Christmas Marketplace to Open (11/9/24)

God’s purpose is to mold us more closely into the image of Christ.  Jesus told us to love our neighbors as ourselves, and He backed that up by loving us, even to the point of dying on a cross!  To be like Christ and to love our neighbors, we need to see the needs of people and to use our time, money, and talents to help them.  

Six years ago,  we saw a need where people didn’t have clean drinking water.  We wanted to do something about it.  So we got this idea of creating a “Christmas Marketplace” where talented people could show and sell their crafts to people who were shopping for special Christmas gifts.  Vendors would “rent” table space, and the funds would go directly to our mission projects.   This Christmas Marketplace has become a PUMC tradition (it’s been held every year except for the “COVID year” of 2021).  Over these years, we have been able to raise over $19,000 to provide drinking water and other relief to thousands of  needy people across the globe.

The needs are ongoing, and the tradition continues. This year’s Marketplace will be held on November 9, 2024.

 

Christmas Marketplace….

The Christmas Marketplace provides a venue where crafters can sell their wares to raise money which helps fight world poverty.  The day will include a separate “Attic Treasures” section, but the actual Christmas Marketplace is not “yard sale.”  Everything exhibited and sold in the Marketplace is handmade and original.  The Marketplace offers all varieties of craft items: knitted items such as blankets, prayer shawls, and cancer hats, quilted blankets, wooden crafts, baked goods, and house plants.  It’s a cross between a craft show and a marketplace.

And, more importantly, the Marketplace is a way to harness our creative talent to fight poverty and help people in need (just like Jesus directed us to do in Matthew 25:31-26).

 

 

Turning Crafts into Love…

So you want to help people.  You feel the call to be a witness for Jesus Christ, to love your neighbor as yourself, to do good “unto the least of these”.  How can you take on these huge tasks all by yourself?  Can your efforts make any difference?   

The answers:  You CAN’T take the huge tasks on all by yourself, and yes- your efforts CAN make a difference!

Whether you come to the Marketplace as an exhibitor or customer, you can contribute to the effort to share the Gospel and to alleviate suffering.   Things like digging wells, piping water, providing health care, protecting children, nurturing youth all take money.  We may not have a lot of money, but we do have talent.  We can’t write big checks, but we can make little things.  The Marketplace is a way to convert those talents into money which can in turn be used to make a difference in the world.

Here are some of the talents that will be brought to the Marketplace; things that will be sold:

• Hats, scarfs, blankets made by PUMC’s “Hooks and Needles” and “Scrappy Quilters” groups
  (they’ve been preparing for this all year…)
• Our Bakery will have homemade items like cakes, cookies and other sweets. 
• The Deli will offer a selection of salads, soups and dips already packaged and ready to take home.
• The Cafe will sell coffee and bagels during the early part of the day, and food such as hot dogs and soda will be available for lunch.
• The Craft table, plant table and a large Christmas shop will get you ready for the holidays.

Here’s a taste of previous Marketplaces…  

All of the proceeds from Table Space fees will go directly to mission projects.  “Outside exhibitors” will keep their own sales proceeds, but groups and individuals from PUMC will donate ALL of their proceeds to the mission efforts.  The Marketplace helps people by supporting ministries such as:

• The “United Methodist Committee on Relief”(UMCOR)-  Provides clean water for people who are currently drinking from the same rivers used to wash clothes and carry sewage. 
• The Camden Neighborhood Center–  Lifts children out of crime-ridden and drug-infested poverty by providing day care, nurturing activities, and education.
• Pitman Food Pantry–  Feeds 100’s of people each week.
• PUMC Youth Group– Provides a nurturing environment of friendships which will last a lifetime.

To learn more about the water supply projects that the Marketplace will support, check out the following articles:

WASH  Water Projects

Here are some of the people being helped by the above projects…

The mission work is the focus of the Christmas Marketplace, but the Marketplace also generates a welcoming atmosphere for community.  There’s a warm feeling as you roam through the exhibitors’ tables.  Even if the sales are less than ideal (or even if they’re totally absent), many vendors continue to register for the Marketplace because of this comradery and fellowship.  In other words: The Marketplace is a fun thing to attend!

 

Let’s Work Together!

Whether you’re a “crafty person” who wants to share your talents, or a “window shopper” who wants to admire the talents of others, or if you’re shopping for Christmas Gifts, we can all gather at The Marketplace to help people.  Supporting The Marketplace helps share God’s love around Pitman and around the world.

If you are a creative individual who likes to make “things,” you can join in the Marketplace’s effort to build a bridge between the needy and relief.  Exhibitor space reservations are now available.  To reserve your spot, click the below button for the Exhibitor Application and follow the instructions.

 

 

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The Christmas Marketplace is organized by the PUMC United Methodist Women (now called “United Women of Faith”).  To learn more about the UMW, click the below button:  United Women of Faith