‘A joyful work’
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 years AGO
Auctioneers take bids at last year’s Mennonite Country Auction near Ritzville. This year’s auction is Saturday.
FILE PHOTO
Attendees from the local region and beyond enjoy food and sales booths outside of Menno Mennonite Church Saturday at last year’s Mennonite Country Auction. This year’s auction is Saturday.
Handmade quilts, both local and from around the country, are the centerpiece of the Mennonite Country Auction.
Joel Martin has been with the Columbia Basin Herald for more than 25 years in a variety of roles and is the most-tenured employee in the building. Martin is a married father of eight and enjoys spending time with his children and his wife, Christina. He is passionate about the paper’s mission of informing the people of the Columbia Basin because he knows it is important to record the history of the communities the publication serves. | October 1, 2024 2:00 AM
RITZVILLE — The Menno Mennonite Country Auction is one of the smallest auctions the Mennonite churches hold, but it’s also among the mightiest.
“There’s 48 of these around the U.S. and Canada, and ours is about the smallest,” said Menno Mennonite Church Advertising and PR Coordinator Dennis Swinger Jr. “I mean, there are some big ones in California and in Canada, but we raise the most funds per capita of church members.”
The auction, which is happening Saturday, is an all-out effort. Between 2,000 and 3,000 people generally come out to the auction, which has been held on the church grounds since 1978. There are food booths selling sausage on a stick and Amish cheese and various meats. There’s homemade pie, ice cream, apple butter and fresh-pressed apple cider. People start lining up for breakfast about 8 a.m., Swinger said, and the booths start selling by 10. Within an hour, he said, they’re mostly sold out. Admission to the auction is free.
Swinger said it’s the only Mennonite auction in the state, so congregations from all over Washington join to get things ready.
“There are people I’ve seen there for years and years, (and) I’m not really sure who they are,” Swinger said. “I’m not really sure where they’re from, but they show up and they’re working harder than most of us. There are people who just love to come and help because they like what’s going on.”
“It’s not just us, but also the broader church as a community from across Washington,” said Pastor Bryce Miller.
Swinger said the auction items weren’t the usual fare.
“There’s not a whole lot of plastic junk,” he said. “The main seller in our live auction is quilts and Afghans and comforters. Some are donated from all across the U.S. and Canada, so you’ve got some Amish quilts, and you’ve got some that the ladies here have done.”
The quilts that were listed in the auction’s online auction book last week were an impressive variety of coverings, in patterns that bore names like “Pie R Round,” “Broken Star” and “Lasagna Leftovers.” Besides the quilts, items included a handmade coffee table and end table set, a carved chess set with a wood-inlay board and a hand-crafted wooden rolling pin.
Traditionally, the live auction starts with a loaf of bread, Swinger said.
“That will sometimes go for upwards of $1,000, this loaf of bread,” he said. “The bread is used for communion at the next service. And what that hopefully does is set the tone that we’re here to help everyone. We’re here to raise money.”
According to a study by the Chronicle of Philanthropy published in 2017, Adams County ranks first in Washington state and Grant County third in the percentage of residents’ income that goes to charitable contributions.
“In Grant and Adams counties, if you run a charitable event, you have a really good chance of getting some success,” Swinger said. “
All the money raised at the Menno Mennonite Auction goes to the church’s headquarters in Pennsylvania to fund the Mennonite Central Committee, which is made up of two parts, Swinger said. One branch is the Mennonite Disaster Service, which responds to natural disasters like floods and earthquakes. The rest of the MCC’s work is in long-term development, bringing food and water, better health, education and economic opportunity to areas in need, according to the MCC’s website.
“We do this once a year and it's on our church grounds,” Swinger said. “That's very purposeful, so people understand we're not just another event.”
“It’s where we come together and enjoy the goodness of working together,” said Miller. “It is a lot of work, but it’s also a joyful work for the congregation as we do what we are best called to do, which is to serve in the name of Christ.”
Mennonite Country Auction
Oct. 5
Menno Mennonite Church
1378 N. Damon Road
Ritzville, Wash.
(South of Wheeler/Rosenoff Road
between Ritzville and Moses Lake)
7-9 a.m. Breakfast
10 a.m. Sale booths open
Noon, Auction begins
www.mennonitecountryauction.org
Attendees from the local region and beyond enjoy food and sales booths outside of Menno Mennonite Church Saturday at last year’s Mennonite Country Auction. This year’s auction is Saturday.
Handmade quilts, both local and from around the country, are the centerpiece of the Mennonite Country Auction.ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
Endless battle
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BASIN EVENTS: Oct. 16-24
COLUMBIA BASIN — Whether you feel like shopping, crafting, learning or seeing a show, there’s something happening for you this week in the Basin. Oct. 16 ‘My Family (Mi Familia)’ screening Spanning three generations, “My Family (Mi Familia)” is a heartfelt drama that follows the Sánchez family as they build their lives in East Los Angeles. Through love, hardship, triumph, and sacrifice, the film explores the immigrant experience, the strength of family bonds, and the traditions that connect one generation to the next. Lowrider show and taco truck before the screening. Sponsored by Columbia Basin Allied Arts, EDUBS C/S and the Moses Lake Creative District. $12 per person. Doors open at 6 p.m., film begins at 7 p.m. at the Moses Lake Civic Center Auditorium, 401 S. Balsam St. Tickets and info: www.cba-arts.org.
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