BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

Years before when Tom still lived in Indiana, the Lord had spoken to him: 'No longer will you be a builder of buildings. You will be a builder of My people.' In his previous marriage, he had stepped out on that word too soon and before his wife got into agreement. She hadn’t wanted to be in the ministry. One day while fishing, God told him it was time for him to enter the ministry. When Tom told Kim, she wasn’t in agreement. This time, Tom didn’t act on the word or mention it to her again. Instead, he said, “Father, You heard Kim. I’m not going to make the same mistake again. You’re going to have to deal with her.” Two months later, Kim changed her mind. “If God has called you into ministry, I’ll support you.” “What I sensed in my spirit was that our ministry would have some kind of hope center for the community,” Tom recalls. “However, my dad had resigned from his church and gone to the mission field. He came to our house to say that the Lord had told him that I was to administer his ministry. “Kim and I renamed and restructured the ministry, bringing in the best attorneys and CPAs to help. By March 2010, we were a legal entity. The first year, we went to Fiji and held a crusade which we livestreamed. A thousand came each night and a few hundred gave their hearts to the Lord. I created a little studio and read "From Faith to Faith" and created a year’s worth of videos to share online.” A Place of Hope Meanwhile, Don and Mary Colbert had taken Kenneth and Gloria to visit a ministry in Florida. Under the umbrella of Harvest Time International, founders John and Mary Murphy had opened a nonprofit grocery store there called The Hope Center. “God showed me this 45 years ago,” Kenneth said, “but I never knew how to do it.” “We’ll show you how and train your employees,” John Murphy said. In October 2010, John Copeland, Kenneth and Gloria’s son and then the CEO of KCM, called Tom. “My dad wants me to go look at an organization in Florida,” John told him. “I feel in my spirit that you are supposed to go. Besides, you can help me fly.” Tom toured The Hope Center with the group from KCM. This is exactly what our ministry would look like, he thought. Back in the conference room, Tom sat back and listened. “I told your dad that I would teach them and train their employees so you could do this in the metroplex,” John Murphy told John. “I don’t believe this is for KCM to do,” John said. “I believe that if God has put this in Tom Westberry’s heart, it’s his ministry to do. If you will give him your support, we’ll help him put this in the metroplex.” Back home in Texas, Tom met with Kenneth and John Copeland. “If you do this, we’ll help see it through,” John told him. “We want to do it through you.” “That is so like them,” Tom says. By June 2011, with the financial backing of KCM, World Covenant Ministries purchased and remodeled a 50,000-square-foot building in nearby Haltom City, that had formerly housed a major chain grocery store. Soon after, Tom and Kim opened The Joseph Storehouse, a nonprofit grocery store, based on the model that God gave Joseph: Gather food during times of prosperity and sell to those in need in times of famine. Operating under the motto, “Providing Help for Today and Hope for Tomorrow,” the mission of the storehouse, in part, is to demonstrate God’s love by reaching out and touching the lives of people in practical ways, including providing high quality, name-brand foods and household items, and other necessities at low, affordable prices. In addition, the ministry is heavily involved in community outreach, providing budgeting classes and one-on-one coaching to teach families to manage their finances. It also maintains close relationships with local churches and other non-profits, such as governmental agencies, corporations and faith-based organizations, to help assist those in need. “I love this model because it offers people a hand up instead of a handout,” Tom explains. “Although you have to qualify to shop here, we help anyone who is struggling. With KCM’s help, we’ve created a ministry that provides food at deeply discounted prices. It sustains discipleship training. We have a church that meets on-site. We also have weekly chapel services and other programs. 20 : BVOV

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