Clarion, PA Crafter’s Day at the Autumn Leaf Festival

Clarion, PA Crafter’s Day at the Autumn Leaf Festival

Heavy street traffic in Clarion, Pennsylvania for Crafter’s Day

The Autumn Leaf Festival in Clarion, Pennsylvania had their Farmers and Crafters Day.  The festival ran from September 30 to October 8, 2023 on Main Street in Clarion.  The rain did not dampen the enthusiasm of the event, as the street was lined with vendors and a large crowd of visitors.  The Fellowship of Christian Farmers made their first appearance at this festival, handing out free walking sticks and yard sticks to passers by.  

Looks like the crosswalk from the Beatles Abby Road album!!  Gotta love the Great Pyrenees!
Looking in the Fellowship tent where guests hear the Message

Jean Hulse shares the Gospel message using one of 400 yard sticks prepared for the Autumn Leaf Festival.  Jean and Dan Hulse recalled a friend in Ohio, Jim Lewis, who was very busy sharing the Gospel message at the National Farm Machinery show, National FFA Convention, and the Farm Science Review each year with the Fellowship of Christian Farmers, International.  Jim Lewis was a Nationwide Insurance Agent that loved to interact with young people about their spiritual life and faith in Jesus Christ as Lord. Dan and Jean contacted FCFI about materials needed to set up an outdoor exhibit.

usy street scene at the Autumn Leaf Festival

Pray for the momentum of Clarion, Pennsylvania Autumn Leaf Festival FCFI exhibit carries on to next summer’s Clarion County Fair Booth.  “I don’t want to wait until next  summer to share the gospel,” Jean Hulse reported to FCFI Executive Director, Dennis Schlagel. “I hope some other event  comes up where we can set up another exhibit,” Jean lamented.

Homemade Wordless Walking Sticks

Dan and Jean Hulse from Clarion, PA hand crafted wordless walking sticks from trees in the woods and dowel rods that were painted and decorated.  Over 300 of these hand-made walking sticks had holes drilled to tie the leather bracelets on to the stick.  Each leather bracelet had five colored pony beads threaded into place to share the gospel message.  In 1866 Charles Spurgeon preached a sermon at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, in London entitled, “The Wordless Book”. Three pages of the book included a dark page representing sinfulness; red for the shed blood of Christ; and a white page representing cleansing of a person’s sin by faith.  Dwight L. Moody used a gold page  with Spurgeon’s three colors  where he preached children’s services to depict God’s love and the glories of His heavenly home.  The green color became the cover for the Wordless Book by Child Evangelism Fellowship in 1924.  The Wordless Walking stick uses the same colors as the Wordless Book only with pony beads on an 18” strap of leather.  Old, old way of sharing the Gospel message that still works!