From Bath Christian Church

On the third Saturday in November, Bath Christian Church continues a tradition that began more than 50 years ago. That tradition is the church bazaar. Started by the women’s group of the church, the first several years of the bazaar were primarily a lunch, baked goods, a few pieces of needlework and some simple crafts. Though it was a very simple beginning, it was a beginning for what has become one of the church’s largest projects.

In the early days, the entire bazaar was planned, created and conducted by the ladies of the church. Today, the bazaar is possible only because it has become a project for the whole church; the women could not carry out all the many and heavy details if it were not for the men’s help. Former church members and many community members who attend other area churches also contribute items, especially for the yard sale.

The offerings at the bazaar have grown tremendously over time, and the church is quite proud of array of items available for the public to purchase. The day begins at 6:30 a.m. with delicious cheese and sausage biscuits and a hearty cup of coffee. At 7 a.m., the yard sale opens with the old Bath High School gym running over with treasures for everyone. The yard sale remains open until 10:30 a.m.. At 7:30 a.m., the remainder of the bazaar opens. Shoppers can find garden-fresh canned goods, wonderful goodies, baked and otherwise prepared, such as cakes, pies, candies, muffins, breads, cheese balls, cookies and more. A line of very popular kitchen knives are available, and some needlecrafts are also on hand. Refurbished furniture is looking for a new home, and crafts of all kinds have been lovingly created for our patrons — woodcrafts are especially numerous this year. Seasonal wreaths await the holidays. The annual raffle is always a favorite venue; this year, our prizes include three paintings, a piece of stained glass, a handcrafted duck decoy, a canvas of a Pamlico River sunset and a weekend mountain getaway. During and after all the busy shopping, chicken salad and pimento cheese sandwiches, along with vegetable soup, taco soup and great northern beans, can be found at the Christian Café. Coffee and soft drinks are also on hand.

Over the years, many area friends have visited the bazaar and have become regular shoppers at this event, finding something for everyone. They also find a church full of friendly, faith-based Christians who are eager to share our fellowship with others. The bazaar allows church members to strengthen their bond of Christian love with one another. While the fellowship is the most important entity of this project, money is made from the efforts of the church family and from the generosity of the community patrons. The use of the funds raised at the bazaar is very important. There are some 12 to 15 community charities to which we donate most of the money raised. The remainder of the profit is used for emergency needs, care packages for shut-ins, the youth of our church and other church projects. As is evident, shoppers who support the Bath Christian Church Bazaar not only find some worthwhile purchases, but they are also supporting the entire community of Beaufort County and surrounding areas.

Thank you for the tremendous support you have shown our Bazaar in the past, and we look forward to seeing you on Nov. 16!