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<p>WEST PITTSTON &#8212; A community-wide yard sale on the grounds of Trinity Episcopal Church on Saturday brought over a hundred area residents out to the church grounds, to find deals on hand-crafted items, try homemade foods and enjoy a bit of fellowship with their neighbors.</p><p>To the Rev. John Major, who pastors the church, the sale, which takes place every first Saturday from May to September, has an even deeper meaning.</p><p>&#8220;The event raises money for our mission outreach,&#8221; he said. &#8220;and, it also emphasizes our commitment to community.&#8221;</p><p>Major is quick to recall the church&#8217;s efforts during Tropical Storm Lee in 2011.</p><p>&#8220;We went from door to door, assessing the needs of our neighbors,&#8221; he said.</p><p>The church&#8217;s response during that crisis inspired the establishment of episcopalRELIEFnepa, an organization assisting people &#8220;affected by life&#8217;s storms.&#8221;</p><p>The organization, of which Major is the director, seeks to assist people in crisis, ready to provide shelter, a hot meal and the opportunity to charge their phones.</p><p>Equally important, Major said, is provision of periodic social gatherings or a listening ear for someone going through a difficult time.</p><p>The church also partners with Global Mission Outreach: Kajo-Keji, a world mission project, supporting the Episcopal Church of Kajo-Keji, Sudan, Africa, through various efforts, including assisting in maintenance and construction of schools and dorms.</p><p>Maria Pardini, of West Pittston, credits Major with organization skills that make the yard sale a continuing success.</p><p>&#8220;The camaraderie here is overwhelming,&#8221; she said. &#8220;It&#8217;s like spending time out with friends.&#8221;</p><p>Pardini, who has been a vendor at the event for about six years, took time to provide detailed information on the items she was selling and suggestions for their use.</p><p>One particularly colorful offering of multi-colored crocheted squares could be used as kitchen &#8220;scrubbies&#8221; or to exfoliate skin.</p><p>Another carefully sewn item in a variety of colors could be frozen or microwaved to relieve pain or stress.</p><p>&#8220;Our vendors are pretty loyal,&#8221; said Major. &#8220;They know each other.&#8221;</p><p>Major, always looking for input from his church members, said the yard sale itself, was the brainchild of a church member.</p><p>&#8220;About 10 years ago, we were looking for a way to bring our neighbors together,&#8221; he said. &#8220;One of our church members who had lived in Philly came up with the idea.&#8221;</p><p>Those who came hungry were not disappointed.</p><p>Baked items, chicken soup, potato salad and &#8220;wimpies&#8221; were on the menu in the church hall.</p><p>Major himself shared his secret pizza recipe which he developed himself.</p><p>&#8220;I was on sabbatical and I had time spend in the kitchen,&#8221; he said, smiling. &#8220;It&#8217;s called &#8216;Padre&#8217;s Pizza.&#8217;&#8221;</p><p>Major said the yard sale averages about $2,000 a season.</p><p>&#8220;That&#8217;s about $20,000 we have been able to direct to missions in the last 10 years,&#8221; he said.</p><p>Melissa Walker, of Pittston Township, a vendor at the sale, was hoping to make a few dollars for an upcoming family vacation.</p><p>&#8220;This is a great neighborhood and a nice day, I enjoyed everything about it,&#8221; she said. &#8220;Including the opportunity for neighborly conversation.&#8221;</p><p>Danielle Marvau who recently moved to West Pittston and was already a yard sale aficionado, said she was happy to find out about such a large sale in her new neighborhood.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m going to keep coming back, definitely,&#8221; she said.</p><p>Major said the church, with about 150 members, emphasizes support for young families.</p><p>&#8220;A great example of that is our MUSICare Project, part of the international Music Together program,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It&#8217;s like gathering with family behind a piano to sing favorite songs and make memories.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">The Richards family of Wilkes-Barre shop at the monthly Community Yardsale held at the Trinity Episcopal Church, West Pittston on Saturday. The Community Yardsale is held on the first Saturday from May through October from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. From the left, Emily, Tera, Betty, Jessica are shown buying items from Amber Falvo, Pittston, far right. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_Trinity-Yardsale-TL-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>The Richards family of Wilkes-Barre shop at the monthly Community Yardsale held at the Trinity Episcopal Church, West Pittston on Saturday. The Community Yardsale is held on the first Saturday from May through October from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. From the left, Emily, Tera, Betty, Jessica are shown buying items from Amber Falvo, Pittston, far right. </caption0><photoCredit0>Tony Callaio | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_Trinity-Yardsale-TL-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Mary May, of Nanticoke, visited the yardsale at the Trinity Episcopal Church on Saturday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_Trinity-Yardsale-TL-2.jpg</photo1><caption1>Mary May, of Nanticoke, visited the yardsale at the Trinity Episcopal Church on Saturday. </caption1><photoCredit1>Tony Callaio | For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Geri Gibbons for Times Leader</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p>For more information about Trinity Episcopal Church of West Pittston&#8217;s community yard sales or about their missions programs contact the church at 570-654-3261 or access the church&#8217;s website at www.trinityepiscopalchurchwestpittston.org.</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach the Times Leader newsroom at 570-829-7242</p></shirttailMeta></div>

West Pittston church holds annual yard sale to fund community outreach