The Bethlehem Temple Community Church hosted its second annual Holiday Craft Fair on Saturday, Dec. 6, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Families were welcomed to dive into the holiday spirit.

Different vendors were present serving a warm smile while selling their artistic handmade crafts and goods. There was a wide variety of different crafts being sold that ranged from bags to clothing, candles, scarves and baskets. Outside of the crafts, there was baked goods along with food and music. It was a great opportunity for residents to network and support local small businesses.

Danielle Garrett is an active member at Bethlehem Temple Community Church and said that a craft event was a good idea because a lot of the members at the church love to make handmade gifts and create crafts. The decision was an easy one as she viewed it to allow her members to display their talents.

During the planning process, Garrett said that they received dozens of bids of vendors wanting to come and sell their product at this year’s event. They begin sending out emails to people who may be interested in having a booth a few months prior to the day of the event. With all the different submissions they receive, the church ciphered through different vendors and chose the ones that best match the theme of the event.

With this edition being only the second time the church has hosted this event, Garrett said that they have witnessed growth with the number of participants and vendors in comparison to last year’s inaugural event.

“Today’s event is a lot more than what it was last year,” Garrett said. “Our hope for the future is just to continue to build on what we’ve started here.” Garrett continued to pleasantly speak about how the number of participants and vendors almost doubled and the church has ambition to continue to expand on what they are already doing.

During the summer, the church hosts

a health fair where they have different health vendors come out and provide valuable information to residents.

For more information about the church, visit its website AtTheTemple.org, or call them at 909-333-1717.