St. Paul's United Methodist Church (UMC), 100 W. Main St., Mountville, will host its first-ever craft show on Saturday, Dec. 2, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The fundraising event will feature more than 20 vendors, a silent auction and refreshments available to purchase; the proceeds will support the church's various outreach initiatives throughout Mountville and its adjacent communities.

The majority of the participating vendors will offer handcrafted merchandise such as woodworking items, artwork made from seashells and seasonal Christmas decorations. A number of vendors will offer various home products, including kitchen sets and cooking ware.

The silent auction will highlight an arrangement of items donated by vendors and local businesses. The items available to bid on will be displayed on the stage in the fellowship hall inside St. Paul's UMC; the arrangement will include a hand-stitched quilt and baskets of tickets and other merchandise from the Strasburg Rail Road and Sight & Sound Theatres.

During the craft show, members of the church's congregation will sell coffee and light breakfast items among other refreshments. At 11 a.m., Nano Burger food truck will arrive at the rear parking lot of the church to vend lunch options such as sliders, chicken sandwiches, french fries and vegan alternatives.

St. Paul's UMC will apply the funds raised by the craft show to sustain its projects and ministries that seek to benefit the community in a number of ways. The church frequently partners with Columbia Food Bank, Samaritan's Purse Shoe Boxes and Salvation Army, and it regularly supports Mountville Elementary School and the Mountville Fire Department. Additionally, St. Paul's UMC allows local Boy Scout troops, addiction recovery groups and local nonprofits to use its fellowship hall for meetings and special events at no cost.

The idea to organize a craft show fundraiser was introduced by church member Julie Ehrgood. Julie and her husband, Francis, reside in Washington Boro, and they began to attend services at St. Paul's UMC two years ago. Julie and Francis are avid archers and enjoy shooting arrows in their free time, and they befriended fellow bowman Jim Cavalera while at a shooting range. Cavalera, who serves as St. Paul UMC's pastor, invited Julie and Francis to join his congregation.

When Julie joined St. Paul's UMC, she immediately knew she wanted to spearhead a ministry for its members; over the past few years, she has organized dozens of galas and auctions to raise money for nonprofits across Lancaster County. Julie now helms the Caring Hands ministry: a committee within the church that offers special services to members who are experiencing health issues. Caring Hands provides meals, cards and various forms of aid to congregants with severe illnesses such as cancer. "The pastor had asked me what I could do to help the church when I was first getting ready to join," Julie said. "I knew what I wanted to do, and I received support for the ministry right away; people volunteered immediately."

For more information, visit http://www.saintpaulsumc.church.