Good News Goods Market Helps Church Members Reconsider (Baptist Standard Article)
Rethinking Christmas Purchases Video
December 5, 2010
“Good News Goods is a ministry of Highland Park in a number of ways, and it links our community to other communities around the world through Fair Trade practices that benefit people groups who are vulnerable and poor. It addresses our inclination of over-consumption, allows us to make purchases that reflect our faith values and reminds us to actually think about what we purchase and why we buy it.”
Marcus McFaul
Senior Minister
Highland Park Baptist Church, Austin
“It has been a great program for our children at Highland Park to be educated in the ways that their purchases make a difference around the world. They have been able to personally learn about the artisans that create each of the products and they have been a part of re-telling the artisan’s stories and selling their products to church members at our monthly Good News Goods Trading Post, and so it has been a really important learning process for our children.”
Cheryl Kimble
Associate Pastor for Children & Family Life
Highland Park Baptist Church, Austin
“One reason why The Fellowship decided to host a Good News Goods Fair Trade market this year is because I felt it was a win-win for our community here and the people who made the products. People are already buying gifts for the holiday and they can buy high-quality goods here, and yet at the same time with their purchase, they can help someone else around the world pull themselves out of poverty. I love the fact that by doing this market we are putting what we say and believe into practice. We are trying to help people—not give them a hand out, but a hand up—and it works for us as well, so we’re going to do this every year!”
Mike Fanning
Associate Pastor
The Fellowship of San Antonio
“This is a brilliant business model and mission. It is not asking folks to give more money away, it is just about redirecting our dollars on what we were already spending to help people in need. I love it!”
Church Member & Business Development Consultant
The Fellowship of San Antonio
September 26, 2010
“This is so important for our church as we have been talking about how to be a missional church. It is a lifestyle approach to missions that includes our spending. It is a way for people to respond when they see the needs in the world and to offer them an opportunity to act on their faith. It’s about our ethics and therefore, about evangelism because evangelism really relates to every area of our lives. It is a way of helping people see that everyone has dignity, worth, and value. It’s life changing for people as they begin to look at the 90% of how of they spend. “
Dr. Phil Christopher
Senior Pastor
First Baptist Church, Abilene
“FBC Abilene’s goal is to be a missional church and we want to use our resources to get our folks involved in other avenues to reach the world and realize that a small purchase can touch the world and change somebody’s life. We wanted to partner with Texas Baptists because we know that part of this money goes to help our Texas Baptist Offering for World Hunger, which is yet another partnership that our church can make to influence the world and get our folks thinking that way and living that lifestyle outside of the church walls.”
John Moore
Pastor for Missions
First Baptist Church, Abilene
March 15, 2010
“Talk about refreshing! I truly believe that our response to missions should never be static. As Christians we should always be mindful of the constantly changing political and economic dynamics in our world. Attention to what drives these dynamics brings us much closer to fulfilling our missional calling. Our call to missions should always be vigorous, purposeful, and energetic. Thank you for bringing Good News Goods to Woodland. What a wonderful way to introduce congregations to the far reaching implications of fair trade. Seeing the faces behind Good News Goods brings the issues of abuse, hunger, human trafficking and slavery to the front of our conscious. Our dollars make a powerful impact and so do you!”
Dena Dalton
Global Women volunteer
Woodland Baptist Church, San Antonio, Tx
December 14, 2009
In the beautiful Christmas carol “O Holy Night,” Christians joyfully sing,
Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains shall he break for the slave is our brother;
And in His name all oppression shall cease.
This year during Advent, Willow Meadows Baptist Church focused on what it means that through Christ’s birth, chains are broken, peace is ushered in, and oppression ceases. We asked ourselves how we can participate in this liberation, especially during a season that focuses not on freedom, but on consumerism. Good News Goods was the perfect complement to our Advent theme. Not only did we get to buy amazing gifts to celebrate Christ’s birth, but we also joined in with people around the world to help break the bonds of slavery and human trafficking. In essence, we had the chance to put our faith into action.
We at Willow Meadows Baptist Church loved the market because our congregation got to break chains in the name of Christ. We had members emailing all their friends (Christians and non-Christians) inviting them to the market so that their shopping could make a difference. We saw people read the stories of the artisans and understand that slavery still exists and that human trafficking is real, even in our own city of Houston.
It is our hope and plan to continue to have a Good News Goods market during both the Advent and Lenten seasons because it gives us the chance to put hands, feet, and dollars to the words that we sing. And in His name, all oppression shall cease.
Rev. Todd Ferguson
Associate Pastor for Youth and Children
Willow Meadows Baptist Church, Houston, Tx
December 8, 2009
Williams Trace Baptist invested in Good News Goods because it made sense with God’s call on our lives as Christians in the market place today. We believe that in all we do, we should be trying to live out the Gospel message and this includes how we spend our money. The problem has always been we don’t have the resources to understand how to spend redemptively . Good News Goods gave our congregation a jump-start on purchasing products that make a difference. Charlotte’s presentation during our Sunday school times and morning service gave us further insight and resources so that all of our spending can be used for good. The event was a huge success for our church and began several conversations that are ongoing about fair trade, human trafficking, and the difference we are called to make as a result of our knowledge, God’s grace and love, and our call to bring good news to the poor and oppressed. We plan on placing many products in our church bookstore and having the market at least once a year.
Griff Martin
Associate Pastor for Young Adults
Williams Trace Baptist Church, Sugarland, Tx
November 24, 2009
Good News Goods brought truly good news to Second Baptist Church of Lubbock. The timing seemed providential. We had just finished a stewardship study that emphasized God’s provision and supply, and we had followed that with an Advent emphasis on giving simple gifts, so buying everyday products that would simultaneously provide economic support for folks who truly needed it encouraged us to consider our own blessings and how best to share them.
Good News Goods is a strong vehicle to raise consciousness about Third World needs and the many global hardships that people endure on a daily basis. Our congregation viewed the video clips about the individual producers of Good News Goods at our weekly Wednesday night supper, which brought the social and economic issues up close for personal observation and absorption. Our folks were then touched and inspired to participate, knowing that the funds that were raised were going to meet real needs of real people.
There is so much cynicism and skepticism in our culture these days regarding efforts to provide help through charitable and/or non-profit organizations. Good News Goods provides a way to slice through that cynicism and remind Christians how holy it feels to be part of a solution that is bigger than ourselves.
We are already looking forward to hosting our second Fair Trade Market in 2010.
Stephanie Nash
Pastor, Christian Education & Outreach
Second Baptist Church, Lubbock, Tx
November 17, 2009
I’m certainly happy to tell you that our people have been very receptive and supportive of the concept of Good News Goods. We used the brief video clip to introduce it and placed the business-sized cards in the offering plates, asking for people to take one and go on-line to see what might be available and make their selections accordingly. All of the cards were taken, so we ordered an additional number to be used as we repeated it the next week, also with the mini-kit of items to display from Trade-As-One. We continue to have the items on display and have the unclaimed cards available in our welcome center and various places throughout our Grand Hall area. Several people have indicated that they have made purchases on-line, including my purchases and some my wife has made. We are very pleased and thankful for the opportunity to make “redemptive purchases”!
Glenn L. Ward
Pastor
Acton Baptist Church, Acton, Tx
November 22, 2008
I have long contended that the church frustrates people who want to act on their faith but have very few, tangible outlets. I think that part of the success of Habitat for Humanity is that people can literally put their faith in action, pick up a hammer, see a result. Good News Goods has the same appeal.
You purchase a beautiful, unusual item while helping a woman or child find a chance to move out of the horrors of the sex-slave industry and you do it with an organization rooted in Christ. What could be better?
Dr. Roger Paynter
Pastor
FBC Austin, Tx
November 6, 2008
When you do something that’s a little out of the ordinary, there’s always someone who doesn’t like it. But I honestly didn’t hear any negative feedback. What I heard was how glad people were to be able to buy fair trade products—to spend their money on products without having to worry about the use of child labor and to know the people who produced them received fair wages.
Mindy Logsdon
Missions Minister
Wilshire Baptist Church, Dallas, Tx
