May 9, 2023

Galilee’s “Raise the Roof” Rummage Sale was held on the weekend of May 4-5. If you participated in any way, we thank you so much.

Through the sale, donors decluttered their homes, plus 144 low income families were able to shop the sale using vouchers from a local nonprofit, and the church raised over $12,000 for use on our foreign and local missions, including Costa Rica.

We call that a win-win-win!

Costa Rica missioner Amy Kuo volunteered (and made a coffee run) at our Raise the Roof Rummage Sale

Win #1: Costa Rica. Our annual rummage sale usually helps defray the cost of travel to Costa Rica for foreign missioners (and contributes to our general Mission Fun, which supports all of our missions). This year, however, our Costa Rican partner church wanted to do roofing work—something a bit outside of the skill set of our volunteers. So instead of sending a mission team, we’re sending money to help the work. Hence the name of this year’s sale, the “Raise the Roof” Rummage Sale.

The sale was organized by Felicia Johnson, Director of Serve Ministries at Galilee, and our lay leader Jen Shah and her incredible team of volunteers, largely made up of past Costa Rica mission team members. Staying active in mission, even when not going to Costa Rica, helps keep this group’s serve muscles and relationship bonds strong.

Rummage volunteers

Win #2: Church. Watching the church gym fill up with donations was a sight to behold. We received books, clothes, old electronics, toys, kitchen items, housewares, yarn, holiday decorations, tools, framed art, quality china, jewelry, furniture, and more. You name it and we probably sold it. It was hard to measure who showed more gratitude—the volunteers who thanked people for bringing their stuff to the gym, the community members who found amongst these wares the perfect treasure, or the donors themselves who were able to declutter their homes.

Lunchtime Chick-Fil-A break

Given the enormous volume of stuff, working the rummage sale was not easy. But it was fun! Our volunteers organized dozens of tables of rummage (and yes, they got first dibs) over three days before the sale doors opened. The spirit of fellowship was palpable, in large part because even simple tasks (maybe especially simple tasks) can benefit others and fulfill our calling to love our neighbors.

Win # 3: Community. Galilee’s Rummage Sale is an intentional gift to families in need within our community. We work with Loudoun County Public Schools and a 501(c)3 non-profit called Help 4 Our Children to deliver vouchers to families that could use a hand. The families use these vouchers to shop at our sale, so they are able to acquire clothes, tools, books, kitchen items, and more. 

In this way, 144 families were helped. That’s a big win!

Tom Dula is the “King of Deals.” He’s on the board of the non-profit that provides vouchers to families shopping at the rummage sale

Probably when we call the Rummage Sale a win-win-win, we’re selling it short. There’s probably an additional win we’re overlooking. We thank God for the opportunity to help so many neighbors, here and abroad, with this successful initiative. And we look forward to doing it next year—so save your treasures and think about bringing yourself to the sale next year!