By Tabitha Goodling
For The Daily Item
The high bid on that pie or cake this weekend will help missionaries spread the Gospel in other parts of the world, thanks to the efforts of a Snyder County church.
Port Ann Wesleyan Church is hosting a mission auction Saturday, April 21, at the church.
Pastor Paul Sheets said this is the fifth year for the event and was an idea brought to him by parishioners who had attended a church in the Ephrata area that raised money for missions with a community auction.
“I never thought we were large enough to do this and make it work, but it did,” Sheets said.
Sheets said his congregation of 100 is invited to provide a personal talent for the auction such as crafts, woodworking, babysitting, car washing and more.
Favorite auction items include baked goods, Sheets said, which can get some interesting bid amounts.
“We have 300 items donated this year,” Sheets said, which is remarkable for a congregation of its size.
The church supports Wesleyan missions serving in different parts of the world who will benefit from Sunday’s contributions.
Missionaries Dan and Joy Irvine were able to attend last year’s auction. The couple serves in Haiti providing leadership training to pastors and church leaders, recruited medical personnel to work in the Wesleyan Hospital located on the island of La Gonave off the cost of mainland Haiti.
“Port Ann Church has faithfully partnered with us since 2011. As Wesleyan missionaries we are required to have 400 people who will pray for us consistently. The Port Ann church family are a part of the 400,” Joy Irvine said.
The couple shared they were blessed by the opportunity to experience the auction in 2017 as Dan enjoys the pies provided.
“It’s a great family fun night, with delicious food and unique and creative items auctioned,” Joy Irvine said.
Another missionary who benefits from the donations is Dorcas Croft who serves as Academic Dean at Emmanuel Wesleyan Bible College in the small community of Swaziland in Africa.
Croft has been serving as a missionary with the Wesleyan church for 24 years.
“Swaziland has lots of poverty and has a very high rate of HIV & AIDS and TB. Due to that there are many orphans and vulnerable children. Back in 2005 God led me to adopt an abandoned baby who has been such a big blessing to me over the last 13 years! Mathias is now 14 and God is already using him in music ministry and many other ways,” Dorcas said.
It is because of the support of churches like Port Ann that she and her son can continue the ministry, she said.
“It is great to have a church like Port Ann who has faithfully supported us for over 20 years! These days it can be hard to find people or churches who will stay with you for the long haul. We have appreciated Port Ann and their faithfulness,” Croft said.
Randall and Linda Freeman, missionary wellness coaches — formerly called Pastor to Missionaries — serve Global Partner’s Missionaries living in Asia, Pacific and Turkic/Arabic Areas, also receive financial support from the church.
“We realize that we could not engage in the ministry that God has called us to without their generous contribution to our ministry,” the Freemans said in a joint email. “It’s also a privilege to feel that we are an extension of Port Ann’s local church ministries. It’s wonderful to see the creative way that they have engaged everyone within the church family and surrounding community through the Missions Auction.”
Sheets said the event is the “final push” of toward their missionary budget which also supports the Snyder County Prison Ministry.
