HISTORY OF OPEN DOOR COMMUNITY HOUSE, INC.

Ms. Addie Greeley, a deaconess in the Methodist Church, and Miss Lizzie Evans came to Columbus in 1924 and began doing children’s programming in the basement of Hamp Stevens Methodist Church, in North Highlands. They believed that the community needed a way to respond to the suffering experienced after one of the largest textile mills operating in the area closed and the people were in great need.

Mrs. George (Weeta) Watts Mathews was waiting for the need to be identified. She insisted that space be provided to minister to the needs of the community, so a small cottage at the rear of Hamp Stevens was donated. Mrs. Mathews organized a small group, which included Mr. Jess Schrimshire and Mrs. Ralph King. The group bonded and set about working together to run the active community center.

The original group raised $10,000 -- in 1935! -- during the depression, to operate the donated facility. A day nursery provided child care for women who were able to find work. Room was also for compact living quarters for Miss Greeley. This work was the beginning of the Mathews Promise Academy after-school program ministry of Open Door, still operating and growing in 2024!

In just two years, the work of Open Door had outgrown its original location and additional volunteers needed space to conduct their various duties.

Mrs. Mathews dreamed of a more abundant life for the people in the area and sought to provide life-enriching experiences. As the activity at Open Door continued to increase, the need for more space was evident. The space available was just too small to provide more services, so when she spotted a tiny dilapidated church, the Northern Methodist Church, she envisioned more for Open Door. The Northern Methodist Conference was asked to rent the building at 2700 Second Avenue to Open Door and agreed to do so at a rate of $1 per year.

Volunteers completely renovated the building and the name “Open Door” was chosen. A depiction of Christ knocking at a door was erected as a sign. The formal opening at 2700 Second Avenue was on January 31, 1938.

With the move into the new building, developing the spiritual life of individuals became the emphasis and mission of Open Door.

Mrs. King was responsible for finances. She was quoted as saying, “I was to handle finances -- of which there were none.” Saturday morning clothing sales helped pay utility bills and the committee was proud to say, “They were never turned off!”

Mrs. Mathews noticed an abandoned brick two-story fire station at 2400 Second Avenue. She and other volunteers visualized the nursery, the scout room, the kitchen, the auditorium, the sewing room, and living quarters for staff in that fire station. A representative group met with the Columbus City Commission on May 10, 1951, to ask to buy the old fire station, even though no funds were available at the time. City Manager J.A. Willman informed the group the building had been appraised for $9,500.

Mrs. Mathews remarked that they were not interested in the building, but would pay $5,000 for the lot. Mrs. King admitted that she blanched at the thought of coming up with $5,000 to close the deal because she was well aware that they were operating on a hand-to-mouth budget. But Mrs. Mathews was a lady of great faith. She believed that her God was a supplying God who created people, directed their lives, and did not leave them to carry out His commandments unaided.

The Methodist Church had been unified by this time and, in the confusion, the committee members mistakenly assumed that the building they were currently leasing from the Northern Conference now belonged to Open Door and sold it for $5,000. Needless to say, they encountered a few legal problems. This experience led them to establish a Board of Directors to include a lawyer to help prevent future legal entanglements and to establish local ownership of the building.

A fundraising campaign began on February 14, 1953. The slogan ”Open your heart to the Open Door.”

Mrs. Mathews was ill and could not attend the kick-off of the new building, but her words to the volunteers were inspirational: “May you feel that you are giving each person you visit an opportunity to invest in the Kingdom of God.”

Mrs. Mathews died on May 31, 1953, but the committee was inspired to complete the work she had put so much of herself into. The money for the gym was raised. The gym was dedicated in February 1955 by Bishop Moore as the “Weeta Watts Mathews Memorial Gymnasium.” At the dedication ceremony of the gymnasium, Bishop Moore said, “A door is a lovely thing. Jesus said, ‘I am the Door.’ The door is so wide that all who need the Savior’s care can come in, so narrow that it will shut out all sin.”

In 1967 the operating budget was $24,000 with four full-time workers, one half-time worker, and many volunteers. The 1969 budget included raises for all full-time workers and rose to $30,000.

In 1986, Open Door began providing residential care for young women, some escaping abusive situations, others needing a safe place to land and stabilize.

In 1994, the Board of Directors took a step of faith. The building needed repair and refurbishment. Rather than repairing the old, the vision of a new building for Open Door was presented. A capital fund drive was begun, and this drive raised 3.2 million dollars. The result of this campaign is the current facility of Open Door Community House, Inc., at 2405 Second Avenue.

In 1995, Open Door had eight full-time staff members and three part-time staff members. Programs Open Door have run the gamut in ages from nursery school to Golden Agers.

Many valuable programs were started at the present Open Door facility and spun off to thrive on their own in the community, such as the Interfaith Food Bank, Columbus Jobs Council, Muscogee Area Literacy Association, Columbus Day Care, and the Alliance for Battered Women.

In 2001, Open Door stepped out in faith to create the Showering Program for the Homeless as that population in Columbus was in dire need of a facility such as this to prepare for job interviews and the job market. This ministry operated as long as the need existed, for 21 years, when the board of directors made the very difficult decision to sunset the program as the need in our neighborhood had greatly dwindled.

In 2008, we moved to the workforce development space with the advent of the culinary arts training program under the leadership of Deaconess Sandi Hortman. In 2024, this ministry continues to grow and train students for the thriving world of culinary businesses in Columbus.

In 2020, the Culinary Incubator began for people interested in starting their own food-basedbusiness in the thriving culinary world in Columbus. When successful, the new business owners create sustainable income and, over time, generational wealth.

In 2010, it was apparent that people and families living in poverty needed a different kind of access to tools, resources, and relationships they currently could not. Open Door made the courageous decision to change all program directions to long-term solutions to poverty through intentional relationships. We found churches to be hungry for this type of change and joined us in this work! This change ushered in the Circles in Columbus initiative, a long-term relationship-centered program to assist families in their hard move out of poverty.

In 2024, we have 24 staff members with a budget of $1.74 million as we continue to be on the cutting edge of program ministries offered in our community to empower impoverished people in our community to reach their full potential as children of God by creating long-term solutions to poverty. While time and growth have brought about many changes, our overall mission has remained the same for women, children, and youth.

Current program ministries include:

1. Circles in Columbus, part of a national initiative to equip families living in poverty

through social capital and connections to vital resources for them to move from just

surviving to thriving;

2. Mathews Promise Academy, the cornerstone ministry of Open Door, and how we

began, providing after-school care for children and youth through reading development,

tutoring, homework assistance, arts/crafts, sports/recreation, field trips, Kids’ Café, and

daily devotionals.

3. The Open Door Institute, provides culinary arts training and financial

literacy/management classes to help individuals obtain training and education for livable

wage employment in the culinary field.

4. The Culinary Incubator, providing business plan development, budgeting, and

resourcing for people who want to start their own culinary business. Soon, a commercial

shared kitchen (through a vital community partner) will provide valuable space to

develop their products and learn about packaging, marketing, and sales.

5. Virginia D. Jackson Home for Women, provides women experiencing homelessness

with a safe space to stabilize and plan for their futures outside of homelessness or

poverty. Women may live with us for up to one year and can house up to ten

women at a time. Sustainable income and permanent housing are the goals for all

residents.

6. Welcome Home, providing rapid rehousing for women with children experiencing

homelessness (and who have the highest barriers to housing such as poor rental

history). We pay for up to six months of housing and all deposits for move-in. One year

of case management is provided.

7. HOME, providing up to two years of rental assistance for women with children

experiencing homelessness who need longer-term assistance to stabilize and be able to

maintain permanent housing.