Signal Mountain Presbyterian youth host Cider House Auction for missions Jan. 22

Overalls, plaid shirts and straw hats may not sound like proper church attire, but that's what about 250 people are expected to wear to Signal Mountain Presbyterian Church when they gather in the Great Hall for the Cider House youth missions auction.

The family event Jan. 22 from 6-8 p.m. will provide a free dinner and child care to all who RSVP.

"We will have a barn setup with hay bales to make it feel like an old country auction," said SMPC youth director Alli Drinkwine. "Our goal is to raise $30,000 for summer missions."

As the Mountain Cove Bluegrass Band begins picking away, youth wearing overalls will serve guests a home-cooked meal of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, apple pie, apple cider and sweet tea.

A silent auction begins at 6 p.m., with patrons bidding on McCallie camps, gift certificates and handmade crafts. A live auction begins at 7 p.m. with weekends at lake houses and beach houses and exercise equipment up for grabs.

"This year we are asking for quality over quantity," said Drinkwine. "Higher-quality items bring in more donations. We are asking if someone has something to donate to think about the possibility of selling it. We accept anything of high quality that people would be willing to bid on. We will take items such as jewelry, antiques and lake home weekend rentals."

She said the auction is the main fundraiser for youth summer missions through Son Servants organization, which coordinates SMPC mission trips.

A team of 35 SMPC high school youth will travel to Jamaica June 9-16 to work with churches and the Salvation Army to improve facilities and visit residents in infirmaries. Then, July 2-7, a team of 35 middle school SMPC youth will work with Widow's Harvest volunteers in Harrison Bay to help widows with home repairs.

"We spend the entire year talking about Jesus, the love of God and who he is," said Drinkwine. "Our goal with missions is to let students live out what they learn all year and put in practice what we teach them. That's the goal of any mission trip."

Fellow SMPC youth director Jimmy Latham said youth at the church have traveled in recent years to perform mission relief work in Nicaragua, the Yucatan and New Orleans. He said youth partnered with YoungLife to work in Nicaraguan coffee fields. In the Yucatan and New Orleans the youth performed construction work.

"The more funds we can raise, the more pressure we take off the students," said Drinkwine. "We need help and support for our youth mission trips."

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