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.
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.
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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. |