SERRV/ Mayan Hands Fair Trade Sale
Our annual Advent Fair Trade Sale will be held this year, but it will have a very different look (like so much of our daily lives!). We will be having an online sale and we are hopeful that many of you will participate. Please shop where your dollars make a real difference in people’s lives. As always, our church makes no money from this sale. Every dollar goes to people in need. Thank you so much for your kindness and generosity -The Outreach Committee
The following is a letter to all of us from Brenda Rosenbaum, who founded Mayan Hands:
Dear friends of the Burnt Hills UMC:
We hope that all of you and your families are doing well and staying strong at these most
challenging times. As we have for many years, we come again to you as the holiday season
approaches. The holiday sales are a lifeline for our artisan partners in Guatemala, who, in the midst of the pandemic are on strict lockdown and finding it difficult to provide for their families.
Your church was the first one in the capital district to open its doors to a Mayan Hands sale, in 1993, the year I met my dear friends Nancy and Greg Adams. Since then you have partnered with the weavers who work with us and supported them by having a holiday sale at the church year after year. More than purchasing a beautiful handcrafted item, you have helped them transcend extreme poverty, gain a voice in their communities, protect their environment and continue living within the cultural traditions they cherish. Because they are earning a fair return for their work, their children can attend school and will have a brighter future.
This year unfortunately we will not be able to hold a sale in person. So we’d like to invite you to go to our website www.mayanhands.org to buy gifts for your loved ones. We have a lot of new items! The BHUMC sale will be from November 19 to November 23. Your purchases will be individually packed and delivered to the church.
—Go to www.mayanhands.org. You’ll see that the products are divided into categories that will make it easier to find what you want: baskets, felted products, accessories, tabletop, etc. Select each product you would like and add it to your cart.
—When you’re done selecting your products, press “Buy it Now”.
—In the next screen, you will enter your contact information: email, name, and the shipping
address of the church (Burnt Hills United Methodist Church 816 NY-50, Burnt Hills, NY 12027)
—The next screen is Shipping: on the top right side of the screen you’ll see a box that says Gift or Discount Code: please write BHUMC (this code will automatically take off the shipping
charges).
—Then press “Continue to Payment.” In this screen you will input your credit card information. Please remember to write down YOUR billing address now (as it is different from the shipping address).
We will deliver the products to the church a few days later, individually packed and with your name and invoice taped to it. You will be called to be informed of when you can pick them up. Delivery to your house can be arranged, if you are local.
Thank you for your continued support of Mayan Hands. Many blessings for you this holiday season and in the New Year. Let’s pray that 2021 be an easier year for people all over the world, that we see the end of this terrible pandemic and a strong economic recovery.
With love, Brenda