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Faithful bakers at Bethel Lutheran Church to sponsor fundraiser
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Members of Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America at Bethel Lutheran Church in Boardman make clothespin cookies for the Christmas cookie walk, soup and quilt sale set from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday. From left are Sherri Remias, Sandy Dorman, Delaine DeChellis and Shelia Kidd.
By LINDA M. LINONIS
BOARDMAN
The effort is labor intensive. It’s roll the dough, cut into strips, wrap on metal or wooden rods, bake, cool, remove from rods, fill and finally, dust with powdered sugar.
The result — clothespin cookies — are a taste of light and airy heaven.
Delaine DeChellis and Sandy Dorman, co-chairwomen of the Christmas cookie walk, soup and quilt sale at Bethel Lutheran Church, 425 Crestview Drive, said clothespin cookies are the best-seller at the fundraiser. The event will take place from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday at the church.
Dorman said the cookie sale started at Bethel after it merged with Honterus Lutheran Church in 2000. “It was a tradition there and continued here,” Dorman said.
The project is sponsored by Bethel’s Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, which numbers about 50. In addition to the 80 dozen clothespin cookies, there will be snickerdoodles, bourbon balls, raspberry Linzer torte, buckeyes, candy canes and spumoni, a red, white and green Italian cookie. The cost is $5.50 a dozen.
The sale time frame is short, and that’s the result of experience. “We have people lined up at 8:30 a.m.,” Dorman said. “We get a lot of the same people who know what they want.”
DeChellis added that many of the cookies are “gone by 9:30.”
The cookie bakers got together earlier this week to make the clothespin cookies. “It’s more fun to do this as a group,” DeChellis said. “I was born a baker ... it’s in my blood,” she said, noting her grandmother was a baker in the German Village in Columbus and her mother made wedding cakes professionally.
Volunteers don’t have to come with baking skills; the experienced bakers will teach them. “I came for a lesson how to make them and stayed,” said Sherri Remias, a church member for three years. It was the first year of baking for Laura Billock, a 12-year member, who said she liked the fellowship.
Shelia Kidd, wife of the Rev. Richard Kidd, pastor, also is new to cookie making. “I like being part of a tradition,” she said.
“I never even ate one until I came here,” said Lynnae Rassesa, an 11-year member. “It’s a fun time,” she said.
A decade ago when Doris Gluck joined the church, she said, the cookie baking was a way to “get to know people.”
Rhonda Klase and Lori Guthridge, both 20-plus- year members, said since they liked to bake, helping out was only natural.
Ruth Ragan and Irma Emrich coordinate the soup sale. Today, the church kitchen hummed with activity as church members made vegetable beef and ham and bean soups.
Ragan said the soup crew will make about 90 quarts. The cost is $7 per quart. It can be frozen for later use.
“If it’s a colder day, we’ll do really well. Soup sells better,” Ragan said.
The Piecemakers, a quilting group at the church, contributes holiday and everyday quilts, table runners and miscellaneous quilted items. Susan Burgeson founded the group in 1991; she and Helen LoSasso and Marlene Martin are original members.
The Piecemakers evolved from making quilts and other sewing projects for themselves, family and friends to making baby quilts for baptisms at the church, then to selling quilts and other sewing projects at the church bazaar during the 1990s.
The women agreed fellowship is a bonus of the activity that benefits the community. Over the years, proceeds from the fundraiser have benefited the Rescue Mission of Mahoning Valley, Beatitude House, Salvation Army, Needle’s Eye, Pastor’s Fund (for those in need), Protestant Family Service and Camp Frederick.