Sixty-first annual Illinois Mennonite Relief Sale March 15th and 16th

 

[March 09, 2019] 

It’s time to spring into the 61st Annual Illinois Mennonite Relief Sale, which will be held at Interstate Center, Bloomington, Illinois, on Friday evening, March 15, and all day Saturday, March 16, 2019.

The 2019 theme, “Courageous Compassion in Christ,” expresses the biblical basis for the Illinois Sale. When following Jesus’ example, we contribute to the relief of human need and suffering by giving generously of ourselves and our resources.

Sale preparation involves hundreds of volunteers from more than 30 Illinois churches. On Friday evening, March 15, starting at 4:30 P.M., barbecued chicken/fish fillet dinners will be served. Tickets are $10 for ½ chicken or 2 fish fillets and $8 for a smaller meal of ¼ chicken or 1 fish fillet. The perfect desserts to be enjoyed are delicious homemade fruit pies.

On Saturday, March 16, sale-goers may enjoy all-you-can-eat pancakes and deliciously grilled sausage. Tickets are $8 for adults and $4 for children. Many sale workers will be seasoning, grinding, and stuffing several thousand pounds of whole-hog sausage for this breakfast as well as providing link and bulk freshly prepared sausage to be sold at the Butcher Shoppe. Other meat specialties sold include honey-smoked turkey, butterfly pork chops, beef strips, and barbecue jerky.

On both Friday night and Saturday, sale-goers may savor pork chop or rib-eye sandwiches as well as barbecues and hot dogs.

Dutch Market special treats offered include homemade pies, breads, pashka, tea rings, candies, cakes, and cookies. Additional favorites for sale are homemade noodles and many Pennsylvania Dutch treats such as chocolate dipped pretzels, pfeffernuesse, divinity, fudge, mints, and peanut brittle, along with unique jams and jellies.

A potpourri of goodies to enjoy while raising funds to help the needy include: curly fries, freshly prepared donuts, homemade ice cream, mennonice, nachos & soft pretzels, and popcorn & cider.

Coffee lovers are invited to come and enjoy freshly brewed Café Latte, Mochachino, Cappuccino, French Vanilla, and also hot chocolate.

The auction will begin at 6:30 P.M. on Friday evening, March 15, with the quilt auction starting at 7:45 P.M. The Grand Auction on Saturday, March 16, begins at 8:30 A.M. with the crying of quilts from 9:00 to 9:45 A.M. and again at 11:00 to 11:45 A.M. Other items to be cried at auction will be toys, games, outdoor items, tools, Amish furniture, pictures, antique items, and much more. Special Arthur furniture items to be sold this year are a large dining room set, three-piece bedroom suite, lounge chair, large rocker, and some lawn furniture.

Each year the sale is blessed with the donation of approximately 100 beautiful quilts and wall hangings. The Sale Board expresses special thanks to the many individuals who have dedicated their time of hundreds of hours to create spectacular quilts. Each year the Sale Board sponsors an outstanding masterpiece direct from Pennsylvania. This year’s beautiful queen quilt is an original “Bargello Flame.” It is finely stitched by one Amish lady and is pieced in many colors of lovely shades of purple. Each year there is a variety of quilts as some are pieced or embroidered or appliqued with unique patterns and creative designs.

Each year sale-goers are inspired by the unusual overseas craft items presented by the Ten Thousand Villages booth. Here shoppers find leather goods, linens, jewelry, baskets, unique musical instruments, and much more.

The Ten Thousand Villages program is a specialty created by Mennonite Central Committee of Akron, PA. This project involves purchasing crafts from developing world artisans, and then it makes them available for sale in United States and Canada. It is a special program that provides jobs and income for those in need as well as it gives sale customers beautiful, unusual items from around the world.

Once again this year eighty percent of the Illinois Sale net proceeds is channeled to Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) in Akron, Pennsylvania. This is an international world relief agency in 57 countries of the world. This year MCC is celebrating 99 years (1920-2019) in a world-wide ministry of Anabaptist churches.

Presently, MCC has 1,133 missionaries and service workers assisting the needy in America and around the world. A purpose of MCC is to proclaim good news by providing food assistance for thousands of families in situations of natural disasters, conflict, oppression, and chronic hunger.

According to the “Annual Report 2018 for MCC in the United States,” MCC workers accomplished much last year including: 1) improving the water source in 10,152 households; 2) providing emergency food assistance to 256,472 households; 3) sending 63,841 comforters to the needy in 13 countries; 4) providing 24,530 relief kits for families facing disaster; 5) providing 69,375 hygiene kits for the needy; 6) helping 92,482 people with medical problems; 7) planting 4,896 gardens and teaching growing techniques; 8) providing 774,069 pounds of canned meat for the hungry; 9) helping 51,217 students participate in MCC-supported educational programs; and 10) giving 223,154 deprived individuals additional emergency food assistance.

One part of raising money for MCC is the Relief Sale Program. Annually there are 30 sales held in America and 10 in Canada. The annual income from all of these sales totals nearly $5,000,000.00.

Sixty-one years ago the first Illinois Mennonite Relief Sale was founded by John Roth of First Mennonite Church of Morton, Illinois. It was held March 21, 1959, in the Congerville Angus Barn. Because this location became too crowded, the Sale Board relocated in Peoria’s Exposition Gardens from 1966-1982. Needing still more space, the next home of the Relief Sale was the Peoria Civic Center from 1983-1997. Then it was in 1998 that the location changed to Bloomington Interstate Center due to the scheduling of a basketball tournament in the Civic Center.

The net total for the past 60 Illinois Sales is over eight million dollars. Each year eighty percent of the net is channeled through MCC. For the past thirty-five years twenty percent of the net has been used locally to provide food assistance in central Illinois. This now totals over $1,350,000.00.

The 2019 Relief Sale Board sincerely thanks God for His guidance and blessings during our past 60 sales and to God all glory is given. Also special thanks to all the volunteers who have helped and all who have attended and supported the Illinois Sale. Again this year everyone is cordially invited to the 61st Illinois Relief Sale on March 15-16. Admission and parking are free.

For more information please contact Mrs. Don (Ruthie) Roth at 309-266-7704 or Jess Slager at 309-253-3838 or www.ilreliefsale.org.

[Mrs. Don (Ruthie) Roth, Relief Sale Executive Secretary]