Pat Plant, Hunger Action Advocate for PC(USA) in San Jose. What Your Church Can
Do
Coordinating the Presbyterian Coffee Project
in your congregation is a fun and rewarding experience! It's a great way to build
fellowship among members of all ages and bring justice to coffee farmers around
the world.
The basic way a congregation participates is to serve Equal Exchange during
fellowship hour and church events. Many congregations take their participation
steps further. We hope these suggestions and creative ideas will assist you in
promoting fair trade and improving the lives of small farmers.
Get Started
Set your goal (or goals):
- To serve fair trade coffee and tea at fellowship hour and other church events
- To sell fair trade coffee, tea, cocoa and other products to members for
home and office use
- To use fair trade coffee as a basis for education about economic, social
and environmental issues
- To sell fair trade coffee and other products as a fundraiser for a local
project or the Presbyterian Small Farmer Fund
- Create your own goals.
Identify additional members who will volunteer to help coordinate the project.
Get seed money to make the first coffee order — ask the Session, Mission Committee,
or women's or men's group to donate.
Order the Coffee. Call Equal Exchange at (774) 776-7366 to place your
order or order from their online
store. Equal Exchange staff can provide expert
advice on what coffees are most popular among Presbyterians, instructions for
brewing and encouragement as you get your project started.
Start small — order two or three coffees to brew and offer at fellowship hour
or adult forums. Consider having a taste test to see what flavors are favorites
in your congregation.
Announce your church's participation through Minutes for Mission, newsletter
articles, announcements in the bulletin, etc.
Pass a church resolution to serve only fair trade coffee, tea and cocoa for
all church functions.
Keep careful records. Ask the church bookkeeper or accountant for guidance.
Keep going. Serve fair trade coffee every Sunday and have a sales table (or
take orders) perhaps the first Sunday of each month, or more often as interest
grows.
Serve the Coffee
When you serve the coffee, tea and cocoa, make educational resources available
for the congregation to learn about fair trade and the difference it makes for
small-scale farmers and their families. Click here for downloadable materials,
or call the PC(USA) at (888) 728-7228 x5626 for materials. (You may want to build
interest and anticipation by educating the congregation about fair trade before
you begin serving and selling.)
Create an attractive display for the coffee serving area. A poster and other
reproducible materials will be received with your first shipment. Be creative-use
Latin American and African fabrics and handcrafts to add color and interest.
Beautiful items from around the world are available through SERRV International or any of our partner organizations in the PC(USA) Enough
for Everyone Global Marketplace.
Consider setting out a basket for free-will donations at fellowship hour to
help cover the cost of the coffee. Church members generously place their gifts
in the offering plate each Sunday; supporting fair trade is another way to help
people in need around the world.
Sell the Coffee
Make Equal Exchange products available to members for use in their homes and
offices by:
- holding a Fair Trade Sale (perhaps once a month, or more often as interest
grows)
- creating a buyers' club
- developing an order form for members to pre-pay
- selling during holiday bazaars,
church auctions or yard sales, and other events.
Create an attractive display for the sales area. A poster and other reproducible
materials will be received with your first shipment. Be creative-use Latin American
and African fabrics and handcrafts to add color and interest. Beautiful items
from around the world are available through SERRV International or any of our partner organizations
in the PC(USA) Enough for Everyone Global Marketplace.
When selling fair trade coffee, you may choose to include a surcharge on each
bag. Use your discretion in determining the amount. The additional money can
be reinvested into the project to cover shipping or other costs, or donated to
a special project.
Design fund-raising projects in your church offering fairly traded coffee,
tea, cocoa and chocolate. For fun ideas and helpful tips see Equal Exchange's
document on Fundraising
with Fair Trade. 
Educate Church Members
Announce your church's participation through Minutes for Mission, newsletter
articles, announcements in the bulletin, etc.
Discuss fair trade issues in Sunday school, study groups and youth or adult
forums.
Use the hot cocoa mix and chocolate bars to educate children and youth about
global issues and fair trade.
Download or order educational resources. The PC(USA) and Equal Exchange offer
a variety of educational and promotional resources about fair trade to help make
the Presbyterian Coffee Project a success in your congregation.
Two educational videos are available for use in classes and study groups.
Both are highly useful in introducing your congregation to fair trade farmers,
the coffee trade, and the difference your congregation's support makes. Request
them now and start warming those coffeepots!
Add interest to the project in your congregation by holding a forum or hosting
a special speaker. Check this site periodically for announcements regarding fair
trade speaker tours that may be coming to your area.
Promote opportunities to go to coffee-growing regions and see firsthand the
benefits of fair trade.
Share the Good News
Announce your church's participation through Minutes for Mission, newsletter
articles, announcements in the bulletin, etc.
Place an announcement in your local newspaper about your church's commitment
to fair trade. A sample press release is available through emailing
Equal Exchange.
Give gift baskets of fairly traded products to welcome new members, show appreciation
to faithful volunteers, as Christmas gifts, or on other occasions.
Encourage congregations in your presbytery to join the Presbyterian Coffee
Project. Contact Enough
for Everyone at PC(USA) or Equal
Exchange for support.
Offer Equal Exchange at community events, farmers markets, or fundraisers.
Use the sales to benefit your fundraising project, get others involved, and raise
awareness about fair trade and the plight of small farmers.
Encourage local businesses and stores to use Equal Exchange products. Contact
their organizing staff for educational pamphlets and other materials to share
with local restaurants, cafes, natural food stores and supermarkets.
Thank your local businesses that already support fair trade.
Share the good news with neighbors, friends and relatives!
- When entertaining, serve fairly traded coffee, tea and cocoa, chocolate
bars, and desserts made with baking cocoa. Recipes
are available. You can educate
your guests about fair trade while showcasing the quality of the products.
- You
could even hold a Fair Trade House Party with the added goal of raising funds
for a church mission project or the Presbyterian Small Farmer Fund.
Students: Take fair trade to your campus. Download the Fair
Trade Campus Campaign Guide for
use in organizing on your college or seminary campus, compliments of Lutheran
World Relief.
Celebrate World Fair Trade Day. Visit the
international Web site and start
planning for May 9, 2009! |
