By Rev. Jim Gascoine, Associate Pastor
In the spirit of full disclosure, I have to admit that as I write this blog I am stifling a yawn. No, it is not that I bore myself! But it has been a very active and packed summer, and I am a little worn out!
We started with a great week of Vacation Bible School (200 kids). I was a volunteer in the United Methodist summer camp program and spent a week at Jumonville at Creative Arts Camp. I was back at Jumonville later in July at Uth 4 Mission, spending two days with our youth during their mission trip.
Last week I was at our United Methodist Adult Retreat Center (Omsted Manor) as part of the team leading the preaching segment for Licensing School, a series of classes and seminars preparing new pastors.
As I write this, I am packing for F.I.S.H / DSM Camp; another four days at Jumonville! And the nice thing about a packed and active summer: none of these events happened last summer due to the COVID restrictions. It is so good to be back!
But also, I am writing this blog just at the end of our church’s Flea Market. It has been a crazy week! From Sunday to Thursday, donations poured in and were organized by a dedicated group of volunteers. The sale itself was Friday and Saturday.
And by the end of the week, our church building was a disaster scene! At 2:00 p.m. Saturday, another army of volunteers arrived. By 5:00 p.m. you would never have known that the Flea Market existed. The entire building was re-set, cleaned, and prepared for weekend worship.
We will announce the preliminary results at worship during weekend worship. Of course, by the time this blog is published you will probably have already heard that message.
As I think about our Flea Market, it dawns on me that the best result of this effort is NOT the money we raise. To be sure, the funding is a benefit; it supports several ministries and programs here at Dutilh Church. But I do not believe it is the core benefit we get.
What is the best result of the Flea Market? First, the chance to work alongside other church members. There is no better way to build great relationships than to work together for a common goal. I know in talking with many of our volunteers that they loved the chance to be with their friends, and also to meet some new friends.
I would encourage all of our Dutilh members to get involved in our missions and service ministries, and our small groups. It is the best way to get to know your fellow church members.
Second, we had the opportunity to welcome the community to our church. And there were hundreds that showed up for the Flea Market. Sometimes an event like a Flea Market provides us the opportunity to say a “hello and welcome” to a person or family that would be reluctant to just jump into worship. Our team of greeters did a wonderful job of welcoming and including.
It is good to celebrate a successful event and thank our God for the chance to be together and be welcoming. As we learned so well over the past months, enjoying fellowship and community and building relationships is not a given…it’s a gift, and one for which I am profoundly grateful.
Dutilh Church 