Church plans fundraiser for mission
Published 7:00 pm Tuesday, April 2, 2013
“If you’ve ever wanted to come to a garage sale, this is the one to come to,” said Sunday Holmes, event coordinator for the annual First Baptist church-wide garage sale.
“We fill our gym to the brim,” she said.
For the second year in a row, First Baptist Church of Brookhaven will stuff their gym with a variety of donated items from clothes and knick-knacks to electronics and furniture.
The sale is from 6:30 until 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 6. Pancake breakfasts will be available for $5. A sneak preview sale is Friday from 6 until 8 p.m. with a $5 admission fee. The Girls in Action will sell pizza and baked goods at the preview sale.
One hundred percent of the proceeds go to a ministry called Agape Outreach Mission India. The mission was started by Brookhaven residents Sam and Jezy Varghese, native Indians. The couple lives part-time in Brookhaven and part-time in India. Their mission plants churches and educates pastors in poverty-stricken areas in India.
The mission is currently supporting 55 pastors and 43 churches that were directly or indirectly started by Sam Varghese – indirectly meaning that some of the churches he planted have started other churches.
“A typical offering in a church like that a lot of the time can be measured in cents,” said Holmes.
The Vargheses came to Mississippi so Sam Varghese could get an education. He attended seminary in Jackson, and his wife attended nursing school and works at King’s Daughters Medical Center. First Baptist Church is one of their largest fundraising bases.
“We hope this year to raise enough money to finish the children’s home,” said Holmes.
The children’s home will be a way to give Indian children an education while providing them a place to live. In India, the exterior of a building has to be completed before working on the interior, according to their law.
The exterior of the children’s home is now complete, but funds are needed to finish the interior.
Last year, the First Baptist garage sale raised almost $17,000 for AOMI. The Vargheses raise all their own funds.
“The idea (for the garage sale) stemmed from, ‘Let’s see if we can give up some of our excess to people who don’t have enough,'” said Holmes.
The church will be accepting donations for the sale through Wednesday.
“You can bring it or we can come and pick it up for you,” said Holmes.
For pick-up, call Brittany Sones at 601-906-8976.
Members of the church make items and sale them at the garage sale and garage sale T-shirts will be sold for $10. These proceeds also go to AOMI.
“It’s worth it ’cause there’s a lot of good stuff,” said Holmes.