40 minute read
Soul enterprise
What work should we do?
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What wisdom does the Bible offer for how to choose our work? Timothy Keller, in his new book, Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God’s Work, has three suggestions. • “If we have the luxury of options, we would want to choose work that we can do well. It should fit our gifts and our capacities. To take up work that we can do well is like cultivating our selves as gardens filled with hidden potential; it is to make the greatest room for the ministry of competence.” • “Because the main purpose of work is to serve the world, we would want to choose work that benefits others. We have to ask whether our work or organization or industry makes people better or appeals to the worst aspects of their characters.” • “If possible, we do not simply wish to benefit our family, benefit the human community, and benefit ourselves — we also want to benefit our field of work itself ... [and] increase the human race’s capacity to cultivate the created world.” My old friend, Harry Martens, told me he was never ordained, but he had hands laid on him many times. Some of us feel this way in the rough and tumble business world.
Seriously, is business really a calling? Does God actually summon certain persons into business? Does he recruit believers for kingdom work in business? Or do we simply stumble into business without any sense of divine unction?
My point is this: We are all commissioned for a lifetime of Christian service, and business is a great place to live out the loving and serving presence of Jesus.
Why do we only ordain and commission pastors and other congregational leaders? Shouldn’t businesspersons be set apart and dedicated for Christian service and witness in the marketplace?
I wonder what would happen to us, as businesspersons, if our congregations had commissioning services for us. Our brothers and sisters would lay hands on us, pray over us and send us forth as their ambassadors to the business world.
I suspect our businesses would take on a more hallowed dimension. We’d feel a sense of mission in business. We’d function as representatives of Christ’s church. We’d acknowledge his lordship in our businesses. Our corporate policies would be influenced by the gospel. And we’d feel more accountable to our sending bodies, our congregations, where we ought to be giving and receiving counsel.
If you and I can’t feel ordained for business, maybe we ought to look for other work. — John H. Rudy, reprinted from his Marketplace column from May/June 1990
Multipliers, bad and good
You’re driving down the highway on your way to work. Someone cuts in front of you into your lane, which makes you mad. To get away from this lane jockey, you cut into someone else’s lane. Naturally, you make that person mad. Thinking you’re a real jerk, he swerves into the next lane. Pretty soon there are countless people coming into work, every one of them ready to start their day angry and upset. Some will take their frustration out on the product or the customer. Others may bark orders at their secretaries and staff. The multiplier effect has begun and just keeps on going.
If you can help someone get off to a good start, however, maybe catch him or her doing something right, it will create a positive effect that can also multiply. Many small, simple but positive things managers, supervisors and associates do generate momentum that eventually can lead to great things. If you’re not too big for small things, you won’t then be too small for the big things that might happen as a result. — Retired Toro CEO Ken Melrose in Making The Grass Greener on Your Side
Excellent!
Numerous books have extolled the value of quality and excellence in the workplace. By and large, these studies have been based on the premise that quality work doesn’t just lead to higher profits — it is a condition of staying in business today.
Many managers and employees have embraced excellence as a new way of doing business. Yet the theme of excellence in work is as old as the Bible (Proverbs 22:29 speaks of those who excel in their work). In fact, quality is one of the keys to a biblical view of work: • God works with excellence. The created world was “very good” (Gen. 1:31). • God equips people with specific skills and abilities that fit them for certain kinds of work. When our skills are used as intended, we serve God with all our mind and might (Matt. 22:37-38). • Christians are to do their work as if Christ himself were evaluating the effort — because he is (Eph. 6:5-8). • Christians are commanded to be “well pleasing in all things” in their work, because doing so makes the gospel of Christ attractive to coworkers and customers.
That said, what kind of quality and craftsmanship do you put into your work? Would God be pleased with how you do your job, or with the end product or service? Are you proud of the way you do your job? If not, how could you make improvements?
Reprinted from The Word in Life Study Bible, copyright 1993, 1996 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission.
Go forth Do I want this job?
Here’s a check-list to evaluate a job you’re considering. Ask yourself these questions about the company or organization: • What kind of reputation does this employer have in the community? • What are its values? Are they clearly stated? How do they line up with mine? • How does this company treat minorities, women, seniors, the disabled? • Is it family-friendly? [If you are married:] What price will my spouse have to pay? • Will I be proud or embarrassed to tell others that I work here?
Ask these questions about the job: • Will my Christian faith and values be a plus or minus for this company? • What’s the chance this job will require me to do something that goes against my principles? • Will the work I do help other people? • Does the job look interesting enough to keep me from getting bored? • Does it provide adequate support? • Does it use my gifts in a useful way? Will it give me a chance to grow (or at least look good on my resume later)? • Will this job make me a better person?
From You’re Hired! Looking for work in all the right places, a MEDA career guide available for free download at www. meda.org/hired
Seen in a church bulletin: “Welcome. We consider it a blessing and a privilege that you chose to be here today. But frankly, we are more concerned about what you do when you leave. You see, we don’t believe the holiest moment of church is the hour or so you spend here Sunday morning. We believe it is when God’s people go out of the church door to be the church in the world.”
Overheard
“You can praise the Lord by peeling a spud, if you peel it to perfection.” — Eric Liddell’s missionary father in the movie, Chariots of Fire
Into Africa
They loved it so much they moved there to do “business as mission”
by Darryl Peters
When my wife Shirley came home from work one snowy, blustery winter day in our home city of Winnipeg, she said she’d talked to a friend who would like to visit Africa but was not comfortable going without knowing someone. He had quipped, “If you go and set up a place, then I’ll come.” That got us really thinking, and before the night was over, we had set our minds on a new direction.
Four years later, after buying 12 acres of land over the phone in 10 minutes, after selling off all our possessions (less our three grown children!), and after two-and-a-half years of blood, sweat and tears, we have just opened up Dashir Lodge, a tourist lodge in Arusha, Tanzania, between Mount Kilimanjaro and the Serengeti. That’s pretty logical for a math teacher of 20 years, isn’t it?
It is no surprise to our family and friends that we have chosen to live in Africa again. It was actually in the “pre-nups” when Shirley told me that if I would take her to Africa, then we could date and get married; but if Africa was out of the question, then we would just be good friends. I kept my end of the bargain: we have both been to Africa twice before as missionaries — once to Zambia as singles in our relative youth, and once on a three-year teaching term with MCC in Botswana with our kids in tow.
Darryl Peters (back row) and staff celebrate completion of the lodge’s front step. Shirley Peters (right) and cook Joyce Anaeli (seated) in the new cooking quarters.
It is, however, a complete surprise to our
family and friends, and even to us, that we have chosen the hospitality industry for our work in Africa. We have always enjoyed entertaining people in our home, so why not do it as a vocation? We see the lodge business, like any vocation, as a means to reach people for Christ, and in this case with a special ability to impact a sector of people who are difficult to reach through conventional missionary roles.
We have attempted to enter into our local village culture as much as possible. To facilitate this, we have endeavored to do our development and building VERY SLOOOOOWLY — sometimes by choice and often by forces of nature and life here in Tanzania. A popular Swahili expression is, “Haba na haba, hujaza kibaba” (“Drop by drop, the cup becomes full”). Although our patience has been sorely tested in so many ways, the slow method is really amazing; it takes the main focus off productivity and allows plenty of time for personal, unhurried interac-
tion, as well as the learning of language and culture.
We have deliberately chosen to do as much as possible through manual labor, thus employing plenty of local people and keeping the money in the community rather than spending it on fuel and machines from larger companies. We also work alongside our workers, feeling the hot, sunny days and the rigor of the work, especially the tough digging and moving of soil, rocks and gravel.
Currently we are providing full-time employment and thus supporting the extended families of 10 local men. They are faithful to see the money gets to their families — we check on this regularly. Together, we have become like family, as many of the guys stay for night during the week. We try to model a loving marriage, full of fun and challenges.
Getting a start on the lodge’s pool.
One of our community goals is to encour-
drinking water from the roof, pump task water from a well, and are slowly increasing our supply of fruits, vegage better farming practices. Most farmers in the area etables, meat, honey and other items from our own land. work the land by ploughing with oxen. Meanwhile, the Better farming practices are not easily taught to Africans soil suffers greatly — it loses the deeper moisture, erodes so that they will apply them on their own — they are quickly with the downpours of rain (people always talk of better “caught.” As people see what is happening as well the rocks “growing”), and packs even harder as the results, they are asking questions. through each tilling. “Farming God’s Way” Using manual labor That is the entry point for true change — (FGW) is one method that is helping many questions and an inner desire to adopt farmers through better practices of conserva- creates jobs and something they see as beneficial and also tion of precious rainfall, minimal soil distur- within their means to acquire (without bance, and taking seriously the commission keeps the money in charity handouts!). of God to tend the land carefully. We have set aside two acres, out of our current 30 (we have added to the original 12), for planting maize the community. Another personal community goal of mine, being a teacher by trade, and beans using some of the FGW principles. is to set up a learning centre and library on our land.
We are also moving towards eco-friendly subsistence Recent guests donated the first batch of kids’ reading living — obtaining most of our water, food and energy materials. Getting books into the hands of pre-school from our own land. We practice grey water recycling for children and creating a love for books is so important irrigation, create electricity from wind and sun, harvest to academic success. We will also be assisting the local public school and health clinic using volunteer expertise of tourists who are interested in spending some of their time in this way. We feel so blessed to have the opportunity to live in Africa, to have the stewardship of 30 acres of land, and to have the privilege and responsibility of living in the midst of a Tanzanian community. (The tough part of course is living so far away from our Canadian family and friends.) Our lodge is just an “excuse” for us to carry out the mission that is in our hearts, and we trust that we will be faithful. We welcome visitors to come to Dashir and experience Tanzania — its game parks, Kilimanjaro and especially to connect and interact with our warm and hospitable community of neighbors and friends. ◆
Darryl (left) and farming associate James Shikobe show off a new crop of sweet corn.
For more information contact info@dashirlodge.com or go to www. dashirlodge.com
Values and innovation are key at Canada’s largest mushroom grower
Did you know this about mushrooms? • They don’t need to grow in the dark. • They don’t really grow in manure. • The uglier and drier they look, the better they may taste.
Harry Enns, given a chance, will tell you a lot more about mushrooms.
“Mushrooms are an exciting world,” he says with enthusiasm.
Enns is one of the owners and the CFO of Highline Mushrooms, based in Leamington, Ontario. Producing a million pounds a week, it’s the largest mushroom grower in Canada, and the third largest in North America.
He is like an apostle for mushrooms. He’ll extol their health benefits and let you know that a portabella contains more potassium than a banana and that cancer experts in the U.S. have called mushrooms a superfood. “It’s not a vegetable, not a fruit,” says Enns. “It takes in oxygen, it gives off carbon dioxide, it sweats, it’s almost, well, like humans.” His passion for the lowly fungus is rooted in his personal regard for the late Dr. Murray O’Neil, who founded Highline Mushrooms in 1961. O’Neil was a local physician with a specialty in allergens and a gift for entrepreneurship. He and a dentist friend established the company and soon began using the services of Enns, who was then a CA. “I was their accountant, doing their income Social responsibility makes running a busi- tax at the time,” Enns ness exciting, says Harry Enns, CFO and says. part owner. He forged such a
Highline ships out a million pounds of mushrooms a week to companies like Costco, Wal-Mart and Campbell Soup.
He admired his client so much he gave up his own practice to join the company.
strong bond with Dr. O’Neil and his innovative style that he left public practice in 1972 to join the company and became a shareholder two years later.
Today Highline’s four farms produce 155,000 pounds of mushrooms a day, two-thirds of which
What’s the most exciting part of running a labor-intensive company? Balancing business with social responsibility, says Harry Enns. “We take social responsibility very, very seriously.”
He admits to being proud of the benefits made available to Highline’s 1,100 employees. The average wage is $16.50 per hour, well above the local minimum. Benefits include a pension plan, medical, dental and vision insurance, scholarship program, on-site wellness programs, and a generous vacation package. Every employee gets a day off on their birthday.
Fifteen percent of pre-tax earnings goes to employees as profit sharing. “We have never missed paying a profit share in 25 years,” he says. Last year it worked out to 80 cents for every hour worked.
“We believe everything we do must be done in fairness, not only to our customers, but mostly to our employees. Not only must it be fair, it must also be goes to companies like Costco, Wal-Mart and other food chains, and the rest to food processors like Campbell Soup.
Highline grows white, brown and portabella mushrooms, selling them in 32 different package sizes. Eight contract farms supply them with specialty varieties such as shitake, king oyster, enoki and oyster mushrooms. Highline also enhances mushrooms with vitamin D and is testing adding Omega 3 and other nutrients.
A conversation with Enns can become a mini-
perceived as being fair.”
A charitable foundation set up by the company’s founder supports medical needs.
The company is very active in the community having in recent years purchased a Zamboni (ice-clearing vehicle) for the Leamington arena, naming a community centre in Wellington, and naming a library in Kingsville.
“It’s very important for us to share,” says Enns.
With many employees from other countries, Highline under contract engages three English as a Second Language instructors to provide literacy training. At last summer’s family picnic a flag was flown for each country represented among the staff — 18 in all. Communication at the farm is carried out in eight different languages.
Enns takes special delight in the number of employees who utilize scholarship benefits for additional education while working for Highline. “That’s more important to us than making money,” he says. ◆
Contrary to myth, mushrooms don’t need to grow in the dark. But less lighting makes it easier to keep them cool.
education in mushroom culture. What’s a portabella? Nothing more than a grown-up brown mushroom. The same phenomenon occurs with white mushrooms. “We tried growing large whites, but the market didn’t want them,” he says.
Contrary to popular lore, mushrooms do not need to grow in the dark. They don’t require light because they don’t have chlorophyll and don’t perform photosynthesis. The main reason for darkness, though, is to help keep the temperature down to the desired 55 degrees F. Lighting just warms them unnecessarily. Nor do mushrooms grow in beds of manure. They sprout in a compost called substrate, which at Highline is composed primarily of wheat straw that has been fed urea and animal manure for nitrogen.
“We buy and haul in 2,100 bales of wheat straw every week,” Enns says. “That’s the equivalent of 700 acres
Highline was the first mushroom grower in North America to eliminate the use of pesticides.
of wheat.”
The composition of substrate is a private issue among mushroom growers; not everyone uses the same organic matter. Highline’s founder was a stickler for a particular kind of substrate. “He would tell us that it all starts with the substrate,” says Enns. “If you don’t get that right, you don’t get good mushrooms.”
During the growing cycle, considerable heat is generated (160 degrees F, 71 degrees Celsius) which pasteurizes the substrate so no bacteria or micro-organisms remain. Thus, it could be said, mushrooms grow in “clean dirt.”
That dirt can have a bit of an odor, however. Enns remembers his grandchildren commenting on the smell. He told them, “No, it doesn’t stink. It smells like old money.”
Highline prides itself on maintaining the innovative legacy of its founder. “Dr. O’Neil’s inquisitive thinking has been the secret to the company’s success,” says Enns. “We are the first at many things. We were the first to vacuum cool our mushrooms, for example.”
The company also raised the bar on speed of growth. New techniques enabled them to accelerate the cropping cycle to 13 crops a year, while many competitors produce only eight.
One key to good mushrooms is the right substrate, or compost. Highline’s substrate is composed mostly of wheat straw. The company hauls in 2,100 bales every week, equivalent of 700 acres of wheat.
“Ours grow at a pace of four percent per hour,” Enns says. “You can almost see them growing.”
That speed has benefits beyond additional yield.
“We grow mushrooms faster than the rate at which microorganisms can grow so we don’t need pesticides,” he says. “Nothing can mature in that time frame. We
Not in bulk
If you see bulk mushrooms at your local grocer, they probably did not come from Highline.
“We seldom sell bulk mushrooms to retailers,” says Harry Enns.
To him it is an ethical issue that goes back to Highline’s founder, Dr. Murray O’Neil, who was an allergist with strong views on food safety.
“Our packaged mushrooms are safe,” says Enns, “but loose bulk mushrooms are a different story. Previous customers may have run their hands through those mushrooms and you don’t know where those hands have been. We don’t want our mushrooms to get contaminated.”
A decade ago a large food chain requested bulk mushrooms, but Highline said no even though the potential sale was huge. The grocer eventually agreed to take Highline’s product in packaged form.
The policy is plain and simple, says Enns. “We seldom sell bulk mushrooms to retailers. For us it’s a food safety issue. It’s not right. It’s not walking your talk.” ◆ were the first mushroom grower in North America to eliminate 100% of the pesticides typically used in our industry.”
The spent mushroom compost, which remains rich in nutrients, is recycled. Some is sold to the public, local farms and fertilizer manufacturing companies. “We are a large recycling operation,” Enns says. “Everything is used.”
He takes visible pride in Highline’s reputation as a leading grower of a product that he sees as nutritious and healthful. He hopes to see consumption grow in North America. Canadians eat some six pounds of mushrooms a year, about double U.S. per capita consumption. He’d like to see that come closer to Europe’s per capita consumption of about 30 pounds.
To that end, he’s always ready to spread the word and to debunk myths about mushrooms.
“Some people say you shouldn’t refrigerate mushrooms,” says Enns. “Not so. Keep them in the fridge, take the plastic off, and cover with paper towel. They’ll last for a long time. Officially they are said to have a seven-to-10day shelf life, but they’ll last much longer.”
Not only that, they’ll get tastier, he adds.
“White fresh mushrooms are 90% water. When they get ugly, all it means is that they’ve lost some water. The market likes nice white mushrooms. But the worse a mushroom looks,” he says, “the better it tastes.” ◆
Adapted from a seminar presented by Harry Enns at MEDA’s Business as a Calling convention, Nov. 1-4, Niagara Falls, Ont.
Safe and secure
MEDA’s advisor offers tips for travel in vulnerable regions
In school we were taught to do our homework.
That’s still important, especially when it comes to international travel, says Steve Ritchie, MEDA’s safety and security consultant.
He is a big fan of doing “contextual research” (i.e., homework) before visiting potentially vulnerable regions. He talks about the “seven Ps,” which are code for his mantra: “prior preparation and planning prevents pathetically poor performance.”
Development work, despite its altruistic intents, can be dangerous, Ritchie says.
Many agencies have experienced robberies, even abductions. Fortunately, fatalities have been few, though last summer a Mennonite businessman from Ohio was shot to death in Afghanistan, where he had been working on a hydroelectric project.
For MEDA, the concern level ratchets up as new projects take the organization into regions where security can be an issue, such as Libya and Yemen. “We’re not shying away,” Ritchie says. “We’re spreading our roots into more insecure areas.”
Ritchie said a preliminary risk assessment
Ritchie, a native of Belfast, Ireland, who now
lives in Turkey, is a former soldier who specializes in advising humanitarian and development organizations that work in insecure environments. He made two presentations at MEDA’s convention in Niagara Falls, Ont., last November. One was to new staff, who all must attend a one-day security seminar; the other was for the general public, titled “Traveling with Confidence.”
For staff, Ritchie laid out his personal view of the difference between security and safety. Security was the “state of being protected against external/internal threats.” Safety was “the condition of being safe; freedom from risk or injury.” It was “by far the biggest issue, much more than security.”
Having security as a planning tool rather than a reactive tool was a new field in development. He urged development practitioners to “see to it that security is part of every step.”
Ritchie said he was not a fan of hard security measures, like guns and armored vehicles. “In most cases there are better ways,” he said, noting that his own values were closely allied with MEDA’s. As for protecting persons and organizations from danger in vulnerable environments, “it’s not all about guns and bombs,” he told the staff security briefing. “You are more at risk for safety than security.” He said the first three months after joining an organization is the most vulnerable time because of normal start-up stress and the lack of embedded knowledge that comes over time. He reminded new staff how important it is to be careful and cognizant of procedures. “What if we have a kidnapping?” he asked rhetorically. “What usually happens? We suspend the program, which brings all the impacts and costs of cessation. One person’s action can have a huge impact.” should cover a range of topics such as public disorder, traffic, kidnapping, uprisings, robbery, disease, assault, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder incidents (often high in former conflict areas), and natural disasters such as earthquakes or tsunamis. A local illness profile should consider airborne, waterborne and vectorborne diseases, tuberculosis, cholera, food poisoning, hepatitis, HIV, rabies, malaria and dengue. Other suggestions for contextual research: • Check on the local economy. If the economy has dropped, there could be a rise in criminality. Bring sufficient cash (preferably U.S.) because ATMs can be few and Photo by Steve Sugrim far between. “And remember that if you are from Canada or the United States, you are perceived as being rich. No matter the reality, they think you are rich.” He cautioned against fancy vehicles and visible driving patterns like taking the same route every day. • Know the history of local conflict, the level of criminality and how readily available weapons are to the local populace. Are there landmine-littering issues? What is the local acceptance of your particular nationality?
Guns and armored vehicles? In most • While Africa and other developing cases there are better ways, says Steve regions have become very tech-savvy,
Ritchie, safety and security consultant. check on mobile phone capability, cover-
age areas, what SIM cards you will need to carry. If you travel with electronic gadgets, be sure to carry a surge protector. • Check on the climate and what you will need to wear. In Africa, for example, the rainy season needs to be considered as it can seriously lengthen a trip. • How careful will you have to be about food? Will you have to filter water? MEDA staff. Even in daylight, driving can be dangerous. Vehicles may be poorly serviced and lack seatbelts. He urged staff to make sure their drivers are trained. “Road traffic accidents are still the leading killer, particularly in our sector.” • How can you extract yourself in a jam? Where is your nearest embassy? What transport facilities are available? What other agencies work in the area? “Know who is there in case you need help.” • What kind of medical services are available in the area where you’re traveling? What size of medical kit should you bring?
Even casual travelers in developing countries need to take precautions, Ritchie told seminar attenders. Preparation includes getting the proper vaccinations and carrying a passport copy in a moisture-proof baggie (preferably also a scanned passport version on a flash drive that can be e-mailed to an embassy if a passport is lost or stolen).
“Medical insurance is a must, and you should confirm that your carrier can evacuate you rather than using local facilities,” he said. “Moreover, bring cash, as a lot of medical facilities won’t treat you unless you pay up front.”
For travel in rural areas Ritchie recommended a first aid kit (and training). His own travel kit contains basic medical supplies (including splints, mosquito net, malaria testing kit and a sleeping liner for bedbugs). He also carries a carbon monoxide gauge, noting that Afghanistan alone reported 17 deaths last winter from carbon monoxide poisoning because of malfunctioning heating systems.
For hotel security he recommended traveling with an inexpensive door stopper.
Then, too, there are “robbery mitigation” tactics, such as carrying a cheap “robbing phone” and a “robbing wallet” with expired credit cards and token cash. ◆
• Be aware of upcoming events that may create travel disruptions, such as political activity, elections, and national and religious holidays (eg., Ramadan). • What is the capability and reputation of law enforcement in the area you will be working? “Don’t be tempted to use the ‘extractable green page in your passport’ (a bribe). You will just get hit again and again,” Ritchie said. • Never drive at night, especially in rural areas. “That may be tempting, but it’s an absolute no-no,” Ritchie told
Sowing seeds of trust and profit
Ukraine farm project surpasses targets
You won’t see it as a line item on most spreadsheets but when it comes to MEDA’s work with farmers in Ukraine, building “trust” is right up there with crop yields and profits.
Just ask Stephen Wright, project manager of the Ukraine Horticultural Development Project (UHDP). In five years of working with thousands of smallholder farmers, his challenges have ranged from an extreme lack of trust among farmers to government corruption.
Wright had his work cut out for him when in 2007 he launched a program whose hallmark was working together for the common good. After many decades under a communist cloud, Ukrainians were caught in a culture of suspicion where no one trusted each other, much less their own government.
Wright and Jerry Quigley, vice-president of MEDA’s market linkages department, reviewed the background of the UHDP during MEDA’s annual general meeting in Niagara Falls, Ont., in early November. The goal of the 7000 6000 5000 4000 3000 2000 1000 0
Client growth in Ukraine
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Farmers are seeing tangible benefits from growing new crops and working together to consolidate shipments.
Among the extension services to farmers is an instructional newsletter with a monthly distribution of 7,500 copies.
project was to help 5,000 farmers produce a better and more profitable mix of crops. Much of its $10 million funding came from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), with the rest provided by MEDA.
The project worked with pro-
ducers of vegetables and table grapes to improve production, tap into greenhouse and cold storage technology, and work together to market crops jointly, which of course requires mutual trust.
“Where farmers were once selling only locally (and all selling the same crops at the same time), they are now consolidating shipments, using greenhouses to accelerate the growing season and cold storage to extend it,” says Quigley.
UHDP arranged for local engineers to design cold storage demo units using the shells of old sea containers. Farmers soon saw the benefits of cold storage, which has added a premium price difference of nine to 20 percent. Commercial cold storages are now available on a lease-to-own arrangement with an affiliated MEDA
Farmers have learned the benefits of working together to market crops jointly.
company (see following article).
UHDP offers other services to strengthen farmers’ capacity. Fourteen weather stations have been established to give early warning of disease-related weather changes; a dozen more are planned. Some 7,500 copies of the
Financing made greenhouse possible
Evgeniy, a tomato producer, has been trying to expand and diversify with potatoes, radishes, cucumbers and carrots. Through UHDP he and his wife are part of a regional network of greenhouse growers, where they learn about new techniques and consolidate their produce with neighboring farmers.
When Evgeniy started farming open field crops on 30 acres of land, survival was very difficult as there was little hope of bank financing. He was denied loans because he had no collateral or credit history. Now, a greenhouse they acquired through ACM financing will allow them to expand and purchase a van to help transport their produce. ◆
project’s instructional newsletter (English title: Good Agro News) are distributed each month.
A gender equality strategy has provided 298 rural women with small grants to begin their own horticultural businesses. Women now compose 42 percent of UHDP’s clients, and report income gains of 75 percent.
“It is still early to fully evaluate the success but initial findings are very promising and it looks like we will see a 1:2 ratio regarding grant dollars to amount invested, meaning every dollar in grants resulted in two dollars of investment,” says Wright.
UHDP works with multiple partners for maximum impact — including consolidators, greenhouse experts paid for and supplied by an Israeli development agency, local training institutions and farm associations. “When these disparate pieces are brought together for a single purpose,” says Quigley, “the result is as satisfying as coaching a little league team and watching them turn their first double play.”
Project numbers are growing. By year’s end UHDP had surpassed the initial 5,000 farmer target with more than 6,500 card-carrying clients. This is expected to exceed 7,000 by the end of March.
Client sales totalled more than $14.5 million last year with incomes increasing an average of 71 percent. Farmers have been pleased. In the most recent client satisfaction survey they gave UHDP a score of 4.68 out of a
Expanding canopy
Unintended leasing company now feeling growing pains
Jerry Quigley calls it “the company that should never be.”
He’s referring to Agro Capital Management (ACM), a “lease to own” supplier of greenhouses, cold storages and agricultural inputs to small farmers in Ukraine.
“Normally MEDA is committed to cooperating with local companies, not competing against them,” says Quigley, who is vice-president of MEDA’s market linkages department.
But adverse market conditions have a way of forcing one to step out of character, as it did in Ukraine.
Quigley offered a succinct “investment history lesson” during MEDA’s annual general meeting in Niagara Falls, Ont., in early November.
The original project design (as described in the previous article) expected financing to be provided by local banks and credit unions, but “the 2008 global financial crisis brought that plan to a screeching halt,” Quigley says. “Credit in Ukraine dried up in a matter of months.”
Undeterred, MEDA and its investment affiliate, Sarona Risk Capital Fund, launched ACM so UHDP clients could acquire greenhouses, berry and grape seedlings, cold storages, small equipment and tractors. MEDA used money it had raised for UHDP as an investment into Sarona, which then invested the $1.2 million in capital needed to launch
ACM. The new company has done well. It has written 884 lease-to-own contracts worth $4.7 million, and earned a net profit of more than $500,000 in 2012. Sarona’s original $1.2 million investment has grown to $1.8 million. Best of all, the farmers who have used ACM are more productive and more profitable. But growth at ACM has not come easily, nor without setbacks, says Alla, a widow, grows table grapes and Quigley. “Stable and comstrawberries on the 5,000-square-metre petent management has plot of land she received as a collective been difficult to find. Staff is farm member. ACM made it possible for constantly tempted by clients her to acquire a motorized rototiller which and suppliers in a business has significantly increased productivity. environment where bribes She hopes to purchase additional ACM products such as a greenhouse. and kickbacks are routine and expected. Business deals are based on the initial assumption of deceit; integrity and trust is only established later. Local accounting standards are not compliant with international ones. There is always risk that an economic downturn could compromise the portfolio.” But that is part of the life of an entrepreneur, he
maximum of five.
“We believe we have established a very good model that can be scaled and duplicated,” says Wright. “We also believe we have created a strong model for the private sector. We anticipate very close working relations with very large suppliers in the future.”
MEDA hopes to receive the green light from CIDA for a second phase. Meanwhile, UHDP is trying to expand its reach and reduce its cost per client. That cost has been $2,000 each but Wright believes ongoing improvements and expanded scale can bring it down to $500 per client.◆
A shipment of tomatoes off to market. Greenhouses accelerate the growing season and cold storages extend it.
The climate was adds philosophically. “In short, this is the perfect forbidding. Bribes place for MEDA to be in business.” and kickbacks ACM’s biggest chal lenge right now is one were routine. that many businessfolk yearn for — managing growth. One element Business deals of that is finding good people to staff a growwere based on an ing business; another is the need for more initial assumption money to meet growing demand. of deceit. “Along with MEDA’s equity of $1.8 million, we have also borrowed about $425,000 from MEDA members and related foundations,” Quigley says. “Next year we will need about $1 million more to meet growing demand. Lenders should be assured by the very manageable debt-to-equity ratio. Interest rates paid for loans to ACM are generous by North American standards (6 to 6.5% depending on the term and amount). Additionally, the board of ACM is looking for equity partners to help take ACM to the next level. Over the next year we will be seeking local partners — perhaps a local bank or Ukrainian equipment supply company.”
Quigley sees the Ukraine work as a modern extension of MEDA’s earliest work, where members formed investment partnerships with local entrepreneurs to launch enterprises in Paraguay. Today those partnerships are more extensive. “Yes,” he says, “we still invest, but now these investments are often coupled with Sarona expertise, leveraged with CIDA or USAID funds that are administered by MEDA managers in partnership with local companies and implementing partners. The tent has expanded and the reach is greatly multiplied. Nowhere is that ‘multiplied leverage’ more on display than in our work in Ukraine.” ◆
Galina began farming by joining a network of UHDP farmers where she received training and consultation services that gave her the confidence to begin her own strawberry business. She obtained seedlings, drip irrigation and plastic through ACM. She also plans to acquire spun bond fabric from ACM for plant protection and faster ripening.
Galina’s husband and one son help with the family business. Her oldest son is disabled and requires constant attention. She does her best to provide that care while still tending to her business. Her only other income is a very small state pension. Galina and her family hope their additional income will enable them to purchase a car to make it easier to run the business and care for her son. ◆
Why we need plumbers — and pastors
Amid the excitement to affirm all vocations, let’s not forget to honor the pastoral calling
by Drew Dyck
Growing up I knew I could serve God in whatever profession I chose. Providing, of course, I chose to be either a missionary or a pastor.
In the particular subculture in which I was raised, those were pretty much the two vocations available to serious Christians. And even within the dyad, there was hierarchy. Missionary was preferred to pastor. If you had a physical condition that made overseas living prohibitive, or had too many children when you applied to be a missionary with our denomination (as was the case with my parents), becoming a pastor was a respectable Plan B.
I remember one traveling missionary thundering, “Every Christian is called to go to the mission field!” This was no metaphor. He wasn’t talking about being a “missionary” in your workplace or neighborhood. No, this was drop-a-finger on a map of Africa — and go!
I still appreciate that kind of passion for global missions. But that mentality often had negative, if unintended, consequences. For instance, it devalued “secular” callings. The exclusive focus on “full-time ministry” vocations created a two-tier spirituality. Those in “full-time ministry” were the spiritual one-percenters; bi-vocational ministers and secular workers the second-class Christians.
Sure, a wealthy executive or doctor who lived faithfully for Christ might achieve a modicum of respect in church circles. But spiritually speaking, they were “walking wallets,” useful for funding ministry — the real work of the Lord.
Thankfully, we’ve seen a shift away from that sort of thinking. The sacred-secular line has blurred while the desire to affirm all callings has sharpened. Many now rightfully see all vocations as equally valid ways to glorify God.
“Church leaders are increasingly talking about the mission of God in the world and our role in it,” Amy Sherman, author of Kingdom Calling, recently told Christianity Today. “Many leaders realize that if we want people to bring about restoration in the fields of business, law, the arts, and media, we need to think about what it means to be a Christian businessperson, a Christian lawyer, or a Christian journalist.”
I applaud this move toward a more holistic under-
standing of vocation. I’ve seen numerous books on the topic published in the past few years. Conferences are springing up. What’s most heartening is to see some churches, like Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York, launching programs to help parishioners think theologically about their vocations. We still have a long way to go, but things are changing. And I’m thankful. Yet amid the excitement to affirm all vocations, I want to offer this caveat. Let’s not forget to also honor the call to full-time ministry. Since graduating from seminary six years ago, I can’t think of one former classmate who is now a pastor. For many young “The ancient, Christians today, going into missions or the pastorate is now the second-class option. Doing plodding work social work, starting a charity, or working for an NGO – those are of shepherding a the cool vocations. Next to such endeavors the ancient, plodding congregation seems work of shepherding a congregation seems passé to many. That passe´ to many. worries me. If the Christians of yesteryear exalted ministry That worries me.” vocations to unhealthy heights, I fear the pendulum may now be swinging too far in the opposite direction. All vocations are sacred. Christ calls his people to take the gospel into all worlds. We need lawyers and businesspeople, landscapers and plumbers. But we also need pastors, men and women who devote themselves to serve the church full-time. In our zeal to affirm all callings, let’s not forget this. Ministry is still a special, not superior, calling. Nothing has changed since Paul told Timothy that “elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.” When we talk of vocation as holy, let’s remember that applies to all callings, even pastoral ones.◆ Drew Dyck is managing editor of Leadership Journal, from which this article is reprinted with permission. Copyright © 2013 by Christianity Today/Leadership Journal.
Who said it?
Quotations and proverbs are grist for sermons, speeches and clever conversation. But who said them first? Take the following test and check your Business I.Q. (For “I’m quoting...”). Disclaimer: Our use of these quotations does not mean we agree with them (but we might).
1. “Great wealth is not to be desired and in my experience it is more of a curse than a blessing to the families that possess it.” a. Milton Hershey b. Joseph Rowntree c. Francis Fry d. George Cadbury
2. “It’s a sin for a man to die rich.” a. Bob Kroeker b. Ronald Sider c. Milton Hershey d. Warren Buffet
3. “Economics is extremely useful as a form of employment for economists.” a. Stephen Leacock b. Amartya Sen c. John Kenneth Galbraith d. Joseph Schumpeter
4. “Management is about human beings.” a. Peter Drucker b. Jack Welch c. Roger L. Martin d. Jim Collins
5. “If something is worth doing, it’s worth doing badly.” a. Steve Martin b. Gilda Radner c. G.K. Chesterton d. Lily Tomlin 6. “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” a. Melissa Stoner b. Marlin Hershey c. Winston Churchill d. Sir John Templeton
7. “The society which scorns excellence in plumbing because plumbing is a humble activity, and tolerates shoddiness in philosophy because philosophy is an exalted activity, will have neither good plumbing nor good philosophy. Neither its pipes nor its theories will hold water.” a. A.L. Mencken b. Bertrand Russell c. John W. Gardner d. Christopher Hitchens
8. “Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.” a. Mark Twain b. Theodore Roosevelt c. Abraham Lincoln d. Conrad Black
9. “There is no traffic jam on the second mile.” a. Zig Ziglar b. Albert Schweitzer c. Marion Pollard d. Timothy Keller
10. “God calls you to the kind of work that you need most to do, and that the world most needs to have done ... the place God calls you is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” a. Ray Bystrom b. B. Boku c. Frederick Buechner d. David Miller 11. “Tithing is for cheapskates.” a. Marlin Hershey b. Mike Miller c. Bob Kroeker d. None of the above
12. “If you’re not making some mistakes, you probably aren’t taking enough risks.” a. Ben Cohen b. Howard Good c. Judy Valente d. None of the above
13. “Live so that you wouldn’t be ashamed to sell the family parrot to the town gossip.” a. H. Winfield Tutte b. Laverna B. Reimer c. Will Rogers d. Mark Twain
14. “All our best-laid plans must eventually degenerate into hard work.” a. Steven Covey b. Peter Drucker c. Samuel Johnson d. Logan Pearsall Smith
15. “When you invest in the poor you get to keep the change.” a. Damisa Moyo b. B. Boku c. Amy Sherman d. None of the above
b; 9. a; 10. c; 11. d; 12. d; 13. c; 14. b; 15. d 1. d; 2. c; 3. c; 4. a; 5. c; 6. c; 7. c; 8.
