A new farmers market is launching on Saturday.

Zion United Lutheran Church on Route 209 in Brodheadsville is hosting its first farmers market from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Nathaniel Harris, a church member and organizer of the event, said they plan to host the farmers market on the third Saturday of the month now through October. So mark those calendars with these future dates: Aug. 16, Sept. 20 and Oct. 18.

For Saturday, Harris said they have seven vendors: a winery, baker, farm produce, beekeeper with honey products, goat soap and skin care products, and two restaurants. The church also plans to sell breakfast and lunch items, and pastries in the church hall.

Harris said the farmers market might not be visible from Route 209, but it will be there, rain or shine. The market will be set up on the parking lot behind the church hall.

Harris said he welcomes more vendors, so anyone who is interested should email him at brodheadsvillefarmersmarket@gmail.com or call 610-681-7190. There isn’t a fee for a space, just a suggested donation of $25.

“We’re keen on the fact that people are helping us build this, so we want them to succeed and help us succeed with it,” he said.

The idea behind hosting the farmers market wasn’t as a fundraiser for the church, but more to introduce the community to the church and give small businesses a place to reach the community.

“We want to help local businesses get their name out there,” Harris said.

He said they also want people to see their church. It has been there for more than a century, so long that it’s almost blending into the surroundings.

“It’s been here and part of the community for so long that sometimes you just drive by it; you don’t realize it’s there,” Harris said. “Every church has a dwindling congregation. We’re facing the same issue, so how do we get younger people to see a building that’s been in the community for 160 years as more than a building?”

Harris said that yes, it’s a place to worship, but it’s also a place for people who are trying to get their business started, and a place where people can see the good works they are doing.

Zion Lutheran hosts a senior group, Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, and provides free meals to the public once a month. Harris said they served 190 free meals last month.

“There’s something nice about taking one day a month and knowing this isn’t for money, it’s to help people, and boy does it make you feel good,” he said.

The church is also a member of the Pleasant Valley Ecumenical Network.

“I wish more people would find what I found here,” he said.

As for the farmers market, Harris said they plan to be back in the spring.

“The hope is to start up again in April, if it all goes well this year,” he said.