Geneva church’s rummage sale raises $20,000 for mission and sustainability
When is a rummage and bake sale more than just selling used items and cookies and pies?
When the people of the United Methodist Church of Geneva host a sale that has developed over the last 60 years into a community event with benefits far beyond simply selling items and now helps to care for our planet.
At least 80 volunteers, mostly members of the church, have worked tirelessly to collect donated “rummage” items, then set them up for display and priced to sell, all to donate those proceeds (in the thousands) to charity.
This past April, they set a record for raising more than $20,000, which will now be donated to local, national and international charities.
It takes an army to pull off a rummage sale of this magnitude, but the volunteers all have a lot of fun and there are always new faces to meet. Experienced workers are paired with newer workers so they can learn what needs to be done.
“It’s a great way to meet new people, catch up with old friends, and make a difference in people’s lives,” said Jenean Larsen, one of the primary organizers.
It takes an entire week to prepare and “put on” the sale. Starting Monday, they work to set up tables and clothes racks. The next two days will be spent accepting donations, sorting them by categories, and then displaying items for sale.
For all those volunteers, lunch is consistently organized on Tuesday through Friday by 86-year-old Joan Hansen!
Lunch includes homemade soups and salads, sloppy joes and sandwich makings, and strives to be zero waste by using the church’s serving plates and utensils along with the dishwasher. Thursday morning the baked goods roll in from 9 a.m. until noon and are displayed and priced.
When the sale starts Thursday evening from 6-8 p.m., volunteers work to greet and direct customers, check out their purchases, and help on the sales floor. The sale continues from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. that Friday and finishes Saturday from 9 a.m. until noon.
Many patrons have commented that the event itself is fun, and they can’t believe the deals they get Saturday morning during the $8 fill a bag sale — one woman said she got 35 items (valued at $75) in the $8 bag — with a spice cake as well!
The benefits of this rummage sale go far beyond the money it raises for charity — every item of “rummage” sold to a customer is then not sent to a landfill and is filling a need for someone new.
Since the inception in 2021 of the Creation Care Committee at UMCG, tasked with helping the national United Methodist Church in becoming Net Zero Emissions by 2050, “it is incredible how we see the entire church (individuals and committees’) embrace a way to walk through our world in a gentler way. The rummage sale, which has always been a way to reuse and repurpose unwanted items, now also focuses on how the unsellable and unsold items can go on to still make a positive impact in the community and environment,” said Debbie Karr, a member of that committee.
Less and less is discarded each sale in a dumpster and that is impactful for our earth. Items that are not usable are dropped off at the Kane County Recycling Center if they can still be recycled responsibly.
Any items not sold by noon on Saturday are carefully loaded up and donated to various other groups serving the community; animal shelters, Hesed House, World Relief and other organizations serving refugees and a new one this year, Furnishing Futures, which helps furnish the new homes of the recently homeless. Books, DVDs and CDs go to the local libraries.
“At UMCG, we believe that every act of generosity can be a spark of God’s grace in the world. Through this record-breaking rummage sale, we’re not just recycling goods — we’re renewing lives, serving our neighbors, and caring for creation. It’s a powerful example of how we fill our commitment to ‘People, Purpose and Planet’ as we come together to illuminate our community with God’s love,” said Pastor Rob Hamilton, senior pastor.