The market, which has been held since 1986, aims to give a unique Christmas shopping opportunity to locals, offering gifts from different non-profit and charitable groups from around the world. The groups then receive the proceeds from sales to support their membership.
"It's not a fundraiser for the church," Corrine Fortune, chairperson of the event, said. "One hundred percent goes back to the groups from whom we get the items."
The market features gifts from a wide variety of groups, including local non-profits and companies throughout New England, as well as organizations in South America, Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
Many of the international partners are self-help groups in that they make the items sold in order to advance their missions. This includes groups from Kenya and Zimbabwe, which sell handmade goods collected from members of their communities to benefit orphaned children of AIDS victims, and a number of women's groups, which aim to empower women by offering them employment and control over their income.
"We provide a market for artisans [and] international mission projects that might not otherwise have it," Carla Bailey, senior pastor at the church, said.
Despite the large number of international groups participating, local organizations are not ignored. Among those included were the Family Place of Norwich, Vt., which offers resources to families and young mothers, and the Hospice of the Upper Valley.
While the organizations represented at the market vary from year to year, some groups are perennial favorites.
Textiles sold by the Association of Nepali Craft Producers are extremely popular, Fortune said, and have accounted for nearly half of the total sales volume in some years.
In a number of cases, other area churches have helped to facilitate exchanges. The Dominican Republic Women's Cooperative was included in the market through a partnership with the Norwich Congregational Church, while goods from the Quechuan Women's Sewing Cooperative in Bolivia were acquired through an exchange mission with the Meriden Congregational Church.
The market has grown considerably since its inception 21 years ago, flourishing from a mere two vendors in its first year to the twenty represented this year. Sales have increased as well: Last year's vendors raised $75,000 for their respective charities.
Although area residents and Dartmouth students make up most of the market's customers, the church has placed advertisements throughout the region. The Christmas Market has historically attracted a wide following, with some attendees coming from as far as Connecticut to browse the featured goods.
Fortune said she attributed much of the event's popularity to the special nature of the gifts offered, which differ from the usual knickknacks people give at Christmas.
"A lot of people feel like they're getting a gift that's unique, and they're helping people in another country," she said. "It's a kind of shopping you can feel good about."
The market will remain open through Saturday, Nov. 3.
