Chester church holds annual ‘Holiday Extravaganza’ Saturday

CHESTER – The Community Presbyterian Church will hold its annual Holiday Extravaganza on Saturday, Nov. 14, offering an elegant high tea and the sale of crafts, baked goods and frozen gourmet foods.

The craft and sales event will take place 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the church’s fellowship center at 220 Main St. in the borough.

The tea will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the church’s adjoining Larison Room.

The event, which has been run by the church’s Presbyterian Women’s group for more than 35 years, started out as a simple Christmas Bazaar, but has expanded through the years to include the elegant tea and “Gourmet on the Run,’’ sale, featuring frozen, homemade hors d’oeuvres, soups and comfort foods, priced from $5 to $15.

The tea, served on china with colorful linens, has accommodated 150 people in years past.

The Holiday Extravaganza is chaired by Beth Pfaff and Michelle Scrivens, who is the wife of Pastor Chris Scrivens. It will also include a baked goods table, coordinated by Jeanne Perry, and filled with donations by church members.

The beautiful, white Community Presbyterian Church has been on Main Street since 1852. The church was founded in 1752 on Pleasant Hill Road.

The “Gourmet on the Run,” sale, coordinated by Nancy Pappas, is in its 13th year. Two and a half commercial freezers are filled to the brim with handmade items, which she and other committee members have been creating in the church’s new state-of-the-art kitchen since early October. She and her six-member group have spent four-to five-hour shifts, three times a week, since then, preparing and freezing the items.

Foods for sale include Bacon Bites, French Goat Cheese Triangles, Sesame Chicken Strips, Pasta e Fagioli, Vegetable Lasagna and Sausage and Kale Soup, among other selections. “People like to take the stuff out of the freezer after working all day,” Pfaff said. “Nobody has time to cook anymore, so it’s very convenient.”

The tea, chaired by Linda Conover and Barbara Gill, is served on a selection of fine china, collected through the years. Last year, the Presbyterian Women’s group, assisted by husbands and student volunteers, served 150 guests. The price for the tea is $10 per person.

This year’s tea menu features Chicken Salad with Cranberry in Toast Cups, Sliced Filet of Beef on French Bread with Onion Marmalade and Horseradish Cream, Deviled Eggs, Crab Strudel and Cucumber Sandwiches with Chives on Wheat. Hot dogs and chips are available for children.

Also included are a variety of homemade desserts, including Chocolate Mousse Over Crème Anglaise, Strawberry Shortbread Squares, Cream Puffs, Butter Cookies and Carrot Cake. Tea, coffee and lemonade will be served. Local middle school and high school students from the church will serve the tea.

In the past, the event has raised about $10,000. Money raised has been used to fund a Kenyan woman’s medical school education in Nairobi. Also, funds have been used to remodel the church’s kitchen, support battered women’s charities and an Alzheimer’s support group. It has also benefited the victims of the Newtown, Conn., school shooting and the victims of the 2011 Japanese tsunami, the members said.

Prices of the craft items range from 50 cents to about $60, for items ranging from small trinkets to home holiday décor. Handmade knit hats, scarves, purses and baby items will also be available. Holiday decorations and nearly new items will also be sold. “You can come in with a few bills and walk out with a lot of stuff,” Pfaff said.

A silent auction, featuring tickets to see the New York Giants play the Philadelphia Eagles, will also be held.

Send your community events to eabreu@gannettnj.com.