A Serendipitous Saturday

On Saturday, April 17, First United Methodist Church of Bixby is hosting its annual Serendipity Market.

Serendipity Market will include vendor Bethany Houser selling her handmade beaded jewelry and stamped pendants.

On Saturday, April 17, First United Methodist Church of Bixby is hosting its annual Serendipity Market. This is your chance to come out and shop a wide selection of handmade crafts and products from local vendors, and to support First United Methodist’s missions and ministries.

“Serendipity Market is a great event for our church,” says event coordinator Diana Sample. “It has a friendly, fun atmosphere. A lot of people support it, and it raises money for the work that the church is doing.”

This year’s market will include jewelry, much of it handmade, including turquoise, sterling silver, and beaded and stained glass pieces, as well as candles, potpourri, home fragrances, oil paintings, woodturnings, including bowls, pens, cutting boards and decorations, soap, bath products, home fragrances, baby clothes, personal care products, home décor, handmade blankets, quilts and towels, and food mixes, including soups and dips. “We’ve tried to put together a lot of variety, and to include items that will interest a lot of different people,” says Sample. Spread over most of First United Methodist’s first floor, the market will feature about 50 vendors, food concessions by the church, and a used book sale.

Some of this year’s vendors include:
• Bethany Houser, who creates beaded jewelry and stamped pendants, including many biblically-themed pieces.
• David Seaba, who makes custom woodturnings, including pens, bowls, game calls and stave vessels. He works in native and exotic woods as well as antler.
• Thuy Bui of Lollielicious Designs, who makes custom accessories, including hair clips, hair bows, headbands and beanies.
• Michelle Bearer of Spiffy Monkey, who makes a line of baby products, including diaper bags, blankets, pacifier clips, bibs and custom bedding.
• Shea Jackson, who sells Scentsy products: a line of child-safe wickless candles, including warmers, plug-ins, and many scents.

David Seaba’s booth will ­feature his custom woodturnings, including pens, bowls, game calls and stave vessels.

Concessions will be available, including sandwiches, chips, fruit and drinks. A bake sale will benefit the church’s children’s department.

“Serendipity Market gets a lot of our church people out – they help with setting up, serving food, selling books, hosting vendors and shoppers, and cleaning up,” says Sample. “It’s an open and welcoming event.”

Proceeds from Serendipity Market benefit First United Methodist’s missions and ministries. “We have so many things going on,” says Sample. “We regularly send teams to foreign countries. Recently we sent a team to a border town in Mexico to build houses, and another to China to help in an orphanage. We helped with Iowa flood relief recently. We sponsor the Bixby Care Center, which supplies food and clothing to over 60 families. We also do Circle of Care, which is a statewide UMC ministry that includes the Boys’ Ranch in Gore, the Children’s Home in Tahlequah, Pearl’s Hope, which provides financial and job training for homeless single mothers, and Child SHARE, which works with DHS to recruit and support foster families. And we have football, basketball and cheerleading for kids through the Upward Christian sports program.”

If you’re looking for a church, First United Methodist would love to have you. “We build relationships in our church, and a lot of people are growing in their faith and purpose,” says Sample. First United Methodist Church holds worship services every Sunday morning at 8:30 (contemporary) and 11 (traditional), and Sunday school for all ages at 9:45.

First United Methodist Church’s Serendipity Market is Saturday, April 17 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the church, 15502 S. Memorial in Bixby. You can visit First United Methodist on the web at www.fumcbixby.org.

For more information, contact

First United Methodist Church

(918) 366-4463

www.fumcbixby.org