Why Bazaars Are Great

Last Saturday was my home church’s bazaar and this Saturday is the bazaar at the church where I preach regularly. After this post resonated with so many readers last year, I’m going to put it up again. Thinking of all of you doing that bazaar thing and wishing success in many, many ways! Here is the post:

This past Saturday I helped at my home church’s bazaar at the preserves and frozen foods booth. I’m a fan and avid shopper, visiting the baking, sewing and other tables and enjoying the lunch. I also love visiting other church bazaars, my record being three in one day. It is something I look forward to every year to set me up for Advent.

As I took in what was happening around me on Saturday, it occurred to me that though bazaars may be a dying breed, and some churches are opting for vendor fairs more than their own wares, they do some incredibly important things. Our bazaar has gone through many transitions over the years, moving from a Wednesday to a Saturday, changing what meal was served and adding gift baskets while cutting back on crocheted items (who didn’t need a brown toilet roll cover in the 70s and 80s?). My church has had the ability to shift with the times and will need to continue to do so. But I believe the effort is worth it.

Even though no bazaar is smooth sailing, here is my top ten list of why they are a great thing to keep going if you can:

10. they get the community in your door - no small feat in a post-modern and post-Christian society

9. they offer people with gifts of working with their hands a prime way to serve - these people often help year round but it’s typically not so public or such a wonderful affirmation of their talents

8. related to 9. is that God’s hospitality, creativity and abundance shine through the gifts of God’s people

7. on a practical level, people are fed physically (whether at a meal served or through homemade purchased goods) but they are also fed socially and even spiritually in seeing and eating with friends and meeting those working and helping

6. people from other churches come to buy, knowing a good thing, and we in turn tend to go to their bazaars too - it is a celebration of what churches are doing in the community and of friendships, solidarity and support across denominations

5. bazaars are open to all ages and offer a glimpse into the life and care of the people of a church - different generations bump into each other, bringing joy and a reminder of the diversity of our human family and community

4. bazaar workers are challenged to serve together as a team on a variety of tasks to pull this off - it draws together the whole congregation from baking donations to table set up to selling items and clean up

3. there is so much happening in the background beyond the sales - cares and troubles shared, noticing and welcoming back people who haven’t been to church in a while, extending love and caring for people’s needs in practical ways, and brightening people’s moods to name a few

2. second-hand items are diverted from landfill and sold cheaply to those who can’t afford new, and

1. bazaars can be a wonderful start to the Advent season, pointing to the hope, peace, joy and love of Christmas

Whether you are gearing up for your bazaar or just planning to visit some others, may God use you to spread the warmth of Christ to those you meet, both churchgoers and those who may be seeking and entering a place of worship for the first time or after a long absence. May God be glorified through our crafting, baking, caring and community building.