An annual auction to benefit the Wayne Community Church is kicking off Thursday evening, with travel packages, bicycles, boat cruises, signed sports memorabilia, restaurant gift certificates, antiques and other items available for bidding.

Among the more unique offerings in this year’s auction are a baseball signed by Xander Bogaerts of the Boston Red Sox; a guitar signed by Adam Levine of “The Voice,” a reality television singing competition; footballs signed by Victor Cruz, a wide receiver on the Chicago Bears; and a dollar bill signed by Kellyanne Conway, advisor to President Donald Trump.

A parishioner takes a peek at items up for silent auction on July 6, 2016, at the Wayne Community Church in Wayne. The auction is a fundraiser for the church and will be held this year from Thursday through Saturday. Staff file photo by Joe Phelan

The bidding will begin Thursday at the church, with a silent auction at 5 p.m. and a two-hour live auction beginning at 7 p.m. A silent auction will resume from 8 to 11 a.m. and 4 to 7 p.m. Friday and from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday.

The auction is a major fundraiser for the Wayne church, having netted more than $17,000 last year — when the offerings included two $1 bills that were signed by Trump himself, who was then the presumptive Republican nominee for president.

Proceeds will support senior lunches, a nursery that operates out of the church and services the church provides for families who are poor or in crisis, organizers have said.

Though the church is technically Methodist, it’s also a destination for many summer residents who are looking for a church regardless of their denomination.

Related Stories