Coffee — a seemingly small thing — has become a hugely important part of my faith life. It has helped me create bonds with new people and strengthen those with individuals I've known for years. Coffee has helped me build a stronger sense of community in my church in a fun way while seeking to fulfill the word of God by supporting those less fortunate than myself.
How has coffee had such a profound effect on my life? For the past eight years, I have headed the Lutheran World Relief Coffee Project at my congregation, Christ Lutheran Church in Whitefish, Montana. When we buy Fair Trade products, we are assured that the farmers who grew them are getting a fair price, and a chance at a better life. Lutheran World Relief, an international humanitarian organization, offers Fair Trade coffee, tea, and chocolate to Lutheran congregations through a partnership with the Fair Trade company Equal Exchange. Every third week, I set up tables at church, where I sell Fair Trade coffee, tea, snacks and cocoa product to my fellow parishioners. I enjoy and flourish in this ministry for many reasons. Here are 10 of them.
Reason #1: It’s like being on a mission trip all the time. This ministry helps my faith grow through mission work. Every time I sell a product I know I am contributing to making someone else's life better. And I am seeking to fulfill Jesus' command to use our time and talents to help others who are less fortunate.
Reason #2: It’s fun! I like talking to people, answering questions and selling them excellent products they will enjoy. It is a satisfying feeling coming home after a sale with a lot less product than I went to church with.
Reason #3: It’s a great way to welcome visitors. My tables are set up near the entrance of our church where I can greet people who are visiting our church and help make them feel welcome. When visitors ask about the ministry I explain that their purchase counts twice because the farmers who grew it got a fair price, and because the money helps support programs that provide tools and training to help farmers improve their enterprises and make a better life for themselves and their families.
Reason #4: I get to know my fellow parishioners better. Before I started selling Fair Trade products at church I knew many of the regular attendees on a casual basis. When I sell products to my fellow parishioners I get to know their likes and dislikes. We get a chance to talk about each other’s lives and what is going on. This ministry has given me a chance to know them on a more personal basis. My tables get so busy with customers I have had to recruit help. My daughter Kayleigh helps most Sundays but I have recruited my wife Connie and other church family members.
Reason #5: I am sharing God’s love. God loves us all equally — you, me, and Guillermo the coffee farmer. Guillermo works hard and grows an excellent quality coffee bean to sell and support his family. I am showing God’s love by selling Fair Trade products to other people because I know I am helping to support not only Guillermo but other small farmers and their families somewhere around the world. This ministry helps make real and tangible just how connected we are to one another.
Reason #6: It helps raise funds for organizations I support. I sell the products with a minimal markup, and the church donates the small amount of profits I make back to Lutheran World Relief and Equal Exchange.
Reason #7: It helps me connect with others in my community. Most of my sales are at church, but I don’t limit it there: I trade coffee for haircuts. I sell chocolate bars at my dentist’s office. I sell chocolate to my co-workers right from my cubicle. Chocolate provides a great fix in those stressful situations!
Reason #8: It helps make the holidays more meaningful. I go into high gear around Christmas time, increasing the frequency of my sales at church and doing a sale at work as well. I enjoy helping people purchase gifts that their friends and family will love and that are also helping others live a better life.
Reason #9: It helps kids go to school. Fair Trade provides social premiums back to the farming communities to invest in things like infrastructure and education. Fair Trade has helped build schools in remote communities, pay school fees, buy books, and other investments that put kids on the path for a better life.
Reason #10: It’s a privilege. I feel that I have been richly blessed in my life. When I discovered the difference that Fair Trade products make in people’s lives, I was hooked. I consider it an honor and a privilege to live my faith doing something that I love doing and that helps so many people around the world.
Greg Kasper lives in Whitefish, Montana, where he worships at Christ Lutheran Church and has headed up their Fair Trade ministry for the past eight years.
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