David and Jerri Abernathy founded Rolling Hills Ministries with a simple aim: meet needs with compassionate services for people in crisis and provide relief when disaster strikes, a mission that now reaches communities across the region from the ministry’s base in Ruston, Louisiana. The Arcadia location of the Rolling Hills Ministries Thrift Store is one piece of that larger operation, functioning as both a retail shop and a direct funding source for the ministry’s other work, since the organization states plainly that it is funded through private donations and the sale of items in its thrift stores. Every purchase made at the Arcadia store, in other words, helps underwrite programs that extend well beyond the sales floor.
Unlike a standard secondhand shop run purely for profit, this thrift store exists to serve two audiences at once. It gives budget-conscious shoppers in Bienville Parish an affordable place to find clothing, household goods, and other secondhand items, while also giving individuals and families facing hardship a place to shop for free or at a steep discount, a model the ministry describes as central to its compassion services. That dual purpose sets Rolling Hills Ministries Thrift Store apart from big-box resale chains, since the goal is not simply to move inventory but to directly connect local shopping dollars to people in need.
The Arcadia store keeps a full weekday schedule, open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., giving both weekday regulars and Saturday shoppers a convenient window to browse. Donations of gently used items help stock the shelves, and the ministry actively welcomes both donors and volunteers to support the store’s operation, reflecting the broader Rolling Hills Ministries approach of relying on community participation rather than a large paid staff to keep programs running.
The thrift store is only one arm of a ministry that also coordinates disaster relief efforts alongside the North American Mission Board, runs a mobile pregnancy center and wellness checkups as part of its compassion services, supports a children’s home and missionary work in Ladyville, Belize, and hosts recreational programs including worship services and family camps at state parks. That breadth is unusual for an organization whose public-facing storefront in a small town like Arcadia looks, at first glance, like an ordinary thrift shop. Knowing the full scope of the ministry behind the counter gives context to why the store asks for donations and volunteer support with the same energy as it welcomes shoppers.
For Arcadia and Bienville Parish residents, Rolling Hills Ministries Thrift Store offers an affordable, mission-driven alternative to conventional resale shopping, a Monday-through-Saturday storefront where every purchase and donation helps fund disaster relief, compassion services, and international missions run by a ministry rooted in north Louisiana. It stands as proof that a small-town thrift store can serve as the financial engine for a far larger charitable operation.
