Last year I wrote a post about a fund raising venture of our parish. For a few years now, we have been making palm crosses and sellling them to other parishes and also to some schools. The crosses are a traditional addition to Palm Sunday services ; the Sunday before Easter.
The crosses can't be made too far ahead so we have a short busy time for turning palm branches into strips and then the strips are folded into the little crosses. There are always working bees to get the strips ready but most of us collect strips from the fridge in the church hall and take them home and fold throughout the week.
This is a few hundred that I folded at home...
One Saturday 'Palm working bee' I couldn't make it but last Saturday I was there.
Some of the men had been out early collecting some branches...we use the fronds from the Queens Palm....
Stripping? 😉
The number of helpers swelled as the morning went on...
For the first time I asked how much the parish charges for the crosses...we sell them in bundles of 100 for $45 plus postage and many local customers do come and pick up their order. At the beginning of Lent we had orders for 6000 crosses but after more orders came in it was just over 7000! It has become our best fundraiser 😊.
The crosses can't be made too far ahead so we have a short busy time for turning palm branches into strips and then the strips are folded into the little crosses. There are always working bees to get the strips ready but most of us collect strips from the fridge in the church hall and take them home and fold throughout the week.
This is a few hundred that I folded at home...
One Saturday 'Palm working bee' I couldn't make it but last Saturday I was there.
Some of the men had been out early collecting some branches...we use the fronds from the Queens Palm....
Stripping? 😉
The number of helpers swelled as the morning went on...
For the first time I asked how much the parish charges for the crosses...we sell them in bundles of 100 for $45 plus postage and many local customers do come and pick up their order. At the beginning of Lent we had orders for 6000 crosses but after more orders came in it was just over 7000! It has become our best fundraiser 😊.
its been a long time since I made palm crosses......they are pretty cool.......
ReplyDeleteFascinating! And what a brilliant fund-raising success.
ReplyDeleteSterling effort by all - 7000 is a lot of folding.
ReplyDeleteplenty of palm crossed being made here, I see you use fresh leaves here ours are a cream colour and once made last for years presume they are leaves that have been treated in some way
ReplyDeleteI haven's seen the crosses for years, Maria. That brought back memories of my childhood. 7000 crosses are a lot to make. Good on you all. Well done.
ReplyDeleteI remember last year's post. I can't believe that a year passed by so quickly!
ReplyDeletexx, Carol
Wow, that's a lot! But it looks like you had lots of helpers and probably some visiting while you folded.
ReplyDeleteWe used to get a palm frond on Palm Sunday in church and I knew how to fold these. Not sure I know anymore though!
oh I have never seen this before, we don't have them here in Sweden, at least not in the Lutheran church. Have a blessed Easter week Jaana
ReplyDeleteWow. That's a lot of crosses!
ReplyDeleteI remember making then in school when I was young. Back in the days
We still had religious instruction
I have watched members of my parish make crosses from their palms, but never tried to do so myself.
ReplyDeleteGreat fund raiser you have there.
God bless.