MANKATO — A look around the room might have led an observer to conclude that the goings on inside the Centenary United Methodist Church amounted to a good ol’ Minnesota rummage sale.

A dozen tables full of used items — books, blenders, toys, clothing, jumper cables — filled the room while folks milled about.

But there was one key thing missing, for the most part. Cash. Instead of commerce, the transaction method of choice was trading, hence the event’s title: Community Swap Meet.

The event was sponsored by the School Sisters of Notre Dame Center for Earth Spirituality and Rural Ministry, the community group Sustainable Mankato and the church. It was the brainchild of Monika Antonelli, who said she’s been hearing about similar events elsewhere and decided to try it here. She said the goal was to get between 20 and 50 people to come, and that goal appears to have been met.

More swap meets are likely to be scheduled.

“It takes time to build something like this,” she said.

Honey Stempka and her husband Brian were the vendors of one of 13 reserved tables. They brought an eclectic mix of items including paint, garden items and a Pittsburgh Steelers flag (she’s a a native of Steel City.)

The Stempkas traded some iron rods — used for hanging flower pots — for a scarf. In exchange for some pots, they acquired some playing blocks for their son, Zane.

And for a couple of bucks, they parted with some paint that had been left with the residence they moved into.

Honey Stempka said she’d heard about the idea before and liked it.

“I’m very much into the environmental thing, so this has kind of been on our radar,” she said. “I think it’s a great way to trade your stuff for things you need. And I like the green aspect of it.”

Brittany Russell brought her collection of inks and stamps to trade. She said she heard about the event on Facebook.

The Community Swap Meet idea appealed to her, she said, because it didn’t involve cash changing  hands. And she was able to trade  some of her stuff for a Scrabble game.

“I like the idea of trading stuff,” she said, “and not worrying about money all the time. ... This is more about being less materialistic.”

Lisa Coons, director of the Center for Earth Spirituality and Rural Ministry, said they wanted the  event to embody the spirit of “re-skilling,” or the idea of getting back to basics and teaching people skills their parents and grandparents had.

Skills such as planting vegetables or even sharing, while simple, tend to get lost in a fast-paced society that puts so much emphasis on individualism.

Plus, it’s good to clear out the junk you don’t really need.

“Most people here are looking to get rid of stuff,” she said. “And for most of us Americans, we’ve got stuff coming out our ...”

Coons and Antonelli said they hope to hold another swap meet event in the summer, possibly at a Mankato city park.