by Dennis Dalman
Inside Sartell’s St. Francis Xavier’s Gathering Place Oct. 28, the scene resembled Santa’s workshop: home-baked treats, wooden carvings, holiday decorations, specialty soaps, gift baskets galore and silent-auction items.
The occasion was the annual “Area Churches Craft and Bake Sale” with all of the items, baked goods and other tasty treats for sale made and donated by members of five Sartell churches: Celebration Lutheran, Messiah Lutheran, Riverside Presbyterian, Unity Spiritual Center and The Waters Church.
Turn-out was so good the large meeting place was actually crowded.
Money raised from the sale goes to those five churches. The amount of money raised was not yet determined by the Newsleaders deadline earlier this week.
In an interview with the Newsleaders, Cheryl Pogatshnik of Sartell recalled how the annual event went way back in 1991.
She said she and Juanita Parker of Celebration Lutheran Church were talking one day when they “hatched” the idea of a partnership fundraiser between Celebration and Riverside Presbyterian, Pogatshnik’s church.
Well, what about St. Francis Xavier and Messiah Lutheran?, one of the women wondered aloud.
Well, yes, of course they should be included, said the other.
And so it came to pass: a multi-church bake sale that would happen every fall.
In the first few years, it took place at Celebration, but in 1995 its venue became St. Francis Xavier.
“St. Francis is the perfect place,” Pogatshnik said, “because it has a large kitchen, a gymnasium and is just so spacious.”
Throughout the years, various other Sartell and St. Cloud area churches have joined the sale, off and on: Communion Life Fellowship, Love of Christ Lutheran, New Horizons United Methodist.
One highlight of the sale is its bake-sale area, piled high with every kind of colorful, delicious baked treats imaginable: cookies, pies, cakes, pastries, breads, buns, doughnuts and more.
Pogatshnik, who has helped with almost every sale for the past 32 years, is widely known for her homemade treats and snacks that are not only delicious but so beautiful they could be shellacked and used as wall decorations.
This year, she brought home-baked chocolate chip cookies, but not as many as she would have liked, she noted. That’s because she and husband, Bob (a former Sartell mayor), spent some time in Mesa, Ariz., and arrived back home and were unpacking just before the sale day arrived, leaving little time for a flurry of baking.
Another high point of the sale, Pogatshnik said, was its silent auction organized by Bonnie Nies of Sartell. There were 120 items donated for auction, an all-time record.
Yet another highlight was a luncheon served for all visitors: wild-rice soup, cinnamon rolls, home-baked pies and cakes.
“Everyone had a great time,” Pogatshnik said. “Every year, we accomplish what we set out to do in the beginning. We wanted to find a way for all people in all the churches to work together and enjoy one another’s company. And voila! We did it again.”
Lisa Zapzalka, of Sartell, peeks through a St. Francis Xavier cafeteria window and smiles at the variety of homemade pies Oct. 28 at the Sartell Area Churches Craft and Bake Sale.
Sisters-in-law Cheryl Pogatshnik (left) and Connie Pogatshnik talk with Bonnie Nies about a chicken-themed basket available for silent auction Oct. 28 at the Sartell Area Churches Craft and Bake Sale. The Pogatshniks said the basket would fit well in Cheryl’s rooster-themed kitchen. All three are from Sartell.
Margo Flynn, of Sartell, is all smiles Oct. 28 at the Sartell Area Churches Craft and Bake Sale. Flynn’s box is filled with homemade goods that she says she’ll use for hostess and girlfriend gifts.
