St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Sea Cliff welcomed residents and visitors Saturday for its annual Fall Bazaar, a longstanding community tradition featuring homemade preserves, baked goods, raffles and other offerings while raising money to support the church’s operating costs.
The bazaar, held at the church at 253 Glen Ave., has been a fixture of village life for decades, although the origins of the event remain uncertain.
“No one really knows how many fall bazaars we’ve had,” the Rev. Jesse Lebus, the church’s pastor, said. “There are certainly people who have been doing it for well over 20 or 30 years.”
One of the event’s defining features is its Country Kitchen, where volunteers spend months preparing homemade jams, jellies and other preserved foods. Lebus said as many as 20 people help produce nearly 1,000 jars of preserves for the bazaar each year.
He said the effort distinguishes the event from other church fundraisers, offering products that are increasingly difficult to find elsewhere.
“There really just aren’t many churches doing bazaars in this kind of way,” Lebus said. “If it were a matter of numbers, some people would probably balk at the time put into it, the energy, the cost.”
The Country Kitchen focused on traditional favorites this year, Lebus said, including strawberry and raspberry preserves, along with blueberry and blueberry lime varieties.
Like previous years, the event featured dozens of varieties of jams and jellies, along with pickles, sauces, infused oils, pies and quiche.
Beyond the food, the event includes raffles and a selection of donated items, crafts and other goods. Lebus expressed gratitude to members of the wider community who contributed to the raffle basket table, helping make the event possible.
The bazaar serves as a major fundraiser for St. Luke’s, with its proceeds helping to cover the church’s ongoing operating.
Lebus emphasized that the event’s value extends beyond the money raised, providing an opportunity for residents to connect and participate in a shared community tradition.
“What we’re really doing is just providing people with something that it’s really hard to find anyplace else,” Lebus said. “Community is key.”
Lebus added that the congregation remains grateful for the continued support of Sea Cliff residents and the broader community. For more information on St. Luke’s, visit SaintLukes-SeaCliff.org.
