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Welcome to Grand Avenue Presbyterian |
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Alternative Christmas Market 2005 Sunday, December 4 Sunday, December 11 Sunday, December 18 "For when I was hungry, you gave me food; when thirsty, you gave me drink; when I was a stranger, you took me into your home; when naked, you clothed me; when I was ill, you came to my help; when in prison, you visited me…Anything you did for one of my brothers here, however insignificant, you did for me." Matthew 25: 35-36, 40. With this scripture in mind, the Witness Ministry welcomes you to participate in Grand Avenue’s Alternative Gift Market for 2005. Why consider alternative giving? ~ You are
frustrated trying to find gifts for people who already have
everything.
Are you looking
for a way to experience more of the real spirit of
Christmas?~ You want to honor special people with a gift that changes the world, instead of with a trinket. ~ You want to teach your children about giving and sharing. ~ You are concerned about those people in the world who aren’t on anyone’s gift list. Would you like to find a perfect gift for someone who has everything? Would you like to honor someone in a special way?
The gifts you purchase can change the world. If you have questions, please call Laurie Mealy at (903) 813-0128 Equal Exchange Fairly Traded Gourmet Coffee and Tea To order Fairly Traded Gourmet Coffee or Tea contact us. 903-893-1921 or click here. Coffee
is big business. It's one of the most heavily traded commodities
in the world. But for the majority of small coffee farmers, who live in
rural communities in some of the poorest countries in the world, the
benefits are small. The chain of events that leads from the farm to
your cup is long and expensive: processors, creditors, exporters,
brokers, and a cast of middlemen known to Latin American farmers as
coyotes can all come between you and the farmers before you get to
sip your morning brew. With world coffee prices constantly changing and
coyotes paying the lowest price possible, coffee farmers never know
how much they will get for their crops. Cut off from markets, they are
forced to accept low prices. Many lack access to adequate housing,
healthcare, education or even running water and electricity. The
producers of a rich crop are often trapped in poverty.
Though the Presbyterian Coffee Project and Equal Exchange, you can help small farmers and their communities as they build a better future. Through the project, farmers earn a fair price for the products, have access to affordable credit, and gain a long-term trading partner they can trust. Through their cooperatives, farming communities are able to invest in education, health care, and agricultural improvements. In addition, for each case of coffee purchased through the project, Equal Exchange contributes to the Presbyterian Small Farmer Fund for new projects supporting coffee farmers and their families. By buying Equal Exchange coffee and tea, our community can share fellowship with our global neighbors. Community stores in Colombia, reforestation programs in Costa Rica, the training of doctors and nurses in Mexico, new housing in Nicaragua, new roads in Tanzania. These are examples of initiatives that small farmer cooperatives have taken in their communities with the support of fair trade. Grand Avenue Presbyterian participates in the Presbyterian Coffee Project by ordering coffee two or three times a year, sometimes for church functions, but more often for individual church members who order it for their own use or to give as gifts. Alternative Christmas Gifts Symbolize God's Love What can you give to a person who has everything? Is there a way to give a thoughtful gift this Christmas and also make a difference in someone's life? Can you imagine giving a mountain bike to a working woman in Senegal in honor of your Aunt Lisa, who loves to ride bicycles? Or cataract surgery for a man in India in honor of your dad, who recently had surgery himself? Sheep and hens, immunizations and safe deliveries, trees for reforestation, family gardens for hungry people and shelter for the homeless, clean water, Bibles, and mountain bikes (these are some of the authentic life-giving gifts made available through Alternative Gifts, Inc., a non-profit organization begun by Harriet Prichard, a director of children's ministry, in 1980. Grand Avenue Presbyterian, along with several other local churches, hosts a series of Alternative Christmas Market each years, typically during the first three Sundays in Advent for an hour or so before and after worship. Alternative gifts are tax deductible, and 100% of the money is used as designated. Alternative Gifts, Inc. acts as a screening agency that carefully studies and selects non-profit organizations that provide services to hungry, impoverished, hopeless people around the world. This year, shoppers can choose among 33 projects in 21 different countries. There are 11 different categories of gifts: hunger relief, shelter, medical assistance, water, education, development, peace and justice, child survival, livestock, environment and emergency disaster relief. This year, gifts range in price from $1 (to provide one day of support for an orphan and her caregiver in Uganda) to $625 (to provide one ton of cereal (25,000 servings for people in Burundi). Shares of gifts are also available so that children may purchase gifts, too. Shoppers for Alternative Gifts will be able to obtain written information about the items on the Shopping list for the World. Christmas cards will be given for each purchase, describing the gift with its destination and naming the sponsoring agency. These gift cards can then be given to family and friends. Come shop for the world with gifts that authenticate the true meaning of giving at Christmas. This project is part of Grand Avenue Presbyterian's mission work outside our own community. It is sponsored by the witness committee. |