Pantry leader retiring

CELINA - The Rev. Tim Clutter will step down as executive director of CALL Ministries at the end of September.

Closing in on nearly a decade as the face of the nonprofit organization that has grown to provide myriad services to the down-and-out in Mercer County, Clutter said God has called on him to move in another direction.

"I have to close the door before he opens up the next one. I've got to take that step in faith, so I look forward to seeing what he has in store," Clutter told CALL board of directors on Tuesday afternoon.

Board president Beck Fullenkamp said CALL Ministries founded in 1990 has been very blessed to have Clutter as its director.

"Tim has taken this to a level that we as a board would never have imagined, and we certainly enjoyed the ride that he has taken us on," she said.

By making the announcement now, Clutter said the board will have six months to seek out, hire and train his successor. The board's first step is to pray for guidance in finding a godly person to lead the ministry who is both a servant and a leader, he said.

"It will take quite a bit of effort and time to extract myself from the organization, so I am targeting my last day as Sept. 30, 2018, or sooner if the board so desires," Clutter said.

Clutter, who previously had worked at Mercer Landmark in Celina and retired in January 2007 from Range Kleen Manufacturing in Lima, was appointed CALL's executive director in May 2009, taking over for the Rev. Kenny Baker. At the time the ministry was a food pantry. But with the board's willingness, it has since expanded considerably, adding a clothing pantry, backpack program, summer meals program and numerous other ministries.

"No one individual does it by themself," he said. "You need a board that has God in the center of their prayer life, and you need an organization with God in the center."

CALL Ministries is truly a community organization that relies on donors for funding and about 80 regular volunteers, he said. Its headquarters are at 420 N. Brandon Ave., Celina. The food pantry provides more than 500 families each month with enough food to make 42,000 meals, according to Clutter.

"In March 2010, we moved all the operations into our current Brandon Avenue location with the help of many, many volunteers," Clutter said. "This dramatically increased the privacy of the clients entering and leaving the food pantry."

The new facility, with 30 percent more space than its former location off Main Street, saw an immediate 25 percent increase in senior citizen visits. St. John Builders built the food pantry and office areas while Ray's Refrigeration donated and installed the heating and air-conditioning units, Clutter pointed out.

Placing their faith in God over the government, Clutter said CALL Ministries in November 2011 severed ties with the West Ohio Food Bank so organizers could begin requiring proof of low-income status - something they couldn't do while tied to the government-run organization.

"Families using the food pantry almost instantly dropped 40 percent when we asked them to verify their income while family sizes decreased dramatically when we asked for Social Security cards."

The board came up with a new food distribution system in March 2012 that takes into account family income and size.

"We were giving more than double the food to families that we know really needed the food," he said.

The board's finances grew to the point where the board began purchasing food in bulk in 2012, leading to savings of up to $45,000 annually, Clutter said, crediting the publicity generated by media, speaking engagements, tours and word of mouth.

"God then began to bless the organization with a continual blooming of new ministries, new volunteers and new resources," Clutter said, pointing to the clothing pantry, backpack program, summer meals program, CALL Cafe, homeless hotel program and other ministries and initiatives.