Church’s mission continues

A trip to First Presbyterian Church’s Yard Sale Saturday might get you a nice piece of china to add to your dining room.

But you will also help build a church in Mexico.

Or you might find the perfect end table for your living room or small appliance for your kitchen — and help a hungry Wayne County child get through the weekend.

If you have a special child at home, or know one, you might find a teddy bear or doll to be his or her new best friend — and give a busy mom a few hours off and a safe place for her child to enjoy the morning.

And if you are a single mom or a young family just getting back on its feet, you will find the household items you need for a second chance — all at prices you can afford.

The church’s annual sale has just about anything a bargain hunter might be interested in finding — from sporting goods, outdoor equipment, furniture, and rugs to the usual household items like linens, glassware, holiday decorations, collectibles and even blankets.

There are all kinds of treasures to discover, sale chairman Ann Hunter said.

“We collect items all year and then open up the doors once a year,” Hunter said.

There are more than a dozen tables piled high with all sorts of finds as well as a variety of larger items to browse through outside.

A lot of work goes into the sale. Volunteers spend hours gathering, organizing and pricing in preparation for the once-a-year event. 

“There are a lot of willing hands in this church, and all of them are ready to work,” Hunter said.

On sale day, the doors open at 8 a.m., and a line allows shoppers to come into the sale at 15-minute intervals. They can go through the line as many times as they want.

Last year’s sale netted about $10,000, Hunter said. She hopes that this year’s sale will be a success, too.

But there is more to this event than just a fundraiser. The church has used the money — all of it — for the last 15 years to fund its missions, locally and internationally.

For the last five years, the church’s efforts have been directed to the Mexican state of Chiapa, a town of Mayan Indians and a little Presbyterian church there.

Next June, a mission group of about 10-14 people will head to Chiapa again — they had to take a year off because of COVID.

They will spend time with their church family and help with painting and other touches to the building.

There is a language barrier — the Chiapa congregation speaks Chio, a dialect of the Mayan language.

“We do the best we can to communicate with each other, but we manage,” Hunter said. ‘We say The Lord’s Prayer and use hand gestures. It works very well.”

It is a fellowship that matters and a project that makes a difference, Hunter said, an outstretched hand to a community that doesn’t have a beautiful church building built in 1855 and a large, supportive congregation like Goldsboro’s First Presbyterian.

It is a lesson about what really matters, Hunter said.

“They are so happy and so grateful for what they have,” she said.

And the church family from Goldsboro gets something, too — perspective.

“I cannot tell you how much all the missions work, here and in Chiapa, has blessed the people of this church,” Hunter said.

The proceeds from the sale do not just go overseas.

First Presbyterian Church supports many local charitable efforts, including the backpack program at Carver Heights Elementary, which provides food for the weekend for needy children, as well as programs that assist migrant workers in the community.

And every year, the church opens its gym one more time, for those who need coats and clothes for the upcoming winter season.

Hundreds of coats go out each year, Hunter said.

“One year, we had nothing left but three hangers,” she said.

But all the good work First Presbyterian’s congregation does and the money its members raise are not about thanks or recognition, Hunter said. It is about the chance to live their faith.

“We have a very missions-minded church,” she said.

She says their congregation is growing and is finding new ways to reach out to those who might not yet be ready to come back to an in-person service.

“We are wide open to anybody and welcoming to anyone who wants to worship with us or be involved in our missions,” she said.

A year away because of COVID has made so many appreciate of the support and fellowship of church.

“Our faith connections have become more important,” Hunter said.

So, while she and her fellow congregation members hope Wayne County residents will come out Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon to support the yard sale, they would love to see them back on Sunday at 10 a.m. for the weekly church service. And if they find that First Presbyterian feels like home, they can join in the plans for next year’s missions work and sale. 

“Everyone is welcome,” she said. “Please come join us.”