So, there are big changes coming this fall. After our “Christmas in July” rummage sale and the Fall Rummage sale, the church rummage sale as we currently know it will be coming to an end.
This is happening for a few reasons. The volunteers who have been the main force behind the sale all these years are getting tired. (They actually used the adjective “old” but I didn’t want to be rude.) Also, some of our other partners, the various institutions that would take the stuff that didn’t sell, have been changing their policies. So the Rummage sale was going to have to CHANGE, regardless of who was leading it.
This will affect the budget for sure… the rummage sale has been a consistent part of our operating budget for over a decade. That said, projects like this come and go, and it’s better to end on a strong note rather than continuing to slowly burn out the folks who have kept it going for so long.
That said, you’ll notice that I used the phrase the rummage sale “as we currently know it.” No action has been taken that would REQUIRE the rummage sale to stop, only that its current managers are stepping down. If your reaction to this news is; “No, no, we need to keep this going!” then there are possibilities.
If you would be interested in taking on the Rummage sale yourself, I’d tell you no. It is a HUGE job, waaaaay too big for any one person. But if you had a group of people willing to step up and take a shot at the project, I can promise that the church would support your attempt. Maybe the Rummage Sale is done. While it lasted it was a great boon to our church finances, but we have faith that God and our congregation will continue to support us in a new season. But if you were interested in stepping up (and have some folks committed to helping you) and taking a shot at starting a new way to approach such a fund raiser, let us know. Things end all the time. Sometimes they go away, sometimes they take a new form. The important thing to remember is that the rummage sale existed to support the church; the church does not exist to support the rummage sale. So if this is the last hurrah, be sure to come out and enjoy it.
Pastor Dan
