CENTERVILLE -- Looking for something a little different to give as a gift? Try shopping at the Ark and the Olive Branch gift shop located at the Episcopal Church of the Resurrection, 1131 S. Main. Now in its 35th year of operation, the shop offers a variety of gift items ranging from Utah honey and salt mined here in Utah to Lomosnov tea pots from Russia, pottery from Idaho and English bone china, as well as handcrafted jewelry, olive wood nativity sets from the holy land and some stuffed animals. The Ark and Olive Branch was begun in a broom closet by the wife of the Episcopal Church, while they were meeting at Bountiful Community Church, and it's grown from there, said Linda Besselievre, who, with other members, has operated by the store since its inception.

The little shop has weathered the church's moves from BCC to the Centerville bank where ECOR met for several years before building its new facility on Centerville's Main Street. The architect who designed the building gave the little shop a place of its own near the rector's office.

A number of members donate their time to operate the shop, which is open on Sundays before and after the 9:30 a.m. service and on Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until noon.

Proceeds are donated to state and national charities, including the Bountiful Community Food Pantry, the Children's Justice Center in Farmington, Safe Harbor domestic abuse shelter, Episcopal Relief and Development, scholarships for the Episcopal-run Camp Tuttle, and Wasatch Humane and Crossroads Urban Center in Salt Lake City. Besselievre said they've donated about $800 a year to these charities and others.

In addition to selling merchandise from the Ark and Olive Branch shop, members carry their unique gift items to the annual Episcopal State Convention and to a fall bazaar at the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd in Ogden.

Those interested in the merchandise may shop during regular business hours.

mwilliams@davisclipper.com