Mission Statement

The House of the Carpenter, Inc. is organized as a ministry related to the West Virginia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, whose purpose is to minister to the needs of people who are poor, oppressed, and suffering, and to be an advocate for community change when social, economic and political systems adversely affect the lives of people.

History

In 1962, when bread was 10 cents a loaf and the Ohio Valley’s economy was strong, there still were people who were hungry. A group of church leaders dreamed of an urban mission project that would help these people, as well as anyone who was in need. Their dream became a reality in 1964 when The House of the Carpenter, named for Jesus of Nazareth, the carpenter’s son, began operating from a two-room storefront on Wheeling Island.

The vision of the clergy and lay leaders who founded The House of the Carpenter was immediately validated. Homeless people, families with small children and older people flocked to us for help. We grew so quickly that we had to move to larger quarters in a rambling Victorian house at 21 North Front Street. For three decades the need for our services grew exponentially, to the point that we could not effectively serve all the people who needed our help without a new, larger facility.

Following a Capital Campaign and building construction, we moved in to our partially completed headquarters in December 2000.