November marks Seward United Methodist Church’s 70th annual Four Seasons Church Bazaar.
The event, sponsored by United Women in Faith, raises money for charity by selling homemade items including wooden creations, knitted and sewn items, clothing, baked goods, frozen meals and more.
All of the profits from the event, which will be held Nov. 12 and 13, go toward mission and outreach efforts throughout Seward, the state of Nebraska and the world.
This year, money will help send middle and high school students to a national Methodist event held in Florida next year and other Seward County mission and outreach needs, such as Seward Foster Friends, said Jeanne Gee, who is part of the team that makes the event possible.
The bazaar tradition was started in 1952 by Virginia Cattle, who is now 102 years old and still attends the event when possible.
Gee said Cattle has helped keep the group going throughout the years.
“It’s a collaborative effort on the part of our committee, and our committee almost triples in size when volunteers start getting involved,” Gee said. “There’s just a real sense of excitement and enjoyment for what we’re doing.”
On the days of the bazaar, Sweet Treats Cafe opens at 8:30 a.m. and has a variety of baked treats and hot beverages.
Then, the ring of a bell at 9 a.m. signals the start of shopping.
This is the first year the bazaar will accept credit cards as a payment option, along with the usual cash and check options.
Anyone is welcome to attend the event and/or contribute items to sell.
Last year, nearly 100 people donated items, and more than 200 shoppers attended the event, according to Gee.
She said she is looking forward to seeing people who she doesn’t get to see at other times throughout the year but who always come to the bazaar.
Gee said the bazaar raised more than $8,000 in 2021 and has continued to raise an increasing amount of money every year for the past four years, with the exception of the COVID-19 year in 2020.
During COVID, the church held an “UN”Bazaar, in which there was the opportunity for people to come to the church, pick up an envelope and then return the envelope with a donation on the Sunday that would have been the day of the bazaar.
Through the “UN”Bazaar, United Women in Faith was still able to raise more than $3,000 despite the challenges of the pandemic.
After the “UN”Bazaar, United Women in Faith received positive feedback about the opportunity for a donation. Therefore, they implemented a tip jar that will be available at the bazaar for people who want to donate extra to the cause.
This year, the church is also hosting “Make-It Mondays” for people to come together to make crafts for the bazaar.
No craft experience is necessary, and the event is led by instructors.
The next “Make-It Monday” will be Oct. 27 at 6:30 p.m. in the church’s fellowship hall.
Susan Walsh, one of the sewing coordinators for the event, has taken part in the bazaar since she was a young girl.
She said she remembers sitting in her grandmother’s basement with her sister, mother and grandmother as they made items to sell back in the 1960s.
Walsh said the event is an exciting time for people to come together and have fun while supporting good causes.
“It’s been such a worthwhile event to support,” Walsh said. “It really takes quite a village to pull it all off, and you get to see the support of the community in purchasing items and just the camaraderie-ship within all of that for a good cause.”
As a sewing coordinator, Walsh is part of a group that meets on the fourth Sunday of every month and makes quilts to be sold at the bazaar.
Any of the quilts that do not get sold are donated to either the Seward Police Department or the sheriff’s department and the extended care wing of the hospital or area nursing homes.
The twin-sized quilts are donated to Living Water Mission in York.
Other items donated to the bazaar that do not sell are returned to the donor or, if the donor does not want the items back, given to an organization such as Goodwill.
