Alternative Gift Markets: Not a Fundraiser, But a Consciousness-Raiser By Matthew Oates  (UMCom) -- When Anne Wright became missions chair at Old North United Methodist Church in Evansville, Ind., she wanted the 428 members to grow beyond their usual mission projects.
The church sends volunteers to area soup kitchens. Youth groups help at the area rescue mission. Mission trips are available for all ages. But a newspaper article published several years ago about a church that provided an alternative Christmas program allowing people to purchase "gifts" for others intrigued Wright. "It just always stuck in my mind." After discussing the program with several church leaders, Wright and her committee went about planning for the church’s inaugural "Mission Mall." Old North unveiled their new mission event on a Sunday morning in November of 2003. Proceeds netted about $2,400 for participating organizations. Organizations ranged from Evansville’s weekday Christian education program; Evansville Rescue Mission; Tri-State Food Bank; Matthew 25, an AIDS service group; Reflecting Waters and House of Bread and Peace, missions for women; to numerous other United Methodist-related missions and institutions. | "That’s what a church has to be. We just can’t show up for one hour on Sunday. We have to be mission-minded. That’s what Christ would want us to do." |
Mission Mall Shoppers could purchase one day, one week or one month’s worth of medication from Matthew 25. The Habitat for Humanity booth had doorknobs, 2’ by 4’s and hammers. If you bought from Operation Classroom, you could get a school or medical kit. From the Tri-State Food Bank, 16 lbs. of food could be yours for a small donation.In exchange for a donation, participants were given a note card to pass along to the person the donation was made. Also, items ranged in prices from 10 cents to $1,200 so everyone could participate. "We wanted them to think about it as gift buying instead of giving money," says Wright. "Everyone loved it." Wright, who is currently not working and has no children at home, enjoys doing her mission work, as well as involving more people in missions. "I really want to create a mission identity for Old North. I want people to say ‘Old North’ but you hear ‘mission,’" she says. "That’s what a church has to be. We just can’t show up for one hour on Sunday. We have to be mission-minded. That’s what Christ would want us to do." Building a better worldview The Rev. Linda Standifer of Asbury United Methodist Church in Orange Park, Fla., has participated in the program since 2002. | "We wanted to give people at the church and in the community a chance to help others through their giving." |
Standifer first proposed the alternative gift market concept while at First United Methodist Church in Hobe Sound, Fla. She worked with Ten Thousand Villages, an organization that helps people in Third-World countries to produce products. Proceeds from the sale of the merchandise at the alternative gift market went directly to the craftspeople. As well, shoppers could purchase free trade coffee from Pura Vida, another organization that works with the producers directly; Heifer Project; and the Women’s Bean Project, a self-empowering skills ministry in Denver that makes bean soup mixes and bread mixes. Even the Sunday school classes were involved by making Christmas ornaments.To Standifer, there was another reason for participating in this program. "We wanted to give people at the church and in the community a chance to help others through their giving. It helped us build a better worldview, knowing that we are giving craftspeople all over the world the respect that they deserve by allowing them to receive the money from their labors and also knowing that, because we were able to purchase what they made, they could feed their families." Standifer credits the members for their hard work in publicizing the events, plus the quality merchandise and the social message. "It wasn't a fundraiser, but a consciousness-raiser." The success of the program has encouraged the congregation at Asbury Park to make the event larger in future years, with members looking forward to buying pigs or jewelry to help others. Oates is the North Indiana correspondent for Indiana Area Communications and lives in Lafayette, Ind.
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