Medford’s Edify Church drive provides clothing for community, exposure for church

By Crystal Yormick | Correspondent

Sweaters, coats, dresses, shoes and bags line the walls, shelves and tables of the basement of a building on High Street. Although the selection features gently used items as well as clothing with the tags still attached, it is not like other secondhand shopping opportunities — it is entirely free.

The items, donated by church and community members, are part of Edify Church’s fifth clothing drive, which began in November and ended last weekend.

Pastor Britnee Youman said the idea came about when she would offer to have church members look through her closet or give away a piece of clothing she no longer used. It turned into a broader project.

“Me and my husband are givers,” she said. “We give clothing away. We give shoes away. We just give things away to help people. So I think it’s just in our heart to give and to sow into people’s lives.”

Saturday’s event received a rush of about 10 to 15 people that slowed shortly before noon, Britnee said.

The clothing drives have been a way for the 7-year-old nondenominational church to give back to the community and expose it to more people, church members said.

“We wanted to do something that was going to support and bless the community,” said Pastor Eric Youman, Britnee’s husband.

Eric said Edify Church has gained a lot of traction with the community since starting the drives. Volunteers stand outside the drives with signs during the events, but this was not possible Saturday because of the cold weather, he said.

Church member Caterin Hodjikj-Valiente said her experiences at the clothing drives have been uplifting. It differs from shopping at thrift stores like Goodwill or Salvation Army, because the items are all free, she said.

Hodjikj-Valiente and Britnee said people in Medford don’t always need the clothes, but are happy to donate.

“You just hold onto [this stuff], but in these times that I’ve volunteered I’ve seen people that really need it,” Hodjikj-Valiente said. “They walk out of here so happy.”

Maciel Beato, another church member, said a lot of people don’t know where Edify Church is because it’s in a basement. When people come to the drives, she said, they get free items and “they’re also getting some Jesus.”

The church’s operations and services will continue until the end of February, when it plans to leave its High Street location, Britnee said.

People have brought bags of clothes to donate and also have left the drive with bags full of clothes, Britnee said. She recalled one person with six children who found the drive particularly helpful. Another time, a man who had an interview the next week left with a suit.

“We were able to be a blessing to him when it came to that,” Britnee said. “So that warmed my heart.”

The Youmans launched Edify Church in their living room in 2019. They started operating out of Envision Hotel in Everett in 2020 for in-person services for a few weeks before conducting virtual operations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

After the pandemic, it moved to an office space in Everett before finding its current space on High Street, where it has been for just over three years, Britnee said. The congregation is made up of about 30 people.

Edify Church has not yet identified plans for a new location, and there are no plans to move into a new space yet, Britnee said. She said it is not feasible right now to have physical space for the church but plans to continue doing ministry.

Crystal Yormick is a journalism student at Boston University. This story is part of a partnership between Gotta Know Medford and the Boston University Department of Journalism.