Hog roast, auction to benefit destroyed church

Nine Fairfield area churches have teamed up to hold a benefit meal and auction for the New Sweden United Methodist Church, which was destroyed by fire June 18.

The event is set for Saturday at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds Activities Building, with a meal served from 4:30-7:30 p.m. and the auction starting at 8 p.m. A free-will offering will be accepted for the hog roast.

?Everybody is on board for the common cause,? said Word of Life Lutheran Church Pastor Jamie Strickler, who got the ball rolling.

Strickler was new to the community when the church burned earlier this summer. The fundraiser, he said, grew and grew from his interest in an ecumenical project.

He got pastors Mike Metz of First United Methodist Church and Suzanne Swahn of First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) on board, and the event blossomed from there.

?It?s great to have many denominations come together for one cause,? said Dianne Brokken, pastor of the New Sweden church. She said her congregation never expected anything like this, but they?re certainly appreciative of the effort.

?It?s fun to watch God work in this way,? Swahn said. ?I?ve been real thrilled with how each church has stepped up.?

All of the items to be auctioned have been donated by parishioners of the various churches, which had sign-up sheets posted for the last month. Additionally, the different congregations have volunteered to supply an assortment of food for the meal. One church, for example, is responsible for the salad, while another has taken on dessert.

For the complete article, see the Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2010, printed edition of The Fairfield Ledger.