Thrifty Through Christ

Berniece Gerken has a spot.

Her spot doesn’t have a nameplate. It’s not an office with a door. But everyone knows that chair by that table in that backroom, that’s where Berniece sits and does her work.

She can’t remember how long the spot has been hers. In fact, Berniece can’t remember exactly how long she’s been volunteering at the Orange Lutheran Thrift Shop. And she has no problem letting people know why her memory is a bit hazy.

“It’s been so long. Do you realize how old I am? I’m 90 years old. I can’t remember.”

Berniece is just one of many volunteers. Her task – categorizing donated stuffed animals – is a small one. But at the OLu Thrift Shop, every task is a small piece of a colossal puzzle.

Berniece Gerken

It’s been decades since the Thrift Shop came into existence. But with each passing year, the donations get a little greater. The volunteer count creeps a little higher. The money generated for the school increases.

But there are also the relationships that grow each year. The volunteers’ relationships with each other and the team’s relationship with God.

And as long as those relationships thrive, so will the Thrift Shop, the one that they -- and the entire Lancer family -- have grown to love so much.

The OLu Thrift Shop has one major purpose, and that is to raise money for need-based financial aid. All Lancer families that receive financial aid are required to complete a set number of volunteer hours at the Thrift Shop.

But its other purpose, that’s to build camaraderie.

Berniece isn’t the only seasoned veteran volunteering at the Thrift Shop. While there are workers still enjoying their teenage years, there are some in their 80s, 70s, 60s, and so on.

Another pair of seasoned volunteers are Eldon “Nobby” Neben, 80, and his wife Rose, 76, both of whom have been volunteering at the Thrift Shop since the early 70s, after it came into existence in 1969.

Rose Neben

Nobby taught and was an administrator at St. John’s Lutheran School from 1959-1979, before coming to teach at Orange Lutheran from 1979-1998. Rose served as the school nurse at St. John’s from 1968-2005. And with the help of financial aid and the Thrift Shop, they put their seven children – Carlene (first freshman class at OLu, ’73), Marc, Nathan, Lisa, Leon, Jason and Amy – through Orange Lutheran.

Even more impressive is the fact that in the early days of the Thrift Shop, families that received financial aid were not required to work at the store. Nobby and Rose, they just loved it.

“We saw the benefit of a Christian education and if we could in any way continue to help people have that experience, that was and is our motivation,” Nobby said.

Nobby and Rose have also seen five grandchildren go through Orange Lutheran with the support of the Thrift Shop.

“It’s just got in our blood,” Rose said of the Thrift Shop. “We love serving there. We love the people. It’s a way to give back for the blessings we received. It’s a tangible way to say thank you to the Lord.”

The Thrift Shop, in itself, could be defined as a bunch of small shops under one roof. There is a movie section, a book section, an appliance section, and so on. There are clothes for all ages. There is wall art. There are board games. There is an entire furniture wing.

But like with any business, the Thrift Shop saw its ups and downs, most notably in the late 1980s, when the store closed before reopening in 1994 and expanding into its current location in 1998.

“The expansion into the larger store was so significant that I don’t think there is a comparison from then to now,” Nobby said of the store today. “It opened the door for more things that came into the store as well as expanding the sales, with furniture and appliances. That has been the real boost, in terms of what we offer to the public and getting donations.”

In 2014, the store raised $300,000 net, and since 2010, it has raised nearly $2 million for financial aid families.

“The store is a blessing in many ways,” said manager Suzanne Sotelo. “For all of the volunteers, they’re blessed to be able to give back to school. The mission is to help young people learn about Jesus and go to a school where that is the main focus.”

Sotelo came on as the Thrift Shop’s first-ever full-time manager in August of 2011. Her stepdaughter graduated from OLu in 1996, so she is familiar with the school.

But it wasn’t necessarily that familial connection that led her to her current position.

“I go to St. Paul’s Church and I remember praying for the Lord to help me find my path,” said Sotelo, who was looking to come out of early retirement. “I opened the church bulletin and saw the job. And I thought, ‘This is it, this is what I’m supposed to be doing.’

“I needed a job but I also wanted to serve. This fit everything I was looking for.”

Sotelo is just one of many who have found their calling at the Thrift Shop. Another is assistant manager Michele Brown.

“We have over 125 volunteers that come in on a weekly basis to help process donations,” Brown said. “It’s absolutely amazing to see the dedication and the way people give up their time to come help. It’s a big operation and you need every, single person.”

Brown, whose daughter Savannah is a junior at Orange Lutheran, found her way to the Thrift Shop much like Sotelo: through prayer and the desire to serve.

Michelle Brown

“I was looking for a job and I thought to myself, ‘I love that thrift shop,” Brown said, “I’m just going to volunteer until I find a job.’ Then I found out they were hiring here, so I applied and that was it.

“There is a lot of service going on. There are a lot of big hearts. To be part of that is such a privilege.”

Brown, who is nearing her two-year anniversary as assistant manager, already feels ingrained into the fabric of the store, but she is still considered a newbie compared to a few other veterans.

Darrell Dudley sent two boys through Orange Lutheran and has been a volunteer at the Thrift Shop for over a decade.

“I appreciate the Christian schools because there are a lot of other influences that we have to counter,” Dudley said. “So I wanted to be a part of that and join this place. It’s about the people here and what we’re doing to help kids go to Orange Lutheran that otherwise might not be able to. We don’t want to exclude individuals from our school that might not have the finances.

“Everyone here works hard for the school. That’s what I get joy out of.”

In turn, Dudley and other volunteers have found friendship, a support system, and fulfillment through working towards a common goal.

“We support each other,” Sotelo said. “We pray together every morning. And when the kids come to do their hours, it’s a blessing to them because there are people here that lived long lives and can share their walk with Christ with the students. And they’re also serving the community. Hopefully, we all have an impact on each other.”

At the heart of the Thrift Shop is the emphasis on the importance of a Christ-centered education.

In Nobby’s estimation, having been a teacher and administrator under the umbrella of Christian education, attending Orange Lutheran is about more than preparing for college. It’s about preparing for life.

“It’s important to have a Christian foundation in life, regardless of what you are doing in the future,” Nobby said. “Regardless of what they learned during their time at Lutheran High, it gave them a foundation that they could apply to their entire life.”

As Nobby and Rose continue into their fifth decade of Thrift Shop volunteering, they have no plans to slow down.

“How long will we do it? As long as we’re physically able,” Rose said. “It’s part of our life.”

As long as the Thrift Shop is around, so will be its volunteers. So will be Berniece and Darrell. So will be Suzanne. So will be the next batch of volunteers to carry the torch.

And so will be the Nebens.

“Parents, with tears in their eyes, still thank us for doing what we do,” Rose said. “Parents tell us all the time that their kids would not be able to attend without the Thrift Shop.

“That just warms your heart. That lets you know why you do it.”