Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Little church began participating in the Presbyterian Coffee Project this spring. The success has been overwhelming -- we can barely keep any of the products in stock. This is a great project for a group within a congregation that wants to support sisters and brothers in Christ who are supporting their families on small farms in places like Mexico, Central America and Africa. This coffee is delicious, too. I am enjoying some as I type (along with a couple of breakfast Girl Scout cookies. Yummy Thin Mints!)
Presbyterian Coffee Project: Good Coffee for a Good Cause
The Presbyterian Coffee Project offers a special link between congregations and communities around the world. Churches can now reach out to neighbors overseas not only with the prayers and offerings we give, but with the goods and products we purchase. A warm cup of coffee (or tea) in our hands is perhaps the most tangible daily connection we have with farmers around the world. It represents warmth, hospitality, fellowship, hard work, and life's pleasures both fine and simple. Buying fair trade through the Presbyterian Coffee Project ensures that more of the money we spend on coffee reaches the hardworking farmers who actually grow it. Participating congregations testify that the Presbyterian Coffee Project is a great way to help people in need while enjoying fellowship and an excellent cup of coffee. Fair trade practices complement our mission with farmers in Latin America, Africa and Asia, as well as our commitment to stewardship of the natural environment. By using fair trade coffee in our congregations, offices and homes, Presbyterians help guarantee that farmers will earn the income they need to feed their families, educate their children and improve their communities. Fair trade is a simple solution that means the difference — quite literally — between surviving and not surviving for small-scale coffee farmers. Congregations get started simply by ordering fairly traded coffee. In your congregation, a women's group, youth group, mission committee or peace and justice committee might sponsor this project. As your congregation enjoys this high-quality coffee (as well as tea, cocoa, sugar and chocolate), take time to learn about its impact on the people who grow it. Read about coffee farmers, discuss issues of justice in the global marketplace and take action in the spirit of love. Long-term congregational commitment has sustained Presbyterian and ecumenical ministries of relief and development for over 50 years. With such commitment, we can also make a difference in this new way.
About the Coffee Project
The Presbyterian Coffee Project is part of part of Enough for Everyone, a joint effort of the Presbyterian Hunger Program, the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program, Women's Ministries, Social Justice, Environmental Justice Office, Stewardship Education, Self-Development of People, and Presbyterian Women. Enough for Everyone is a partnership ministry of the General Assembly Council of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
2 Comments:
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- Evonne and Gerrit said...
10:21 AMAnother great idea we should check into. Boy you are just full of them lately. Thanks.- Alex said...
3:48 PMGosh Evonne, soon you are going to become a Presbyterian :)
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