 Harvest Week is beginning, and hundreds of handmade items will make
their way to the Family Room of the church to be tagged and priced
in anticipation of the Saturday event. Staff will be on hand each
day from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. to check in handmade items that will be
arriving, not only from this community but from across the United
States and foreign lands.Carolyn Neal, who chairs the Harvest of
Talents ministry, expressed her delight with the broad scope of
items arriving for the Harvest's 30th celebration.
"We have a lovely hat from England; fireweed jelly from Alaska; a
gorgeous quilt from California; handbags and hand-painted porcelain
from Ohio; purses, totes and snuggly baby blankets from Wisconsin;
necklaces from India and Africa; recycled treasures from Florida;
pretty headbands, both for children and adults, from Texas; a
touching painting from a former Lincoln resident now based in
Bloomington, Ill.; and the list just goes on and on. Some come from
friends and family members and others from artisans who just want to
share their gifts and talents with the less fortunate."
Sunday afternoon, following a "working potluck," the Harvest
ministry team of some 24 individuals will begin taping off the floor
and setting up a dozen or so booths, each of which will offer a
section of unique handmade items, many one of a kind. Booths range
from the ever-popular Gifts from Around the World, featuring gifts
from mission areas and other countries, to the traditional Christmas
Nook, with a photo op and an origami booth as well as henna designs
and face painting sandwiched in between.
Other popular areas are Babeland, Cottage Collectibles, Quilts 'n
Cross Stitch, and Critters in My Garden. Complementing these will be
the Sweet Shoppe, offering candies and snacks, and the ever-popular
Yesteryear's Kitchen, which offers a wide variety of baked goods,
jams, jellies, pickles and mincemeat, as well as gift baskets.
The Fireside Room, adjoining the Family Room, will offer unique
handmade jewelry and one of several silent auction sites. Also
housed in the Fireside Room will be examples of the workmanship of
rug-maker Gene Shepherd, from a rag rug created for the first
Harvest of Talents to a recently hooked creation.
Harvest Day will offer two meals -- a breakfast featuring
homemade cinnamon and caramel pecan rolls and a luncheon of
vegetable soup, prepared in large kettles over an open fire, along
with sandwiches and a variety of homemade pies.
Shopping for handcrafted items will commence with the 7 a.m. door
opening and conclude at 1 p.m., when displays will close down in
preparation for the 2 p.m. auction, the highlight of the day.
Featured in the auction will be 90-some items, ranging from
quilts, comforters and wall hangings, to fine stitchery, handmade
furniture, unique repurposed items, paintings, photographs,
stained-glass pieces, wooden toys, hand-painted porcelain and other
heirloom-quality pieces.
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A new area, "Hospitali-tea," will be featured at the 30th
Harvest. This will offer a place of respite for shoppers or an
opportunity to chat with friends in one of several 30-minute
seatings, each of which will feature light refreshments and hot,
fragrant Harvest tea in a quiet, restful area.
At 8:30 a.m. the annual Harvest 5K Run begins, and from 9 to 11
a.m. there will be special activities for kindergarten to
fourth-grade children.
In Harvest Fare, located outside the Fellowship Center, a variety
of snacks will be available. The staff of International Disaster
Emergency Service, recipient of Harvest funds, will join the day's
festivities by selling walking tacos. Deep-fried potatoes and hot
dogs will be available. Lincolnberry Café, a specialty shop, will
offer scones, snack mixes and tasty sweet treats, complemented with
hot cider, hot chocolate and flavored coffees. Another feature of
Lincolnberry will be tasty brisket sandwiches.
True Blue, an Elkhart quartet, will provide entertainment from 10
to 10:45 a.m., and Lincoln resident Lesleigh Bennett will perform
from 11 to 11:45 a.m. Harvest guests are encouraged to bring along
lawn chairs to sit and enjoy the entertainment and outside
refreshments.
The Lincoln Harvest of Talents has raised over $1,718,000.00 in
its first 29 years. International Disaster Emergency Service, a
Christian organization based in Kempton, Ind., is the recipient of
the proceeds. Harvest funds have been distributed to hunger programs
in 21 countries, including the United States. Harvest of Talents
events this year in Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri and
Tennessee are patterning their efforts after Lincoln's, with each
raising funds to alleviate world hunger.
The public is invited to attend all of the events of Harvest Day.
There is no admission fee, parking is free, and the facilities are
handicapped-accessible. A monitored coat and parcel check room is
available.
The Harvest of Talents for World Hunger, a unique ministry of
Lincoln Christian Church, is an every-person ministry that calls
upon its participants to use their God-given talents to produce
marketable items to be sold to raise funds to feed the hungry. Every
penny raised at the event is earmarked for hunger needs.
A check representing the proceeds of the 30th Harvest of Talents
will be presented to Rick Jett, executive director of IDES, in a
special service at 10 a.m. Sunday in the Lincoln Christian
University Chapel.
Further information may be obtained by calling Lincoln Christian
Church at 217-732-7618 or emailing
harvestoftalents@comcast.net. For more background, readers may
also visit
www.ides.org/harvestoftalents.html.
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