Open Door Community House History Timeline 

1924-Addie Greely and Lizzie Evans arrived in Columbus as deaconesses of the Methodist Church and identified the need for childcare for the growing textile mill industry in the North Highland area of Columbus. When the need for childcare for working women was determined, a Bible study and sewing class were quickly added. 

1935 - Open Door began in the basement of Northern Methodist Church, which later became Hamp Stevens Methodist Church. 

1937 - 2700 2nd Avenue was remodeled and transformed into Open Door Community House.  The library at Open Door was opened in October in observance of Children's Book Week. A City Board of Missions was formed, and Mrs. Weeta Watts Mathews was named President. St Luke members Mrs. Weeta Watts Mathews, Mrs. Ralph King, and Mr. Jess Schrimshire raised funds of $10,000 during the Depression to operate the community house activities. 

1938 - Having outgrown the space already, 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 continued to increase, the need for more space was evident. The space was too small to offer additional services, so when she spotted a tiny dilapidated Northern Methodist Church. The Northern Methodist Conference was asked to rent the building at 2700 Second Avenue and agreed to do so at a rate of $1 per year. Open Door Community House was chosen as the name.

1951- An abandoned building at 2400 2nd Ave was purchased for the land for $5000.

Shortly after, the first board of directors was established.

1953 - A fundraising plan was developed for capital to build a gymnasium - "Open your heart to Open Door" was the theme. Mrs. Mathews, though sick at the time, gave a wonderful charge to the volunteers raising funds, “May you feel that you are giving each person you visit an opportunity to invest in the Kingdom of God.” Mrs. Mathews passed in May of 1953, and the gym was named in her honor.

1967 the budget was $24,000 with 4 full-time staff and 1 part-time. 1969 the budget increased to $30,000

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 again 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 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. This ministry continues today training participants for careers in the culinary/hospitality industry.

In 2010, it was apparent that people and families living in poverty need access to tools, resources, and relationships. The Board made a courageous decision to change all program directions to long-term solutions to poverty through intentional relationships. Churches and others in the community were 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

The end of 2019, the children’s library was renovated by volunteers, putting a smile on the volunteer reading program coordinator, Mrs. Beth Kirven’s face.

2020 brought COVID-19, Golden Agers was unable to exist as transporting the seniors to Open Door was not an option. The commodities portion of this ministry continues today providing fresh fruits and veggies to seniors. On the heels of COVID, The Culinary Incubator began.

2023 began The Sunday Lunch annual fundraising event, replacing the 36 yearlong Classic 5K Walk/Run event. Partnership with The Food Mill’s Shared Kitchen began.

In 2024, Open Door had 24 staff members with a budget of $1.74 million and continues to be on the cutting edge of program ministries offered to empower impoverished people in our community to reach their full potential as children of God by creating long-term solutions to poverty.

In 2025, marks 90 years of serves while time and growth have brought about many changes, our overall mission has remained the same for asset limited women, children, youth, and families. The work of the Capital Campaign, Growing the Legacy is complete!

In 2026, Open Door Medbank began. MedBank offers a long-term solution to ongoing prescription medication access for individuals who need support navigating the healthcare system.