The annual Lord’s Acre sale is set for Saturday, Sept. 27, with a portion of the proceeds to benefit the Penny House, which provides temporary housing for people recovering from natural disasters.
The sale will be held in the large building at Rotary Field from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
More than a dozen churches and organizations will sell baked goods, crafts, quilts, vegetables, flowers, food, and other items. An auction of special boxes, everyday items, furniture, and more will begin at 11 a.m.
Lord’s Acre President Jane Cardwell said the event was started in 1970 by the Rev. Richard E. Dublin.
“Lord’s Acre is a nondenominational, national organization, so every church in Patrick County … they are actually supposed to be part of the Lord’s Acre sale. The problem was because it was a minister for two different Methodist churches, a lot of churches assumed it was for Methodists only,” she said.
However, Cardwell said the purpose of Lord’s Acre is to promote Christian stewardship among members, churches, and friends of Patrick County. She is working to expand the number of churches involved, and three have joined in recent months.
“We have made Disaster Relief Food Ministry part of the Lord’s Acre sale because all they do is mission work, and now we have made the Operation Shoebox Ministry, they are a separate entity in that Lord’s Acre sale for people to come and drop off donations in the boxes like toys or a T-shirt, or they can make a monetary donation that day,” she said.
Patrick County Christmas Cheer has also become a large part of the program. Cardwell said anyone who wants to adopt a child but cannot afford to do so fully can bring a toy or make a monetary donation during the sale.
“Once we do distribution, we will be able to go in and shop from various toys that were given,” Cardwell said.
She is also working to get Gideons International, an evangelical association, to participate and set up a booth at the event.
After the sale, individual churches keep the money they raised, but it must be used for mission work.
“Like we can’t pay a power bill with it. We can’t put it towards something like that in the church. It has to be used for mission projects. It cannot go towards a church budget,” she said.
However, if a church is struggling to stay open, Cardwell said another church may donate its proceeds to help that congregation. In that way, the proceeds are not being used by an individual church for its own budget.
“Then we tithe a tenth of the total amount that we make to the Penny House. The Lord’s Acre sale actually promotes our Patrick County Penny House to help pay power bills, keep it stocked,” she said.
The Penny House, located in Patrick Springs, opened in 1996.
“It began with a dream of Larry Vernon’s, who was a member of Lord’s Acre. His dream was for Patrick County to have a place of shelter and safety for either a person or a family of the county who had lost their home or personal possessions because of fire, flood, or other natural disasters,” Cardwell said.
The house was initially rented for $1 a year from Tony and Cheryl Plaster. In 2022, the Lord’s Acre Committee was able to purchase it through fundraisers and donations.
Cardwell said churches and other organizations help keep the house stocked with necessities,
“Because if you had just went through a fire and you lost everything, well you don’t have any of that,” she said.
The Penny House is fully furnished with three bedrooms, a living room, kitchen, bathroom, and laundry room.
“It doesn’t cost you to stay there. You don’t have to pay for the power or anything. That’s what the (Lord’s Acre) sale is for, to fund the Penny House for people in Patrick County to use if they have a disaster,” she said.
The Penny House has helped more than 100 families in their time of need. Local fire departments, the sheriff’s office, and social services regularly refer people there.
While primarily used for families displaced by fires, Cardwell said the home has also been used in other circumstances.
