By Rick Abercrombie
On August 1, St. Andrews Optimists hosted Nick Charalambous, Donor Relations Officer for Oliver Gospel Mission. Charalambous recounted the history of the Mission and outlined its current services to the Midlands.
Oliver Gospel Mission traces its origin back to 1888, when Rev. Robert Oliver purchased property on the corner of Taylor and Assembly Streets in downtown Columbia. It was Rev. Oliver’s desire to serve and uplift unhoused men, women, and children, reflecting the love of Christ for all people, regardless of circumstances.
In 1978, after many decades of gradual development, the Mission hired its first official Director.
From that point on, a three-step process was put in place to raise the fortunes and lives of the Mission’s clients. Those steps, all of which require work on the part of clients, are:
Refresh: to encounter the unhoused people of the Midlands in whatever conditions they find themselves and to offer transitional housing, clothing, and food. The short-term goal is to establish a sense of equilibrium in which the clients have their existential needs taken care of and in which they can settle in to the rehabilitation process with clear heads and some sense of relief.
Recovery/Renew: to “offer support and shelter for men and women overcoming addiction, poverty, and housing instability.”
Rebuild: to “help employed men and women who are unhoused stabilize their living situations and take the next step toward independence”
Because situations are so variable, there is no net time limitation on these services. Some measurable full-year 2024 results:
80,103 meals served
36,513 shelter nights
810 men in women in the Refresh phase
132 men and women in the Recovery/Renew phase
58 men and women in Rebuild
1,000 men, women, and children served through all programs
The work of Oliver Gospel Mission receives support from a variety of sources. Some of those are financial donations from corporations, individuals, and grants: donations of goods for a Mission-operated thrift store; purchasing coffee from the Mission grinding and roasting operation; and donations of clothing suitable for outfitting job interviewees. There are also numerous tasks for volunteers.
Pictured are Optimist speaker sponsor John Manjounes, Nick Charalambous, and Club Vice President Larry Blosser.
