Members of Messiah Lutheran Church worked together to raise nearly $24,000 over the weekend.
The church’s annual Harvest Home Festival features homemade food, a flea market booth, canned goods and a benefit auction. In its 12th year, the event Saturday earned $23,660.23 — the second-highest amount raised, chairman Steve Hanschu said Sunday.
The event started in 1996, the same year the church broke ground on a new fellowship hall. In February 1997, just three months after the first benefit, the cornerstone was laid on the new addition. Once the building project was finished, the event became a way to share Christian love with each other and the community.
From its inception, a percentage of the festival’s proceeds has gone to a community organization. This year, Birthright of Emporia will receive some of the proceeds.
For more on the festival, see Monday's Gazette.