Chuck and Debbie Hammond didn’t know it at the time, but accepting Christ into their lives would lead them on a long journey from the “My kind of town” Chicago to the mountains and mysteries of southern West Virginia, where they became good will ambassadors for their Christian faith.
Debbie’s father predicted that the couple would return in a week or two, but once the U-haul, the two vans, their two sons and their pets were squared away and en route there would be no turning back. Stopping first in Bluefield, WV, to meet with Chuck’s Father, former Bluefield Union Mission Director Dr. Allen Hammond, Chuck and Debbie soon made their way to Welch.
“We met with the Ministerial Association and Mayor Moore to see if there was a need for a mission here and they agreed that there was,” Chuck recalled. “We moved to Welch in April, 1988 and opened Mission Ministries as a branch of the Bluefield Union Mission. We’ve been here ever since.”
So how do the Hammonds now like their new home?
“We love it,” Chuck says. “We have a lot of friends here.”
“We have a heart for McDowell County. The only way we were going to move here was if the Lord told us. He led us here to do this,” Debbie says. “We prayed about it for a while and the Lord dealt with me first and then with Chuck. ”
Located in their new office on Virginia Avenue, Mission Ministries delivers an abundance of help to those in need, including a daily (bag) lunch program, emergency food bags, utility assistance, prescription assistance, travel assistance, cleaning supplies, lodging referrals, clothing, bedding and personal hygiene distribution, pulpit supply and Christian counseling. A Christian tract is included with every bag.
The ultimate goal of the mission is “to see people come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ,” the Mission’s brochure reminds all those who seek assistance. However, that is not to say that the Hammonds are preachy or evangelistic. All services at the Mission are provided free of charge based solely on need and not on creed. Preferring to let their daily work speak for itself, the Hammonds practice the admonition in James to be doers of the Word and not just hearers. About the only time you’ll hear a sermon from either of them is when Chuck serves as a Supply Pastor for Anderson Memorial Presbyterian Church, Welch.
“They called me in eight years ago to be a Supply Pastor and I’ve been doing it ever since,” Chuck says.
A glass jar chock full of prayer requests in the Mission office is a testimony to the importance of faith in daily living, and it is also a reminder of how Mission Ministries operates.
The Methodist Ministries assist the Mission and the bell ringing campaign at Magic Mart during Christmas added just over $10,000 to Mission coffers. For the most part, though, donations come from elsewhere.
“Donations come from churches and individuals,” Chuck says. “We don’t get any grants or government funding. Our budget comes from the mail box.”
In listing recent contributors, the Hammonds note that 23 churches, civic clubs and other organizations rang in the $10,100 for the mission during Christmas, and that the Save-A-Lot Thanks For Giving Campaign helped stock their pantries with food.
Such activities keep the mission operating, but donations and supplies are dispensed nearly as fast as they are received. Mission Ministries’ expenses, because of an increased demand for services, increased by about 15 percent between ‘07 and ‘08.

Free lunches may range from two to 100 per day and utility assistance soars during cold weather. In addition to monetary contributions, the mission can always use non-perishable food and cleaning and personal hygiene supplies and diapers.
“Just because someone works doesn’t mean they don’t qualify for assistance at Mission Ministries,” Chuck says. “When someone comes to us for utility assistance, we look at how much they have left after paying their bills.”
Speaking of utilities, Chuck notes that Mission Ministries paid $31,000 in utility bills for 207 local families last year. “
“Utilities are always one of the greatest needs,” he says.
In addition to the generosity of its friends, Chuck says that the mission is able to stay afloat because of the governance of its board. Board members include John Sedate, Emily Yeager, Claude Banner, the Rev. Tim Akers, the Rev. Andrew Montgomery, the Rev. Don Morgan, Judy Matheny, Bob Hoge and the Rev. Clay Phillips.
The mission’s phone number is 436-4092. Operational hours are from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m., Monday through Friday. The mailing address is P.O. Box 1011, Welch, WV 24801.
“People ask us how we live together and work together. I tell them that it’s God,” Debbie smiles. “We don’t consider this a job. We consider it a ministry.”
“Yeah,” Chuck chimes in. “We’re joined at the hip. We couldn’t do this if God wasn’t in it.”

SOWING SEEDS OF KINDNESS - Mission Ministries' co-founders Chuck and Debbie Hammond and their pet Poodle Snowball and Doberman Myjah Nicole are pictured with Judy Matheny, Methodist Ministries. The Hammonds and Matheny can be found most days performing benevolent acts through Mission Ministries, located at 409 Virginia Avenue, Welch.
“We adopted Welch as home 20 years ago,” Hammond says. “Debbie and I love it here.” (Photo by Cathy Patton)