independent charity shop. We also help the community with bringing volunteers into the shop here – maybe between jobs, and needing a little time out to get into the right place to become employed.

We set the charity shop up here about nine years ago. We formerly ran the business next door, which was a furniture manufacturing business and decided to become semi-retired – and now work harder than ever!

We sell everything from a needle to an anchor. We got an elephant once – an elephant-shaped footstool, that is. Probably the most unusual thing coming into the shop was a set of false teeth! Obviously, we didn’t try to get a customer for those.

Why does Hope Unwrapped choose to support Open Doors?

Will: Hope Unwrapped supports Open Doors because what is happening in the world today in persecution is so striking, and really strikes into our heart when we think about what people are going through. When we see some of the persecuted people, hear their stories, get their prayers, our hearts are really touched for those people.

Margaret: I’m so struck by the faith of the persecuted church. You read the stories about persecution that they’re under and you think – wow, their faith is so strong. To be able to reach out and support that faith – we’re only a tiny cog in the wheel – is a privilege.

When did you first come across Christian persecution?

Will: We had a friend who used to travel with Open Doors. He would tell us, “Keep this under your hat, but I’m going to such-and-such a country. I can’t take a Bible with me, but I’m memorising different verses of Scripture to take with me.” So that was probably our first proper encounter with Christian persecution.

Margaret: We were learning about Open Doors at that stage – about 15 years ago.

What led to Hope Unwrapped being set up?

Margaret: God! We knew that God wanted us to try a new direction. We prayed and we started looking for a way forward – we prayed for a month, at that stage. Then we came up with a couple of possible charities that were on our hearts, including Open Doors. The more we heard about Open Doors, the more we felt that that was the way forward.

We really felt God leading us. There were things we prayed for that happened – that confirmed God’s hand in it.

Are there particular stories from the persecuted church that inspire you?

Will: One of the stories that stayed with me – perhaps because you see it on TV – is the kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls in Nigeria. And that’s been the norm there for years. You hear about more and more kidnappings of women and children – and, through Open Doors, you also hear about the ones who are released. But sometimes, of course, they aren’t released.

Thinking about the work of Open Doors, I think about so many stories. There are so many incidents of people who are living in fear, but yet have a faith that is amazing. It really makes me question my own faith, sometimes, when I see how strong these people actually are and how trusting in faith – in many ways it’s helped me to trust more.

What impact do you hope the shop is having for persecuted believers?

Will: When I look at the magazine, it always comes with a letter – saying, say, £30 will do XYZ. And I think, “We were able to send £6,000 last month! That’s an awful lot of thirty pounds.” I’m glad that it’s making a difference. That’s where I see my impact.

I don’t know the individual persecuted Christians and what they’ll receive – a Bible, or a safe house, or whatever. We’re happy to churn away and do our bit, as long as God allows us and gives us the health to do so. At the end of the day, we know that the money is doing good – we don’t need to know more than that.

And it gives us an opportunity to mention Open Doors when customers ask us where the money goes to. We give them an Open Doors magazine and tell them about what the charity does. It’s amazing the response that you get from people. Hopefully, through that, Open Doors will become better known and better supported.

Margaret: I think Open Doors is becoming more known around here, because of the shop. We do what we can, and we trust God to bring people to us.

What message would you give to Open Doors supporters looking to fundraise?

Margaret: If you feel in your heart that you want to do something to raise money for Open Doors, I would say – go for it! God will take you through it. When we started, we didn’t know anything about how to run a charity shop. We knew how to run a furniture shop, but not a charity shop – so it was a new step. We wouldn’t be here if it hadn’t been God’s leading, step by step.

Who knows – maybe there will be more shops to come. Maybe more people will want to follow our lead!

Will: And we want people to know that we’re here, and to let the Open Doors community know that they can visit us – anytime we’re open!

You can visit the Hope Unwrapped shop in Coleraine.