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DOWAGIAC — A local church group’s latest fundraising event will encourage community members to bring their Christmas spirit and sweet tooth along for the ride.

The First United Methodist Church, 326 N. Lowe St., is preparing to host its Christmas décor sale and cookie walk from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2 to raise funds for church renovation projects.

For the cookie walk, church members bake cookies and make candy for attendees to grab and fill a container, which cost $8 for cookies and $6 for candy. The decor sale will feature new and gently used items at reasonable prices.

“We ladies have always had a good time,” said event organizer Darlene Trussell. “We interact with the people that come in from our community and  it’s just a real moving thing for us to not only sell things but to be friendly and kind and with our hearts. You’d be surprised how many people come in who are in such a good, happy mood.”

For Trussell and the rest of the volunteers, the event is about showcasing the true meaning of Christmas.

“We look forward to Christmas and coming together, but it’s not just the selling and the gifts. It’s the true meaning of Christmas – our lord and savior being born. This is what we look forward to…It is so meaningful for us to be able to connect with the community. It doesn’t matter who they are, they’re always welcome.”