St. Mark Lutheran Church invites the public to its annual crafts and arts event
St. Mark Lutheran Church, Hartman Hall, 2911 N. Main St., is hosting its annual Holiday Bazaar Dec. 1 from noon to 7 p.m. and Dec. 2 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Local artisans will sell their handmade items. for Christmas. Proceeds benefit Home Insurance.
According to Sandra Winslow, the church administrator, vendors only have to pay a small fee to cover electricity. “Basically what we provide is a community resource for them to sell their arts and crafts. »
As of press time, a large number of suppliers have already signed up. Winslow said there will be paper and wood crafts, handmade ornaments, wall hangings, tumblers, coasters, wreaths, stocking stuffers, shirts, books poetry, “Tree of Life” pendants and ceramics. These latter objects were created by artist Helen Walters. Asked about her work, she replied: “I have made more than 200 trees of life. So I’ll have them there. I have made a lot of different jewelry with Pecos Valley diamonds. I have things made from old telephone wires and I started making ceramics with Aria Finch at the art museum. (Finch is the director/manager of ceramics at the Roswell Museum.) I started making salsa dishes and miniature turtles. While everyone else was working on aliens this summer, I decided to work on terrestrial creatures. So it’s part of my repertoire. And I also show some of my husband’s work: he did block printing. And he did it on paper, on clothes, on dishes, on paintings, and some of his works are currently on display at the Gallery. And I sell the prints I make from that.
Walters will also release a limited edition poetry book. She is a member of the High Prairie Poets Society, founded nearly 30 years ago in Roswell. “Poems from the High Prairie” features nine poets alongside Walters: Ann Applegarth, Brenda Bonham, Candace Michele Jordan, Peggy Mason, Thomas Renfrid, Robert Reynolds, Thomas Strama and Alice Louise Wagoner. The poems vary in theme with topics of nature, identity, death and heartbreak as well as charming, intimate themes, such as Applegarth’s poem “Mama”. It reads: “…She moved to the town where men would sit patiently on the post office steps (hoping to catch a glimpse of her ankles) and throw their pocket watches at her feet. Dad didn’t sit and wait. …” Jordan adds some life advice in his poem “Counterintuitive.” It reads: “…Monumental works can kill you. Some things aren’t worth it. Fragrant Thanksgiving Memories: Leave behind a life well lived.
Interestingly, the book was published in Macedonia. When asked how this happened, Walters said a guest attending the group’s meetings was from the Balkan country. The Ars Lamina publishing house in Skopje, Macedonia, sought to publish an anthology of American poets. “She invited us to submit, and we each submitted a few things, thinking, ‘Well, if we get one or two, that’ll be great.’ » It was just our work – whatever we submitted, she published. And so, I finally managed to sell 100 copies of the book. We also donated one to the library here. And we were asked to do a second book. So I have a variety of things here,” Walters said.
Walters’ path to becoming an artist began in a log cabin on a dirt road in New Jersey, she said. “I have a very different upbringing than many people because of my isolation as a child. And as a result,… it’s like your imagination is running wild. I always wanted to be an artist. I went to school – I chose commercial art and advertising design. So I worked in the field of graphic arts for around fifteen years. Photography, composition, layout, collage creation, all kinds of two-dimensional work. But I did my own work on the side. I called it ecological art,” Walters said.
Alongside her art, she worked as an accountant and administrator. “I thought I needed something to show people that I wasn’t just a crazy artist,” she says with a laugh. Later in life, she became an activities director, using her creative talents while working with the elderly.
Walters moved with her late husband to Roswell to retire.
With profits from the bazaar church going to Assurance Home, Winslow said Pastor Larry Sydow decided to use them for the church’s annual Christmas stockings that are given to children living at the home. “There are usually between 15 and 18 (children) who receive stockings filled with treats. And one of the gifts is actually a $25 gift certificate. We’ve been doing this for probably about 15 years. And this is just one of our community projects that we do every year,” she said.
Although the church has a small congregation of only 28 members, they have been able to make an impact in the community through various projects over the years. The most recent project, Winslow said, was purchasing Thanksgiving turkeys for the Good Samaritan Food Pantry. “Last year they got a turkey,” she said. “They serve between 30 and 40 families per day. We decided as a congregation to give them money so that each family could eat a turkey. » They raised $500 for this project alone.
Their other fundraiser was visible from afar: the annual pumpkin patch fundraiser. All 800 pumpkins have found new homes. “We made over $4,000 just selling pumpkins,” Sydow said. “We want to thank the community because they came – they were so generous. I mean, not only were they buying a pumpkin, but they were donating to us. And this year, the proceeds went to help the hungry and homeless.
The church also has a small pantry. “If someone comes here and they’re hungry, we have food here that I can hand out, no questions asked,” Winslow said. “We also have some essential items. »
When asked about the church and what is the difference between it and other churches, Sydow responded that, for example, there is little difference between the Presbyterians and their church. “We get along very well because we realized that our differences are so small. We are called by Christ to share the good news. And that’s our primary mission,” he said.
For more information, call the church office at 575-623-0519.
