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Life OpShop was a vehicle for Life Church, which is located in Mooroopna, to support the community.
“It was about what could we do to help the community,” former manager Sandy Anderson said.
“We noticed there was a need for food and those sorts of things.”
Sandy worked for over 10 years with the op shop, starting as a volunteer, before moving up to assistant manager and eventually stepping into the role of manager.
The shop became more than just cheap clothes and old desks, it was a safe haven for those who needed help.
“It was a safe place,” Sandy said.
“We wanted to make it sort of like a sanctuary.”
Very soon, the church had achieved its goal, providing food and support through local organisations to anyone who walked through its shop doors.
“We had a team of people that were in the shop and then we had a team upstairs,” Sandy said.
“You had that conversation and then this person needs more help, so you sent them upstairs to get that help.”
In October 2022, however, the shop had to pause its services, as the floods were a clear and present danger.
Point of no return: Mills St and Life OpShop during the floods in October 2022.
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Both the church itself and the shop leaped into action, Life Church senior minister Ryan Black said.
“We had a team of people at the op shop trying to lift up things, take out anything that was really valuable that couldn’t be replaced,” he said.
“Really, we didn’t get time, so we sandbagged as much as we could.
“And then we just had to go, we got the half an hour warning.”
That was the last day Life OpShop would open its doors, as the church was left waiting for insurance payments, forcing the shop to close.
“The insurance is the killer for us,” Ryan said.
“The op shop, it was destroyed.
“We are unable to go back in the space at the moment, waiting for insurance companies to come in and support.
“So, that’s in October, we’re in May now — that’s like eight months.”
After months of waiting, Ryan had to decide whether to pay out of pocket for damages or to put an end to 10 years of community support.
“It was a hard decision that had to be made, you know, to shut it down,” he said.
“It just wasn’t financially viable, to keep that up.
“So, yeah, pretty heartbreaking.”
The community support and collective hurt was a devastating blow to the church’s congregation.
“We made a post on Facebook about our closing,” Sandy said.
“People were saying things like, ‘You guys were the core of Mooroopna’.
“It was beautiful to see, you don’t realise what a good job you did at something.
“But it really was heartbreaking for people.”
Closing down: After 10 years, Life OpShop has opened its doors for the last time.
Life Church will not give up, with plans to continue its welfare support when it has access to its church site, which has also been unusable since the floods.
“Life Church is not going to give up on the community,” Ryan said.
“I know welfare is still a priority given that it’s her [Sandy’s] heart, it’s my heart, it’s everyone else in our congregation’s heart; to support people.”
Both Sandy and Ryan want to thank the Mooroopna community for their encouragement over the past 10 years and for being understanding during the shop’s closing.
“We are so grateful for the support and their [community’s] patience and for waiting for us,” Ryan said.
“Just because we’re not there, it doesn’t mean that we don’t care, and we will be helping the best we can.”
To reach out to Life Church or to find out how to support it, head to its Facebook page at facebook.com/LifeChurchACC
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