December 7, 2005
Youth seek sweet success
Mennonite youth group bake sale to benefit mission trip
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Linking confection with contribution members of the Traverse Bay Mennonite Youth Group will be baking next week in order to help others next summer.
The small church's youth group will be taking orders for dozens of homemade Christmas cookies this week in order to help fund a mission trip. The group previously used proceeds from cookie sales to fly to Belize in the spring of 2004 and help build a church. In 2006, the proceeds of the sale will help the nine-member group travel to Minnesota to work on a small Bible school's staff housing.
"It was a great experience," said Rebecca Gingerich, 19, of the previous mission trip to Belize. "It helps with faith to see other people in other places and they have needs and that the mission is fulfilling their needs, it's exciting to see that."
Throwing themselves into the spirit of both Christmas and Christian service, the students will be taking orders through this Saturday, with the fresh-baked cookies available for pick up at the church on Friday, December 16. They hope to sell between 300 and 400 dozen and have orders for about half of that already.
The students will offer seven types of cookies, from best selling Chocolate Chip and Monster Cookies to Snickerdoodles, Russian Teacakes, Molasses Gingersnaps, Chocolate Crinkles and Peanut Butter Blossoms.
Four years ago, they combed cookbooks and tested recipes to come up with a slate of 13 choices. Since then, they winnowed down their list of recipes and have honed in on seven classics. After fielding many requests last December, this year they will again offer both baked cookies and cookie dough ready to bake.
During the first sale in 2002, the students were amazed to take 724 dozen orders – translating into 8,688 cookies mixed up, baked, packaged and delivered.
This volume necessitated round-the-clock baking by all members to fill the demand in one day. They also borrowed a convection oven to supplement the fellowship hall's two ovens, setting it up outside the church. Youth group members baked there, in the fellowship hall and at their homes well into the wee hours.
"That was a big, big job," said Loveda Schrock, one of the youth group sponsors. "And the first year they delivered everything, so they learned."
"The next day we went Christmas caroling at the hospital and for breaks they served cookies," Schrock added of the cookie sale's inaugural year. "They weren't ready for cookies at all."
The next year in December of 2003, the group only filled orders of people who called, deciding not to advertise. Last year, they put the word out again and sold around 300 dozen cookies.
"It is a lot of work, but it is a lot of fun," said Gingerich. "I think we look forward to it."
The Traverse Bay Mennonite Youth Group is for children ages 15 through young adult. Many of the members are siblings or cousins and all know each other well from attending the small church and school together all their lives. The group conceived of the Christmas Cookie sale four years ago when brainstorming ways to pay for the trip to Belize. They also raise funds for mission trips by selling their services to church members, with boys raking leaves or shoveling snow and girls helping with housework.
Youth group members said that cookie buyers are inspired by the planned mission trip, pleased to contribute to efforts to help others.
"A lot of them respond to the idea of the mission trip," said Schrock. "In fact, I had several people mention that when they placed their order."
For more information on the Homemade Christmas Cookie sale, or to place an order by Saturday, December 10, call or fax 941-1378. Cookies are $5 a dozen may be picked up Friday, December 16, at the Traverse Bay Mennonite Church, 915 Carver Street. Businesses ordering more than five dozen are eligible for free delivery.