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| This beautiful manger scene, crafted by someone incarcerated at the Dillwyn Correctional Center, was donated to the Virginia Mennonite Relief Sale's annual auction to help raise money for world relief. The creche is currently on display in the lobby of VMRC's Park Place, along with other items for the Sale. |
Over 4000 people are expected to attend this year's Relief Sale at the Rockingham County Fairgrounds October 3-4. Among them are the many who contribute to make this fundraiser possible for Mennonite Central Committee, mostly by donating auction and other sale items and through selfless hours of volunteer time to make this an annual event a success.
Many of the rest of us will help mostly by being consumers of the food and craft items offered at the event and not primarily as actual contributors to this effort. WE will leave the Sale with full stomachs, good feelings about having enjoyed a pleasant day, and with whatever items we have added to our store of possessions.
Could more of us consumers become generous contributors as well?
One way is by encouraging increased cash, check or credit card donations at the SOS (Sharing Our Surplus) giving table, or for those unable to attend, by sending a gift to the Virginia Mennonite Relief Sale, 601 Parkwood Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22802, with checks made out to VMRS.
On the Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community campus I am personally collecting contributions for the SOS effort, which since 2017 has raised well over $200,000, thus substantially adding to the total income produced by food, craft and other sales.
Having said all that, this effort isn't primarily about raising record funds for the Relief Sale, or even for MCC. Rather it's about loving our hungry, homeless and hurting neighbors around the world just as we love and care for ourselves, neighbors whom God loves and longs to bless with daily bread and adequate shelter.
Let's all join good people like the one who created the Christmas creche shown above, someone who gave so much of his time, talent and meager means for a cause he deeply believes in.
Here's how he describes his amazing creation:
Artist: Brian E. Brubaker
Dillwyn Correctional Center
A Virginia Model Facility
1522 Prison Rd.
Dillwyn, VA 23936
This project made for the 2025 Virginia Mennonite Relief Sale is
in part made possible by the many members of the Mennonite
community residing in the Virginia Mennonite Retirement
Community, the greater Harrisonburg area, and my friends and
relatives scattered across our great nation. I simply would not be
able to craft if not for those who have chosen to journey with me
supporting my artistic endeavors during my incarceration
experience. I must also give credit to the Administration here at
DWCC who give artists the ability to purchase Elmer’s Glue for
artists like myself who work in three dimensions. This project
required the following materials to create and my only tool not
created by myself that I can purchase off the commissary used
was the tiny 2” in length, fingernail clipper used to cut every
popsicle to size.
2 boxes of popsicle sticks (roughly 2000 stick)
25 pencils split in half
4-sheets of 15”x20” aquarelle artists painting paper
16 8 1\2”x11” cardboard legal paper pad backings
17 4 oz. bottles of Elmer’s Glue
2 16oz. Peanut butter jars of sifted sand to make plaster
1 cornstarch shower powder bottle added into the plaster
2 handsfull of stones used to the stable/chimney construction
4 an estimate of the number of 2 oz. Bottles of acrylic paint
6 broken or worn out mini fingernail clippers
2 bottles of Kiwi brand brown shoe polish
Brian would be honored to have his effort inspire each of us to make an equally generous contribution.
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