Sixty-five voices strong, the Oregon Sacred Festival Chorale, under the direction of Louie Lehman, will present a Sacred Choral Concert featuring “Songs of Hope and Adoration”: 

Friday, May 3
Lebanon First Assembly
(726 W. Oak St.)
7 p.m.

Sunday, May 5
Our Savior’s Lutheran Church
1770 Baxter Rd., Salem
 6:30 p.m.

Pre-concert music begins 35 minutes before each concert, featuring “Santiam Brass” and “Dulce Jubilet.”

Free admission; an offering will be taken to support Willamette Medical Teams and Mennonite Central Committee.

Hope to see you there!

Next year will mark a significant anniversary for the Oregon Mennonite Festival for World Relief. The 2013 sale—October 12 at the Linn County Fairgrounds—will be the 30th! In fact, the Festival traces its roots even further back than 30 years, beginning with a grassroots effort at the 1978 Oregon State Fair in Salem. A small group of volunteers set up a table and sold fair trade arts and crafts. It was called "State Fair Witness” and lasted for six years.

In 1984, that effort blossomed into the first Oregon MCC relief auction. For the first two years, the auction was held at the Polk County Fairgrounds in Rickreall. But in 1986, the event moved to its present location at the Linn County Fairgrounds in Albany. Thirty years later, the Oregon Mennonite Festival for World Relief is still a grassroots effort, made possible by the combined labor of volunteers from churches throughout Oregon. And here’s a truly amazing number: In the 30 years that the Festival has existed, more than $2.2 million has been raised for MCC.

Praise God!

Did you know that there are an estimated 170 MCC alumni living in Oregon? This  group includes people who served abroad with MCC as far back as  the 1940’s, as well as young adults who have just concluded a year of service with MCC’s SALT program (Serving and Learning Together). MCCer’s at the Oregon Mennonite Festival for World Relief wore nametags identifying themselves as MCC alumni, and many mingled and visited with each other at the MCC exhibit. MCC’s Michael Chapman estimated that just over half of the MCC alumni living in Oregon came to the Festival.

If you would  like to explore service opportunities with Mennonite Central Committee, visit the website.

Two long-time Festival volunteers are transitioning out of their roles. Auction coordinator Lynn Miller is handing over the reins to Tim Steiner. And Margery Barkman is taking over the role of Quilt Coordinator, replacing Dianna Eshleman. Thank you, Lynn and Dianna, for your many years of hard work on behalf of the Festival. And thanks to Tim and Margery for stepping into these roles. 

If you are interested in serving on the Festival board, please contact Chair Ron Litwiller at
541-967-8890.

Next year’s Oregon Mennonite Festival for World Relief may seem like a long way off, but there are several ways you can stay in touch.

You can always check for news here about next year’s event as it becomes available. But for timely updates about the festival and other MCC-related events in Oregon, visit the festival’s Facebook page and click on the “like” button.

The more people YOU can get to like our page the more the word can be passed around quickly when Sale time arrives. YOU are an important part of the TEAM!

LINK to 2012 Pictures on FLICKR provided by Don Bacher