22nd Annual St. Michael’s Flea Market / Ziti Dinner

Our 2018 annual
St. Michael Flea Market Weekend
came to a close Sunday, August 5.

We at St. Michael’s thank all who visited or volunteered.

And we sincerely mean that!

Who are the people who made a difference?

Everyone who participated made a difference!

You can believe is it our community of friends, neighbors, patrons, fellow “believers”, parishioners and volunteers
—  extending far beyond 205 North Main Street, Pittston.

This year was no exception !  Everyone is a part of the success ….. it is the combined effort, the sum total of all the parts that makes a difference.   ( Does that sound a bit like what St. Paul mentions in 1 Corininthians 12 ? )

Everyone brings a little part of themselves to the mix, doing what they can in their own unique and gifted way to make it all happen.

The difference we make is our gift back to God in thanksgiving for many good things He blesses upon us.

And since our united effort (whether in prayer or activities) is what makes us church, what makes us the Body of Christ — a community of believers — in the chance that you may have missed the opportunity this year to “be on board”, we welcome you to join us next time.  Each person is the key to guaranteeing the future of what we value.

The ways people make a difference . . . .

Our partial list :

♥    The patrons who return year after year.   Our good neighbors and faithful friends come for the food (the definition of delicious) and to shop.  Thank you for your support.  What is more remarkable to us are the places people came from, places that were quite far in fact, and also friends from several local churches.  All we can say is “Wow!” We are humbled.

♥    The drop-in shoppers/visitors enter our doors for the first time and are pleasantly surprised.  Cannot miss the line up outside on day one!  We hope we served your needs well and returned the value of your time with us.  Thank you for dropping in out of curiosity!

♥    Our Day One bargain hunters – the scouters of “great stuff” who patiently waited in that long line for the doors to open on Saturday.  We hope you found the surprise treasure that made your day!

♥    And every volunteer who helped.  Whether your help was visible or behind the scenes, big or small, no matter how much time or what role was played. May you find some rest in the weeks ahead, knowing you served God and your church, and did so out of love for both.

♥    Our food team volunteers who worked for hours in prep and cooking.   And our bakers ! It takes planning, time and labor to achieve what you do.  Where would we be without your skills?  You are our success makers!    We vote you best ethnic food in the area, too!

♥    And our “senior” volunteers (that may be the majority)  who unfailingly help each year; you grasp the needs that exist and respond in kind.  Our prayers are with you.  We pray also that our young people will find in you the model to follow as they sort out discovering their path.  We do hope that path includes being a part of St. Michael’s now and in their future.

♥    The people who don’t belong to our parish, who volunteer for their friends! You get a heartfelt hug and prayers of gratitude.  You are the best of the best!

♥    Every other role played by volunteers: the bakers, flea market “pricers”, organizers, errand runners, setup helpers, donors of supplies, and on and on.

We thank everyone.

May God bless you in the role you served.  

Because in the end, it’s all about serving God in serving others and ensuring the future of our church in our community.