On April 27, 1947, the board of Powell Butte Christian Church met and agreed on a plan to raise money for a church building. They called it the Powell Butte Lord's Acre Project. The first Lord's Acre Day was held that November 15, and it brought in nearly $6,000 for the building fund.
The 80th annual sale is on Saturday, November 7, 2026, at the church at 13720 SW Hwy 126. The Prineville-Crook County Chamber lists an 8 a.m. start. The building those first sales paid for went up long ago. The event that paid for it still runs on the same idea, even though nobody farms a literal acre for it anymore.
The acre became a calendar
The church's history of the event says the idea came from a church magazine article about the Farmer's Federation in South Carolina. That group started the Lord's Acre to help congregations pay for what they needed. Each farm family would give the yield from one acre of land to the church, which is where the name comes from. The Central Oregonian's 2019 history feature describes the Carolinas model the same way, as a donation of one acre's crops or livestock.
Ranching and farming families in Powell Butte in 1947 had literal acres to give. The 2026 sale still works on donated yield, but the yield now comes from a year of scheduled volunteer work:
- The Lord's Acre Quilters meet on Monday and Tuesday mornings all year to make the quilts sold at the November auction.
- The Lord's Acre Crafters spend the year making and remaking crafts for the Country Store, which opens on sale day.
- The meat table sells cuts and ground lamb and beef, along with the Lord's Acre breakfast sausage, according to the Central Oregonian's 2025 preview.
- The pie and candy tables sell pie whole and by the slice, along with candy.
The church describes the sale as offered "from the fruits of our labor throughout the year." In 1947 the acre was a field. Now it's a year of Monday and Tuesday mornings.
What's on the tables November 7
The church has posted what the 80th sale will include. Here's how it lines up against where each item comes from, based on the church's page:
| Offering | Where it comes from |
|---|---|
| Handmade quilts, sold at auction | Quilters who meet weekly all year |
| Crafts at the Country Store | Church crafters, made through the year |
| Meat, including Lord's Acre sausage | The church's meat sale |
| Pie, whole or by the slice, and candy | Sold on sale day |
| BBQ lunch | The pit barbecue |
| Music | Live on sale day |
| 10K and 5K run/walk | Registration through the church |
The church calls the sausage "world-famous." The run has a $35 entry fee if you pay on race day, and the registration form is on the church's site.
Some auctions from earlier years went beyond quilts. The 2019 Central Oregonian feature listed leathercraft, firewood and hay among the items. The church's 2026 description only names quilts for the auction, so plan around those.
How the day ran last year
The church hasn't posted a timed schedule for 2026 beyond the 8 a.m. start. The best guide is last year's sale, held Saturday, November 1, 2025. The Central Oregonian's preview laid it out like this:
- 7 a.m. Coffee.
- 7 to 9 a.m. Race registration and setup.
- 9 a.m. The 10K and 5K start, pie sales open, and the meat sale and Country Store open with the race.
- 11 a.m. Music, with the barbecue pits opening shortly after.
- 11:30 a.m. Lunch.
- 1 p.m. Quilt auction.
These are 2025 times. They show the usual order of the day, but this year's times may differ. Use the 8 a.m. Chamber listing as the one confirmed time for 2026.
The order matters for anyone planning around a particular item. In a 2024 column for the Central Oregonian, Powell Butte writer McLane noted that even when the kitchen crew bakes extra cinnamon rolls, they still sell out before you finish the 5K/10K. The same column named homemade pie and cinnamon rolls as the big draws. Baked goods go on sale when the race starts, so runners and early arrivals are shopping the same tables at the same moment.
Last year's lunch menu was roast beef, lamb, ham, baked potatoes and baked beans with the usual sides. Organizers told the paper they could feed about 1,000 people, and sometimes 1,200 when the weather is good. So the size of the lunch crowd depends on November weather in Powell Butte.
The quilt auction connects 1959 to 2026
The 1:00 auction block is the part of the day with the longest documented history. McLane's 2024 column recounts that Sen. John F. Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy attended Lord's Acre Day in 1959 and went home with a handcrafted quilt.
That visit was 67 years ago. The quilts at this year's auction are still made by hand by a volunteer group meeting at the church every week. The same column describes Powell Butte as a place that "hasn't changed all that much since the Kennedys passed through," where you can still get through the post office without a line and some ranches and farms are still held by the same families.
Where the money goes now
In 1947 there was one goal, a church building, and the first year raised nearly $6,000 toward it. The church now describes Lord's Acre Day as drawing up to 2,000 visitors and raising as much as $80,000. Those are the church's highest figures, not a forecast for this year. Still, the gap between the first year and the best years shows how much the sale has grown on the same basic setup.
What the money pays for has changed too. The church says proceeds now go to major maintenance projects, scholarships for students at Bible colleges, and missions. Ten percent has gone to missions work since the first sale. Groups the church names include Grace Networks International, Pregnancy Resource Centers of Central Oregon, McKinley Indian Mission and Medical Teams International. It also supports KingdomWork Ministries International, which sponsors two villages in Uganda.
That 10 percent share is the most direct link back to 1947. It has been set aside for missions at every sale since the first one.
Getting there and what comes after
The church sits on Highway 126 in Powell Butte. The 2025 preview said the sale filled the school cafeteria and gym as well as the church sanctuary, so plan on moving between buildings. McLane's column was written for the "thousands who drive through our little Ochoco Highway hamlet on your way to bigger things," and asked them to stop and stay a while.
The church holds the sale on the first Saturday of November, which is November 7 this year. Next on the Crook County holiday calendar is Saturday, November 28, when the Prineville-Crook County Chamber calendar lists Breakfast with Santa, Santa's Workshop & Craft Bazaar, Small Business Saturday and the Annual Lighted Christmas Parade in Prineville. Lord's Acre Day comes first, and the sausage and pies are ready on the morning of the 7th.
Powell Butte's long traditions are a big part of what makes this side of Crook County feel the way it does, and we love seeing a community event reach its 80th year. If you're thinking about Powell Butte, Brasada Ranch or the ranch country around Prineville and want to talk through how life works out here, Team Fitch would be glad to help. Start Your Search or Book a Consultation, and we'll gladly share what we know about the places that make this corner of Central Oregon home.
