Ritzville's Mennonite auction reaches globally
Courtesy photo<br> Children from the Warden Hutterian Brethren Colony made and donated a scale model of a cabin to a previous Mennonite relief auction. This year's event is Saturday.
RITZVILLE — For many people, Saturday’s Menno Mennonite Country Auction is synonymous with homemade food and crafts in a crisp, fall atmosphere.
But for others across the globe, the event goes deeper than the African groundnut stew and one of a kind quilts.
The funds raised from the auction help others receive the basics in areas of the world like Bolivia, El Salvador, the Middle East and Europe, explained Wanda Dorsing, of the Warden Mennonite Church.
The money is used to pay for efforts like teaching basic health education, or to help people obtain clean water, she said.
“The MCC (Mennonite Central Committee) is committed to peace building,” she said. “When people have basic necessities, there’s probably going to be less violence in their lives.”
Nonchurch communities are also helped and last year’s auction brought in $94,688.58.
“It’s a lot of community developement-type work all over the world,” she explained. “The focus at MCC has been more what we do. We want people to understand it’s in the name of Christ.”
“We’re building relationships and trying to live out the belief that people are made in the image of God,” Dorsing commented. “It’s just understanding we need to respect ever person and help them have basic things.”
The event begins Saturday with breakfast from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. Booths selling food and crafts open at 10 a.m.
At 10:30 a.m., Warden Mennonite Church Pastor Brad Roth will give a presentation inside the church sanctuary about Anabaptist and Mennonite history.
“People have a lot of curiosity about who the Mennonites are, what our history is and how we try to live out our faith,” he says. “I wanted to speak to some of that.”
There are always many crafts for sale, Dorsing explained. She recommended visiting the international craft booth “Ten Thousand Villages (www.tenthousandvillages.com)” early, as “they have lots of neat stuff.”
Smoked sausage, apple cider, Canadian maple syrup, homemade pie, ice cream, peppernuts, Kuchen yeast bread, stone-ground flour and corn meal are also for sale.
The auction starts at noon. Auction items include Amish and Mennonite quilts, an antique icebox, a new Shop Vac, afghans, wall hangings, antiques and two nights at the “Old Farmhouse” bed and breakfast in Leavenworth, for four adults and two children.
There is no entry fee into the event and parking is also free.
For more information, visit www.mennonitecountryauction.mennonite.net, or call 509-659-0926. The event is located at the Menno Mennonite Church,1378 N. Damon Road, near Ritzville.
From Moses Lake, drive east on Interstate 90 toward Spokane, take Exit 196 for Deal Road, turn left at North Deal Road, take the second right onto West Heineman Rd and turn left at Damon Road North to the Menno Mennonite Church.