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Fall festival fills Main Street in Luzerne

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WILKES-BARRE &#8212; The congregation of the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church on South Main Street sponsored its annual Fellowship Fest street fair on Friday and Saturday, drawing hundreds of visitors from the community.An annual event for the last 15 years, the Fellowship Fest is a way for the members of the church to reach out to the community, according to its members.Pastors Peter Kuritz and Wilma Gardner lead the effort with the help of volunteers from the congregation. All of the money raised during the event goes to support local charities, including the Wilkes-Barre Free Clinic, the Bear Creek Day Camp and Making a Difference Ministries.&#8220;It gets us to focus off of ourselves,&#8221; Kuritz said. &#8220;Our mission statement is to engage in a vigorous ministry to our members and to all people.&#8221;The event was open to anyone.Besides the members of the church, neighbors and visitors in downtown stopped by, Kuritz said. They enjoyed food, shopping for crafts and baked goods, a rummage sale, a Chinese auction for several gift baskets, activities for children and live Christian Rock Music performed by the &#8220;Making a Difference Ministries.&#8221;Many attendees enjoyed just sitting outside under tents, enjoying lunch, listening to music and getting to know the church members and each other a little more, he said.&#8220;We are more than a building, but a living, breathing, dynamic community of people wanting to care for others around us,&#8221; Kuritz said. &#8220;We are just one of many congregations and organizations in Wilkes-Barre that strives to raise the wellness of our community through our willingness to be available, welcoming and supportive to one another. This event is not about helping our church&#8217;s finances, but about strengthening the fabric of our community.&#8221;Several women gathered outside the church during the fair talked about how welcoming the church members were when they visited. &#8220;They didn&#8217;t preach to us,&#8221; said one of the women. &#8220;They just let us go in and look around and see what&#8217;s going on.&#8221;Another of the women said she really enjoyed the rummage sale on Friday night.Kuritz thanked the congregation for their help, the visitors for taking time to visit and the city for allowing the church to block off a section of E. South Street for the event.<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By Ralph NardoneFor Times Leader</bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta>The Times Leader newsroom may be reached at 570-829-7242 or on Twitter @TLnews.</shirttailMeta></div>

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church’s Fellowship Fest aids area charities