Ironville United Methodist Church (UMC), 4020 Holly Drive, Columbia, will hold its annual holiday bazaar on Saturday, Nov. 5, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event will offer food and baked goods available for purchase, craft vendors and a white elephant room, where donated items will be sold.

Food options will be hot dogs, chips, soft drinks, pretzels from Epex Soft Pretzels, chicken corn soup available for purchase by the bowl and many baked goods prepared by members of the congregation, including apple dumplings. Several church members will sell homemade barbecue sandwiches, which may be purchased by the sandwich or by the pound.

Twelve craft vendors will sell their wares during the event, and a craft table will offer items made by women of the church. The holiday bazaar will also have grocery store gift cards, from which a percentage of the funds raised will benefit Ironville UMC. In the white elephant room, household items donated by church members will be sold, similar to a yard sale. "It's an opportunity for people to come shop and hang out," said Ellie Shirk, who organizes the bazaar each year with fellow church member Karen Baker. "I love the comradery and fellowship of (the holiday bazaar)."

The holiday bazaar is Ironville UMC's largest yearly fundraiser. The money raised this year will be used for a few different projects that the church is undertaking, such as switching internet providers and purchasing equipment for its new pastor, Jared Stoltzfus. The new provisions will allow Stoltzfus to livestream worship services from Ironville UMC's website.

"Our goal of setting up the livestream is to continue to be present in the community," said Stoltzfus. "We want to be connected and help people that are looking for a church to find one." Stoltzfus became Ironville UMC's pastor in July of this year. "It's been wonderful to get to know the Columbia area and community," he added. "There's always a learning curve when you're transferred to a new church, but I'm looking forward to meeting more people and engaging the community."

For more information on the bazaar, contact Ironville UMC at 717-684-8072.