Feb 24, 2024 By Mike Jones 4 min read

The City Mission is getting a show of support from a dozen Disciples of Christ pastors in Washington County a week after the homeless shelter was left off the list for a portion of the $9.2 million in grants from the county’s Local Share Account.

The group submitted an open letter Thursday and ran an advertisement in Friday’s edition of the Observer-Reporter in which they announced they are “active supporters” of the City Mission, although it did not explicitly state their desire that the nonprofit receive a $500,000 grant it had requested to help build a new women’s shelter in Washington.

“We are strong supporters of the new homeless women’s shelter,” the letter states. “There is a pressing need for this facility as no comparable services are available to this segment of our community. The City Mission is uniquely qualified to deliver and administer these services.”

The City Mission had apparently been on a preliminary list to receive funding from casino gambling revenue, but was removed when the LSA committee voted Feb. 6 and sent its recommendations to the county for final approval. The county commissioners approved the list as submitted during their Feb. 15 meeting despite pleas from City Mission officials asking them be included in the grant funds.

“We were disappointed by (the decision) and it activated our constituency,” said the Rev. Arthur Keys Jr., who is minister at First Christian Church in Washington and submitted the letter on behalf of the pastors.

Keys said Friday that he was hoping the letter would spur community support for City Mission while also pushing the LSA committee and commissioners to reconsider their decision.

“I think it’s both,” Keys said. “We think the whole community should be supporting the homeless women’s shelter and it would be very appropriate for the county to do that as well. It appeared the (LSA) committee had done that and we think they should go through with that.”

Keys said he personally delivered the letter to Jeff Kotula, who chairs the LSA committee and leads the Washington County Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Agency, although he did not plan to send it directly to the commissioners.

“He was very polite,” Keys said of Kotula’s response to the letter.

Commissioners Nick Sherman, Electra Janis and Larry Maggi all voted to approve the grant recommendations, although Maggi expressed concerns about why the list was apparently changed right before the LSA committee’s vote. County spokesman Patrick Geho did not respond to an email Friday afternoon asking whether the commissioners had any reaction to the letter.

City Mission President and CEO Dean Gartland could not be reached for comment on his thoughts about the letter or whether the LSA’s snub has helped with fundraiser efforts to build the 50-bed facility for women and children.

Keys said they are hoping that the publicity will generate private donations or state and federal funds to help the City Mission as it prepares to break ground on the $6.4 million facility this spring. City Mission officials said last week they have already raised $4.8 million thus far, with more donations coming in.

“Obviously, we’re supporting efforts to get it funded from other sources,” Keys said.

The letter goes on to praise the City Mission for helping those in the community who need it most.

“We know and are impressed with the high-quality services it delivers to vulnerable populations in our community,” the letter states. “We know the results of these services have changed lives.”

The open letter is also signed by 11 others who are publicly showing their support for City Mission. They include: the Rev. Thaddaeus Allen, regional minister of Christian Church; Joel Brown, president of Disciples of Christ Historical Society in Washington; Pastor J.C. Leasure, minister of First Christian Church in Canonsburg; the Rev. JoAnn Nelson, minister of First Christian Church in Marianna; Shirley Kemp of Taylorstown Christian Church in Taylorstown; Pastor Amory Merriman, minister of United Christian Church in Coal Center; Pastor John Owen, president of Thomas Campbell Apartments in Washington; the Rev. Janet Scott-Mace, minister of First Christian Church in Monongahela; Rev. Donald Snyder, interim minister of Lone Pine Christian Church in Washington; the Rev. Chris Stillwell, minister of Fairhill Manor Christian Church in Washington; and the Rev. Dennis Stitch, minister of First Christian Church in Charleroi.