A publication of the Shenandoah District Church of the Brethren

May 8, 2024

But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.” Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

1 Peter 4:7-11 NKJV

Shenandoah District Church of the Brethren Disaster Auction Coordinating Committee Chair Catherine Lantz has dedicated over thirty years to serving and supporting Brethren Disaster Ministries. Although she is more widely known as the force behind the annual auction and sale, she volunteered on her share of project sites before the auction got underway.

As Lantz prepares to step down from her leadership role after the auction this month, she shared a few perspectives about her experiences while serving on disaster recovery sites and spearheading the annual Disaster Auction.

Personal experiences on disaster sites have fueled the enthusiasm and sustained the commitment of countless auction volunteers. When they

Above: Disaster Auction Coordinating Committee Chair Catherine Lantz with the late Flora Coffman

(File photo)

witnessed first-hand the need for assistance, they realized the necessity of creating resources to respond. Lantz and her husband, Eugene, became active in disaster ministry after the flood of 1985 in her native West Virginia. The couple took turns serving so the other parent could stay with their three daughters and son, who were younger at the time. Lantz responded in the town of Franklin, and Eugene assisted in Circleville and later in Marlinton. Then, volunteers would go to disaster areas for any length of time they could commit, usually three to five days. She remembered rounding up a van full of ladies from Linville Creek one Sunday afternoon to travel to Moorefield, West Virginia, to carry furniture out of flooded homes. They returned that evening.

One of the stories Lantz likes to share is about becoming the impromptu cook on a trip to Citronella, Alabama, after Hurricane Katrina. The group arrived there, and no one had been designated to provide meals, so Catherine and her friend, Karen, stepped forward—without any prior planning—to feed the team. After she retired in 2005, Lantz has been more available to visit disaster project sites.

Fond memories of the camaraderie among those who traveled together to serve and the jokesters who made the trips fun are vivid in her mind today. The couple's example of service influenced their children, two of whom later entered the Brethren Volunteer Service. Caring for others has become a family legacy.

All of these things have been possible because of the financial resources given to the District to fund these ministries. Since 1993, the Disaster Auction and Sale has been a significant fundraising effort that supports the volunteers who do the hands-on work of rebuilding.

In 31 years, the auction has generated $5,838,981.48 in revenue for local and worldwide disaster ministries. Each year, a portion of the proceeds remains in the District to support local initiatives and purchase supplies to create clean-up buckets and hygiene and school bags for Church World Service. These funds are used to cover travel costs for rebuilding teams that respond to designated Brethren Disaster Ministry project sites. Certified Children's Disaster Ministries volunteers are also sponsored when deployed to care for children in affected regions. These certified volunteers showcase their talents at the children's activities tent during the auction.

A Band of Concerned Brethren Begin A New Journey

Reflecting on the humble beginnings of the district’s successful disaster ministry, Lantz says she is grateful for the tremendous support that volunteers, donors, and buyers have shown over the past three decades. When a small group first conceived the concept of holding an auction of concerned Brethren around the kitchen table of Carlton and Hilda Ruff in 1992, no one could have imagined how wide-ranging the impact would be. The Lantz family joined forces with the Ruffs, Elzie and Carrie Morris, Sam and Geraldine Shifflett, and Paul and Doris Hollinger, who were early representatives of the Disaster program.

The first auction at the Rockingham County Fairgrounds in 1993 raised $124,096.46. Since the initial auctions, quilts and handcrafted furniture have been perennial favorites. As the event grew, various items were added. For a period of time, surplus Rubbermaid products were trucked to the auction and provided great interest.

In the early years, livestock auctions featured exciting animals such as emus. Richard “Dick” Nesselrodt, a church rep from Winchester, learned the hard way that the emus are not docile creatures and brought goats and pigs for future auctions instead.

Collecting and exchanging coins for caramel corn or investing $10 seed money through the Sow 'n' Grow’ project has netted significant gains. In 2000, a golf tournament was added to the offerings, and golfers were welcome to attend the Friday night oyster dinner afterward. After the pandemic, the price of oysters increased dramatically, making it difficult to continue offering them as the main course. Tenderloin suppers are now held on Friday evenings at the auction.

Left: Ned Conklin with carving

Center: Anna Belle Stephens with Olen Landes Spring Wagon

Right: 2023 Golf Tournament Winners

Many artisans donated works that began to catch on with bidders. Ray Wakeman’s wooden furniture and replicas of large trucks and machinery, which he called “Big Boy Toys,” are still generating revenue long after his death in 2019. Retired Pastor Gene Knicely’s whimsical exploding outhouses, practical picnic tables, and giant marble towers have long been fan favorites. Scale replica spring wagons crafted by the late Olen Landes were sold and donated to later auctions for several years. Ned Conklin has carved more realistic-looking birds for auction than anyone can remember. A gifted quilter, Flora Coffman, worked with her daughter, Phyllis Zimmerman, and the Valley Pike quilters until age 105 to donate dozens of quilts and wall hangings. These are a few of the many talented people who utilized their God-given gifts to make a difference in the world.

Families and congregations whose talents included cooking would sell tickets for dinners to be hosted in their homes or churches at a later date through the Share-A-Meal program. The dinners not only raised money for disaster ministry they fostered opportunities for fellowship among Brethren across the District.

God Provided

In the spring of 2020, the auction had to be canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The state restricted gatherings in public places, and no revenues were recorded that year. A significantly curtailed auction could be held in the barn at the fairgrounds the following May. A generous donor offered to match the total revenue raised that year, ensuring money to continue operating the ministries would be available. The community responded, and after the match, more money was raised than ever, $ 448,719.51. To view all action results, click here.

Volunteers are Vital

In addition to individuals, congregations have worked together to make quilts, barbecue chicken, produce fresh donuts from scratch, bake pies and apple dumplings, hold dinners, collect coins to donate, and host fundraisers to provide needed equipment to hold the auction. Volunteers also meet at the Kit Depot at the District Office to compile supplies into buckets and bags to be used at disaster locations. Area businesses have donated items, purchased ads in the auction booklet, and donated money as hole sponsors for the annual golf tournament.

It has been especially poignant to watch the youth become involved in the livestock auction and take an active role in leading the way. After their grandfather, Ray Foster, a longtime supporter of the livestock auction, died in 2018, his grandchildren, Hanna and Eston Foster, with the assistance of their friend Wesley Cupp, stepped up in 2019 to carry on in their grandfather’s place. Together, they brought in 50 donated items to add to the auction, and on the night of the auction, Hanna enlisted the help of the youngsters in the barn to show these new items, giving these children an opportunity to be an integral part of the auction.

The number of volunteers has skyrocketed since the initial small group of organizers sat around that kitchen table to plan the first auction. It takes hundreds of people to pull the auction together each year. The Auction Coordinating Committee and the Committee Chairs work ten months out of the year to formulate plans, promote the auction, and collect items to sell. Through the decades, volunteers have returned year after year. Sadly, the Coordinating Committee has lost many faithful servants through death, disability, or diminished capacity. It is heartwarming to see active volunteers who now struggle with limitations give up their previous auction roles but still show up to do other tasks that they can still perform.

This is the thirty-second year for the annual Brethren Ministries Disaster Ministries Auction and Sale. After three decades of success, will the auction begin to fade away as the culture changes and busy lifestyles and available choices limit the participation of volunteers? Only God knows. Lantz says, “There is a carryover of people each year, and they bring in their friends, and it keeps going.” The one clear thing is that when caring individuals respond to the catastrophic losses of their neighbors across the District and nation; they find ways to respond and support the mission. When young people see the example of their parents and grandparents, they gather together and figure something out with God’s leading. As Lantz reminds each volunteer, “It’s not about us; it’s about them.”

The 2024 auction is spreading the word about the auction items and golf tournament, as well as seeking additional volunteers to serve lemonade and man the drink cooler during the auction. Download the image below and share it on social media. To volunteer, contact Catherine Lantz at 540-896-7556 or click on one of the links below for more information.

Right-click to download and save this image to share with others.

If you have questions or comments about this article, please Contact Director of Communications Brenda Diehl at brendadiehl@shencog.org or call 540-234-8555.

This article was developed through a personal interview with Catherine Lantz on April 23, 2024.