NORWICH – Broad Street United Methodist Church will combine Third World outreach with a fun afternoon out when hosting a fair trade sale and an international holiday tea this weekend.

The church’s second biannual fair trade sale, sponsored by the United Methodist Women, will feature jewelry, home decor, toys, musical instruments and other items hand-crafter by artisans in the developing world. All proceeds from the sale will support the artisans and the non-profit Ten Thousand Villages, a pioneer in the fair trade movement.

“The United Methodist Church has always stood for social justice,” said UMW Co-President Sharon Fleming. “Our church already buys fair trade coffee and sugar. This sale of hand-crafted items seems like a natural extension of that support for Third World workers.”

Fair trade organizations buy goods for import to this country directly from workers or worker groups, cutting out the profit-taking middleman and guaranteeing workers fair wages, helping them provide good food, decent shelter, health care and education for their families. Fair trade also certifies that goods have been produced on an environmentally friendly manner. And by training new generations in traditional crafting techniques, fair trade helps preserve local cultures.

“Fair trade is the right thing to do and the sale is also a lot of fun,” said UMW Co-President Bernie Windsor. “It’s a great place to pick up beautiful, unique Christmas gifts.”

The holiday tea will offer a chance for guests to relax in international surroundings while sipping fair trade tea, and eating tea sandwiches and an assortment of treats from around the world.

The sale will be held in the church at 74 North Broad in Norwich on Friday from 4 to 7 p.m. and on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The tea will take place on Saturday from 2 to 4p.m. A donation will be collected at the tea.