The members of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Manheim have a great relationship with their neighbors. In fact, those neighbors along Charlotte Street encouraged the church to host its first yard sale since the pandemic. The yard sale will be held on Saturday, Sept. 9, beginning at 7 a.m. outside at the church, 90 S. Charlotte St.

"Yard sales are a St. Paul's tradition, and our neighbors started asking us when we were going to do another one," recalled Barbara Seras, priest in charge. It turned out the church members had already been discussing having a yard sale, so the timing was perfect.

People may rent tables for the sale, which will feature clothing, books, household items, toys and more.

"We're going to have a white elephant or a bargain table set up for the church," Seras noted, adding that vestry member Brent Fortney has been scouring the church attic to find items to sell. All proceeds at the bargain table will benefit the church, and anything not sold will be donated to Jubilee Ministries in Manheim after the sale.

Along with yard sale tables, the event will feature hot dogs, baked goods and drinks for sale, as well as ham and turkey sandwiches featuring freshly sliced meat.

"I am the slicer," Seras said, noting that she used to own pizza shops and has experience with deli sandwiches. "The sandwiches have five ounces of meat, and they have freshly sliced cheese and they are served on a kaiser roll."

In addition to selling sandwiches at the yard sale, the church is selling them separately with an order deadline of Sunday, Sept. 3. Sandwiches for that sale will be available for pickup between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 7. There will also be an option to add a homemade cookie by Cookies by Natasha and chips to a sandwich order.

Proceeds from the yard sale and the sandwich sale will support the operational budget of the church, including a variety of ministry programs. The church will hold a first responders' breakfast and a blessing of the pets service in October, and church members regularly support the Manheim Central Food Pantry and Home on Ferdinand.

A seven-week study group, "The Parables of the Kingdom," will be held on Wednesdays at 6 p.m., beginning on Sept. 13. Led by the Rev. Jim Rinehart, the group will study a variety of parables following Thomas Keating's book "Meditations on the Parables of Jesus." Copies of the book will be provided, and the group will meet both in person and on Zoom.

Holding the yard sale and sandwich sale, as well as events like the study group, helps the members of St. Paul's connect with the community, Fortney said. "It's about outreach," he explained. "We're really good friends with our community and want to reach out to them."

Seras agreed, adding, "This is who we are as a church. We want to get to know people. People can use our facilities and come to our events, whether they worship with us or not. We are here for them, and we love our neighbors."

To register for the study group or for more information about the yard sale or sandwich sale, call the church office at 717-665-6584. Tables for the yard sale must be reserved by Tuesday, Sept. 5.