Gifts of Hope: Blessing Others Through Fair Trade Shopping Opportunities

by Lance Finley, CGGC Executive Director

For many years, the congregations of the Churches of God, General Conference have been strong partners in the cross-cultural ministry efforts of Global Reach. These partnerships have been lived out in a variety of ways, often with a strong emphasis on going, seeing and participating in global ministry fields. For the past two years, we’ve been forced to think creatively about how to be partners in Global Reach ministries due to the restricted travel brought about by the global pandemic and other rising tensions across the globe. How can you participate in what God is doing around the globe when you can’t lead mission teams outside the U.S.? How can you participate in global ministry when it’s nearly impossible to go somewhere else in the world? How can you make a difference somewhere else in the world when you can’t go there in person?

On December 4, 2021, the Mt. Pleasant Church of God (https://mpcog.org), located in Mt. Pleasant, PA and a part of the Allegheny Regional Conference, hosted the Gifts of Hope fair trade shopping event. We asked Penny Zeisloft and Blaine Barclay to share about their experience with Gifts of Hope and fair trade.

Some of our readers may be unfamiliar with the concept of fair trade. What is it and how did you come to get involved in such an effort?

According to the World Fair Trade Organization, fair trade is “a trading partnership, based on dialogue, transparency and respect, which seeks greater equity in international trade. It contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to, and securing the rights of, marginalized producers and workers.”

Zeisloft stresses that, “Fair trade is a concept where everyone in the supply chain shares a commitment to help disadvantaged people. It is a market-driven trading partnership fueled by a heart change in the buyers. It’s about trade, not aid and people over profit.” She continues, “One of the goals of fair trade is to empower, rather than exploit, the workers. It’s about protecting their dignity and increasing their independence through sustainable and meaningful employment.”

Barclay pointed out that in many developing world countries, people are forced to live and work in conditions that are less than satisfactory. “There’s a reality that corporations often take advantage of workers in these countries. Fair trade offers an opportunity to do better. Fair trade addresses both working conditions as well as fair wages for the workers.” Some common elements include concerns such as no child labor, safe working conditions and capacity-building opportunities that allow workers to become more independent. Zeisloft offered the example of a vendor whose artisans in Nicaragua relied upon wood heat in their homes and workshops and suffered from the effects of constant smoke in enclosed areas. As a result of fair trade, the vendor was able to utilize the profits from their work to purchase eco-friendly stoves, which resulted in healthier and safer living and working conditions.

Zeisloft shares, “God put people in my life who taught me how fair trade principles correspond to my Christian faith. Throughout Scripture, we find a consistent theme of God’s concern for the poor and His heart for justice. Isaiah 58 and Matthew 25 are just two of many passages that highlight God’s concern for the marginalized and disenfranchised.” In 2015, Zeisloft attended a party featuring the fair trade goods of Rahab’s Rope, which rescues women and children from human trafficking in India. That same year, she began holding events in her home with a handful of fair trade vendors. Over the years these efforts have grown, and over $75,000 has been raised cumulatively since 2015. The Mt. Pleasant Church of God has helped partner in the work since 2019.

What were the results of the most recent fair trade shopping event?

The Mt. Pleasant Church of God hosted Gifts of Hope on December 4, 2021 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Over 20 fair trade vendors sent their products, which featured jewelry, accessories, handbags, pottery, coffee, ornaments, chocolate, scarves, wallets, baskets, toys, home decor, candles, soap, aprons and more. Over 300 people attended the event. At the end of the day, $18,000 worth of merchandise was sold, and 100% of the profits went back to the vendors who directly support the artisans, farmers and their communities. Barclay shared that the congregation underwrote the cost of the event, which included advertising, entertainment and complimentary coffee and donuts for the shoppers. Mt. Pleasant Church of God held the first Gifts of Hope event in 2019 before taking a hiatus due to the pandemic in 2020. The church partnered with organizations working with people from India, Ghana, Guatemala, Cambodia, Uganda, Ecuador, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Haiti and others.

What did it take for the Mt. Pleasant Church of God to host this kind of event?

Over 40 individuals volunteered to help with the day. Some of these volunteers worked as salespeople at the vendor tables, some helped with the food for the day, and others provided the musical entertainment. The set-up took 2-3 days before the actual event, and volunteers set up pallets and crates and helped get the product ready to display for shoppers. The youth group at Mt. Pleasant helped with set-up on Wednesday evening, and another group of volunteers helped on Thursday evening and enjoyed dinner together as well. Zeisloft adds that it made a “great body of Christ moment with many different people contributing their different talents to the effort.”

What’s the motivation for holding this kind of event?

Zeisloft shares that “We chose to hold this event at Christmas because it’s a time when all of us are buying gifts. Why not take our gift-buying and turn it into a way to bless others?” She notes that Genesis 12:1-3 has provided some of her own motivation and points to the call on Abram’s life to “be a blessing.” She continues, “When you buy a gift at Gifts of Hope, you’re doing something that has the potential to touch the lives of people from as many as 20 different countries around the world. We get to demonstrate that we care about the poor and disenfranchised people of our world, and we get show our local community of Mt. Pleasant that we care about them as well. We’re giving them access to unique products that they wouldn’t normally have access to here, as well as a nice Christmas event with food and entertainment.”

Barclay adds that the products featured at Gifts of Hope give folks the opportunity to find unique items that won’t be found at the large chain retail stores. “People have shared that they appreciate the variety of the products we carry from over 20 vendors, the fact that you can’t often find these products here in the U.S., and the uniqueness of each individual gift. There are not 5,000 units of each item, but typically only one or two uniquely crafted items of each type of product. People have the opportunity to give a very special gift that won’t be easily duplicated.”

Zeisloft adds that the unique products that fair trade efforts bring to small-town and rural markets like Westmoreland County is a special way to bless the people of their community. “In larger areas like Pittsburgh, people have greater access to fair trade stores and the unique gifts and products that they sell. For instance, in 2019 we held a similar event in Pittsburgh, which resulted in about $6,500 in sales. The following week, we held Gifts of Hope here in Mt Pleasant, which resulted in over $13,000 sales (double what was sold in the city)! Folks in our community typically do not have opportunities to find unique, handmade products outside of the city. Westmoreland County is an untapped market for these fair trade goods.”

What encouragement would you offer others throughout the CGGC?

Start small! You may want to start working with one or two vendors and see how that develops.

Zeisloft shares that Proverbs 3:27 provides the main motivation for her passion for this ministry: “Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act.”

“When we make purchases, ‘it is in our power to act.’ When we buy gifts at Christmas, why not make sure our gift-giving is done in a way that helps change the lives of people around the world?”

Zeisloft and Barclay add that they would be more than happy to provide assistance to others that may want to explore similar kinds of efforts across the CGGC. “We would love to offer guidance and advice from what we’ve learned here at Mt. Pleasant.”