Quilts, quilts and more quilts. They are generally the biggest attractions at most local churches’ annual fall fundraising events. Over the 100-plus years that churches in Central Texas have been raising funds for mission and special ministries, members have been gathering to work on quilts, crafts and treasurers from the kitchen.
It’s an American tradition based on the concept of the “Lord’s acre” — part of each year’s fall harvest would be designated for the Lord’s work. Patchwork quilts created over the year were added to that “harvest.” Some quilts are warm and practical and some are works of art to be hung on walls, but they all reflect the history of American settlers and early church developers.
You don’t have to be a member to attend any of the fall church festivals — just join in the fun of the day and maybe you’ll find a quilt, craft item or baked goods that would delight your family or friends.
Local Church Annual Fall Fundraiser Events
September 23-24
Killeen First UMC Café & Bazaar
Lunch 11 am-1 pm (Thursday & Friday) • bazaar with baked goods, crafts, fried pie orders at 254-534-6363
September 25
Covington UMC Lord’s Acre
Open 8 am • BBQ lunch 11 am • auction 1 pm
Grace UMC, Fort Worth Pancake Breakfast/Garage Sale
8 am-2 pm
Joshua First UMC 57th Annual Lord’s Acre/Mission Fiesta!
9:30 am-11:30 am • live auction at noon • fajita lunch 11 am-1 pm
Killeen First UMC Lord’s Acre Estate Sale
2-4 pm sale of items that will not be moved to the new church location
Lake Shore UMC, Waco 4th Annual Fish Fry
5-7 pm • all welcome but admission by advance ticket only
call 254-754-7333
New World UMC Fall Fest
Open 8 am-4 pm / children’s activities • 10 am-3 pm • breakfast, lunch, gift shop, auction, bake shop, entertainment
Red Oak First UMC Lord’s Acre
Springtown First UMC Lord’s Acre
Opens 9:30 am • shops, handicrafts, baked goods, auction, live music
Lunch 11:30 am-1 pm • live auction at 1 pm
October 2
Comanche First UMC Harvest Festival
Opens 1 am • kids carnival, mercantile, silent auction • BBQ meal 5 pm • live auction 6:30 pm
Community of Hope UMC Festival of Hope
Held at 1800 E Debbie Lane, Mansfield, from 9 am-3 pm
Tickets to use during the event are on sale at the church on Sundays in September
Everman UMC 46th Lord’s Acre
10 am bake shop and activities • 11 am-12:30 pm BBQ lunch • 1 pm live auction • nursery available
Ferris Heights UMC
9 am-4 pm • country store, silent auction, live music • turkey meal at noon • live auction at 1 pm
Florence UMC Fall Festival
Opens 8:30 am with homemade baked goods, crafts, plants, kids activities • silent auction 8:30 am-noon • BBQ 11 am-1 pm • live auction/quilt raffle 1 pm • www.florenceumc.org for quilt preview and directions
Midlothian First UMC Lord’s Acre
9 am-3 pm • live/silent auctions, bookstore, crafts, garage sale, turkey dinner, pie contest, kids’ activities
Oakdale UMC Lord’s Acre
St John’s UMC, Georgetown Harvest Festival
Held at Georgetown Community Center
Starts with 5 K-Run • activities, crafts, auctions • turkey meal
October 9
Central UMC, Brownwood Annual Fall Festival
Church of the Good Shepherd, Arlington 24th Annual Fall Fun Fest
9 am-3 pm • auctions, giant garage sale, food booths/bake sale, vendor booths • kids’ activities include puppet shows, face painting, Arlington Fire Dept. truck
Crowley First UMC 51st Lord’s Acre/Harvest Festival
9 am-4 pm • kids area, country store, silent auction, BBQ lunch, live auction • tour of newly completed church addition
Edge Park UMC Fall Festival
10 am-3 pm • silent auction, kids activities, bake sale, crafts, books, flu shots • lunch 11 am-1 pm
Maypearl UMC Lord’s Acre
BBQ lunch 11:30 am • auction 1 pm
Meridian First UMC Lord’s Acre
10 am-2 pm homemade food, crafts, free Kids Kingdom area • Blue Light Special 10:30 am-12:30 pm • silent auction 10:45 am-11:45 am • BBQ lunch 11 am-12:30 pm • grand auction 12:30 p.m.
Poolville UMC Lord’s Acre
9 am-3 pm • baked/craft items, silent auction • live auction 1 pm • BBQ lunch
St. Luke UMC, Haltom City
9 am-2 pm • duck races, quilt auction, bake shop, country store, auctions, flu shots, chuck wagon lunch, miniature horse & buggy rides
St. Paul UMC, Georgetown
8 am-5 pm • moon walks, dunking booth, kids train ride, community church bands, sausage wraps, horses
Sardis UMC Lord’s Acre
Open 10 am
October 9-31
Killeen First Pumpkin Patch
Held at 601 FM 2410 south of Hwy. 190 in Harker Heights
Monday-Saturday 9 am-7 pm
Sunday 1-7 pm
October 15-16
Grace UMC, Copperas Cove Fall Festival
Garage sale 7:30 am-3 pm (Friday & Saturday) • Saturday BBQ dinner 4:30 pm (tickets available from church and members)
October 15-17
Martin UMC, Bedford Lord’s Acre
Opens Friday evening/concludes Sunday morning • Saturday breakfast, silent/live auctions, kids events, Martin Mall, live music
October 15-31
Hillsboro First UMC Pumpkin Patch
10 am-6 pm daily
October 16
Cahill UMC Fall Festival
9 am-3 pm • giant yard sale, horseshoe tournament, silent/blind/live auctions, quilt raffle, kids activities • BBQ lunch • Pumpkin Patch remains open from noon to 8 pm daily until Halloween
Dawson First UMC Lord’s Acre
Opens 10 am • lunch 11 am-1:30 pm • live auction 12:30 pm
Hurst First UMC Harvest Festival
10 am-3 pm • kids activities include fall pictures and inflatable obstacle course • live/silent auctions • lunch • all proceeds benefit missions
Killeen First Fall Carnival
11 am-7 pm at 601 FM 2410 south of Hwy 190 in Harker Heights
(Pumpkin Patch site)
Lorena UMC Harvest Festival
Baked goods, garage sale, auctions, kids activities
Palmer First UMC Lord Acre
Held at Palmer Intermediate School (118 FM 813 West)
Country store opens 4:30 pm • silent auction 4:30-7 pm • turkey dinner 5-7 pm • live auction 7 pm
St. Stephen UMC, Arlington Fall Festival
8 am-2 pm • huge yard sale, games for kids, bake sale, food/drinks
Watts Chapel UMC, Grandview Lord’s Acre/Harvest Festival
Tent sale opens 10 am • BBQ lunch 11 am-12:30 pm • auction 1 pm
Wesley Memorial UMC, Cleburne 45th Annual Lord’s Acre
Open 9 am to sellout for country store and sweet shop • silent auction 9 am-noon • BBQ lunch 11 am-12:30 pm • live auction 1 pm
October 17
Ballinger First UMC Lord’s Acre
BBQ lunch 11 am-1 pm – country store/homemade items • silent auction 10 am • live auction 1 pm
October 22 & 23
United Christian Fellowship at Navarro College Yard Dawg Sale
Held at the Waxahachie campus ministry site
Open 4-8 pm Friday • Open 7 am Saturday
October 30
Coleman First UMC 2nd Annual Lord’s Acre
9 am-2 pm • country store with homemade items, kids area, music, quilt raffle • auction • stew lunch
Bruceville-Eddy UMC
8 am-2 pm in Family Life Center • garage sale, live auction, baked/craft sale, kids activities • BBQ lunch
Glen Rose First UMC Lord’s Acre
Opens 10 am with kids carnival, silent/live auctions, crafts/books • BBQ lunch 11 am-1 pm
Handley UMC Fall Festival
Opens with breakfast at 8 am • lunch at noon • crafts/silent auction 9 am • live auction 1 pm
Itasca First UMC Lord’s Acre
Open early to later • BBQ meal and take out sale • auction 1:30 pm
Kennedale UMC Lord’s Acre
10 am-3 pm • family fun and entertainment • silent/live auctions • resale/country and Christmas stores
St. Mark UMC, Cleburne Fall Festival
9 am-2 pm • Pumpkin Patch, BBQ meal, live/silent auctions, crafts, country store, bake sale, kids activities • health fair
Temple First UMC 2nd Annual Harvest Faire
Open 9 am-3 pm
Venus UMC Lord’s Acre
Opens 10 am and continues throughout the day
Watauga First UMC Fall Festival
3-7 pm • auctions, kids activities • food and baked goods • BBQ dinner
October 31
Waxahachie First UMC Trunk or Treat Event
Opens 3 pm in the church parking lot • adults invited to decorate their car trunks, truck beds or lawn chairs and pass out candy to the children • Funday School Program provides the hot dogs/drinks
November 6
DeLeon First UMC Harvest Festival & Auction at DeLeon City Hall
Booths open 9:30 am • sandwich shoppe for lunch • BBQ dinner 5 pm • auction 6 pm
Gatesville UMC Fall Harvest Festival
7:30 am-2 pm • garage sale, homemade foods, silent/live auctions • BBQ lunch 11:30 am
Gordon UMC Lord’s Acre
Held at Gordon School Cafeteria
Opens 10 am with homemade food/crafts • turkey dinner 11 am-12:30 pm • handmade quilt auction at noon
Grapevine First UMC 8th Annual Gala & Night in New Orleans Auction
Opens 6 pm at the Marriott Solana in Westlake
Ovilla UMC Lord’s Acre
Held on the new property on Ovilla Road & Westmoreland Drive
Open 9 am-4 pm
Ridglea UMC Designer Arts & Crafts Market
Held in the Fellowship Hall 10 am-5 pm
Sparks Memorial UMC Harvest Festival
10 am-2 pm • health fair & blood drive • food/crafts, silent/live auction • roast beef lunch
Walnut Springs Memorial UMC 55th Annual Lord’s Acre/Harvest Festival
Held at Walnut Springs Community Center
Opens with breakfast at 5-8:30 am • turkey dinner 11 am-12:30 pm • live auction 12:30 pm
Waxahachie First Lord’s Acre
Opens 9 am • builder’s basket auction, shops, crafts, baked items, entertainment, kids activities, pecans • BBQ lunch 11 am-1 pm • live auction 1 pm
Western Hills UMC, Fort Worth Fall Festival
10 am-2 pm • kids carnival, inflatables, trackless train, Sumo wrestling, etc. • silent auction • country store/bake sale • live auction 3 pm
November 11
Early First UMC Annual Thanksgiving Dinner for Church & Community
5 pm dinner • silent auction • bake sale
November 13
Acton UMC Lord’s Acre
Opens 4 pm • silent/live auctions • dinner, bake and arts/crafts sale
Cisco First UMC Lord’s Acre
9 am-2 pm • craft/bake sales • silent auction begins 9 am • turkey lunch 11 am
Colleyville First UMC Holiday Extravaganza
Held in the Event Center
10 am-4 pm • silent auction, arts & crafts, bake sale, handmade quilts
Cross Plains UMC Lord’s Acre
Opens 9 am • turkey dinner 5:30-7 pm • live auction 6:30 pm
Emhouse & Barry UMCs Lord’s Acre
Open 10 am-3 pm
November 19 & 20
Salem-Crestview UMC
Open 9 am-4 pm Friday and 9 am-noon Saturday • homemade food items, handmade quilts and crafts
November 20
Grace UMC, Fort Worth Holiday Fair
Open 8 am-2 pm
Everyman UMC Fall Bazaar
10 am-4 pm • great variety of vendors