Jan
24
Good News Goods Updates – January 2012
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A Special Letter of Thanks to Texas Baptists
Dear Texas Baptists (yes, that’s you!),
As I look forward to another wonderful year working with Good News Goods, I think it only appropriate to reflect back upon 2011 and remember what an inspiring year it truly was for the team, as well as for the men and women around the globe who were supported by your fair trade purchases.
Because of your desire to shop with a heart for missions in 2011, 4,334 hours of dignified employment were created through missional businesses for women, men and children living in extreme poverty all over the world.
And, thanks to your dedication to live out Micah 6:8 and “do justice” in this world through Good News Goods this year, $2,167.21 to the Texas Baptist Hunger Offering by our partner, Trade as One!
Think of the impact each of you made: by buying coffee you fought for peace in Uganda. You helped a young Pakistani woman pay for her medical bills simply by purchasing a soccer ball. You gave a former sex slave a new lease on life, when she thought she had none. And you did it all by giving a hand up, not a hand out.
If you’d like to learn more about the impact your purchases have on our brothers and sisters around the world, please visit the Good News Goods website. And as always, if you’d like to get involved, please contact me at anne.olson@texasbaptists.org.
I look forward to working with you all again this year. Let’s make 2012 the most special yet!
Peace in Christ,
Anne Olson
Dec
19
Good News Goods – December 2011
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Dare to be Different with Good News Goods
This time of year, I grow weary of the deafening advertisements and discounts! discounts! discounts! I am saddened by the dilution of the true meaning of Christmas in the hustle and bustle– the joy of the coming of Christ. I’ve come to find that alternative giving is one way to celebrate the holiday season in a meaningful way. There are dozens of fair trade and donation-based organizations to choose from, including two extremely special ones within Texas Baptists: Good News Goods and the Texas Baptist Hunger Offering.
Take a look at Good News Goods’ website, and find something special for your loved one this year. Ten percent of each purchase you make is donated back into the World Hunger Offering, and you can be assured that your purchase is giving a hand up, not a hand out, to an artist in a developing country. Check out their stories, and let the power of each one, not the low price and percentage discount, move you to give as a gift this year,.
So let’s do dare to be different this Christmas season, and give the gift of Christ’s love by supporting our brothers and sisters around the world.
Merry Christmas!
Nov
18
Good News Goods – November 2011
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Good News Goods Purchases Give Hope for the Holidays
This holiday season, I ask you to make a commitment to buy a fair trade gift for someone on your list. Even JUST ONE fair trade purchase makes a world of difference in someone’s life. And in fact, if every church-going Christian made JUST ONE fair trade purchase this year, it would be enough to see that one million families are lifted out of poverty for one full year. Can you imagine? What a joy it is to know that Texas Baptists can be leaders in spreading God’s love by shopping with a heart for missions.
Not sure where to begin? Here are some great gift ideas from Good News Goods.
If you have a coffee drinker in your family, I suggest giving them of some absolutely scrumptious Peace Blend coffee.
Buying Peace Blend coffee through Good News Goods will help farmers like Khainza Jane, a member of Peace Kawomera, the cooperative supplier who creates the Peace Blend.
Peace Kawomera has taught her how to care for her coffee so that yields have increased while also earning a fair price for her coffee. Nine children live in her home, and she says she is able to educate her children, provide clothing and even purchase small animals like goats because of her work through Peace Kawomera.
Or maybe you have a tradition of lighting candles during this special season.
Lighting candles nestled in these holders from Green Sahara Gifts symbolizes hope for our brothers and sisters around the world who face adversity every day. Green Sahara Gifts gives Moroccan artisans dignified employment with a particular focus on building cultural bridges through art between Morocco and the West. We are reminded of God’s love for the “least of these” when we read of Green Sahara, for this group employs disabled and the extremely impoverished artisans, when others choose not to hire them.
There are plenty of other gift ideas, and stories of hope and love, on our website. I hope you will shop with a heart for missions this Christmas season, and share the powerful love of Christ around the world with your friends and family.
Aug
16
Good News Goods Update – July 2011
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The Heart of Good News Goods
I’ve been working as the Good News Goods Coordinator for a little over two months now, and each day I am reminded that Good News Goods is incredibly unique. And while indeed, the products themselves are beautiful and distinctive, the individuality I speak of here really reaches much deeper than bracelets and bowls. To illustrate what I mean, let me first state our mission also found here. (pdf)
“Good News Goods is a ministry of the Christian Life Commission, designed to give churches a fun, mission-driven way to shop in a global market. Good News Goods products fund international development projects, and every sale supports the Texas Baptist Offering for World Hunger.”
So the bottom line is quite simple, really. But if we concentrate on each portion of the mission separately, we can reach to the heart of Good News Goods and find what makes it so exceptional.
- Good News Goods is a ministry. As a part of the Christian Life Commission, the work of GNG is a wonderful example of putting our Christian ethics in action, founded primarily in the words of Luke 4:18.
- Good News Goods is designed to give churches a fun, mission-driven way to shop. Live catalog markets are a fantastic opportunity for churches to come together in fellowship to shop and learn about the lives of the artisans who make the products for GNG.
- Good News Goods is part of a global market. GNG products are culturally distinct from one another and allow church-goers a way to see beautiful work made by people around the world.
- Good News Goods funds international development projects. The artisans who make Good News Goods products are often former victims of human trafficking or are extremely impoverished. By supporting their work through our purchases, we are able to bring their families and villages out of poverty and support better lives for them.
- Every sale of Good News Goods products supports the Texas Baptist Offering for World Hunger. Ten percent of every sale is given to the TBOWH. Last year alone, nearly $5,000 was raised to assist in projects in Texas, the United States and worldwide. (And this year we hope to raise even more!)
Good News Goods allows you to discover, celebrate and contribute to the hard work of our brothers and sisters around the world because each purchase you make through GNG comes with a personal story of success and love. So this year, I encourage you to give your church the opportunity to shop with a heart for missions. Schedule a live catalog market for the Advent season before September 15 and we will take $50 off the market fee.
Email me at anne.olson@texasbaptists.org to schedule a market, or visit http://goodnewsgoods.com for more information.
Jul
14
A Transition for Good News Goods
After two extremely successful years for Good News Goods, Charlotte Bumbulis is transitioning out of her position as Specialist. The Christian Life Commission would like to thank Charlotte for all of her wonderful work, her incredible enthusiasm, and her devotion to God’s creation.
A note from Charlotte:
A new and invigorating chapter in my vocational life began in May of 2011. I began transitioning out of the position of Good News Goods Specialist into a new role as the Development Associate for DiscoverHope (www.lendhope.org), an Austin-based international development non-profit that promotes abundance and entrepreneurship for impoverished women in Cajamarca, Peru through microcredit, education and training. In addition, I am pursuing further education in the areas of business and international development. I am confident of the calling God has placed within the fabric of my being as doors of new opportunity and growth have been, and are continuing to be, flung wide open.
Because of the past two years of formational work as a Fair Trade advocate, educator, and abolitionist with the Christian Life Commission, I am ready and capable of fulfilling my new role with DiscoverHope. I feel truly blessed to have been granted the opportunity to learn from and be shaped by Suzii Paynter, Stephen Reeves, Julie Valentine, Anne Olson, and numerous interns at the Christian Life Commission. A special Thank You to Suzii Paynter, to whom I am forever grateful for taking a chance on me, investing in my potential, challenging me, encouraging me, and blessing me with the freedom to take this next step in my life. Thanks be to God for using the voices of others to speak into our lives and then giving us the courage to follow that voice.
Assuming the responsibility of Good News Goods Specialist will be Anne Olson, who has been with the Christian Life Commission for a year and a half as Public Policy Specialist.
A note from Anne:
I am honored to add Good News Goods Specialist to my position at the Christian Life Commission. Good News Goods is a wonderful and powerful ministry, as its operations affect countless lives around the world. It is truly a ministry that puts our ethics into action.
During the 82nd legislative session, I worked hard to fight human trafficking in our state. I am motivated to continue to fight human trafficking, and am excited to integrate that passion with the fair trade movement. Fair trade is extremely important in the lives of former trafficking victims, as it gives them an opportunity to heal and sustain themselves through honorable work. What a wonder that we can help give a hand up to these victims, simply by choosing to make ethical purchases!
I am grateful to have worked with Charlotte over the last year and a half, and I know the CLC is truly blessed to have had her leadership for Good News Goods. I look forward to continuing to help our ministry expand as we look to raise more money for our Texas Baptist Offering for World Hunger.
…And, as always, if you’re interested in hosting a market at your church, please feel free to contact me.
May
31
Paired Up & Prepared: Hunger Meal & Global Marketplace (pdf)
By combining the ministry efforts of the Texas Baptist Offering for World Hunger and Good News Goods, participants are provided with a first-hand experience of global poverty and inequality followed by opportunities to be good news to the poor in their everyday giving and spending.
The World Hunger Offering’s Hunger Meal
is a poverty simulation experience that draws attention to the vast disparity between people groups around the world. Organizers and participants alike can experience first-hand how our decisions impact “the least of these.” While only a few will leave with full stomachs, all will leave with a greater understanding of global poverty and will walk away compelled to be an agent of change, building for God’s Kingdom “on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matt. 6:10)
The Good News Goods Global Market
is a shopping event, hosted at and by your church or university, where people can browse, sample, and choose from a large display of Fair Trade products, place their orders at the market, & have products shipped directly to their address. This event allows for a more personal connection to hardworking poor artisans and farmers around the world, as well as a convenient and fun way to positively impact the world with our spending.
…If you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.
-Isaiah 58:10 (NIV 2011)
How will this work?
The Hunger Meal
serves as the poverty exposure piece, so it is to be facilitated prior to the global market. Food preparation and set up will take approximately an hour and a half, and the meal will last approximately one hour. World Hunger Offering brochures, envelopes, and money banks will also be available for participants to take with them.
The Global Market
serves as a continuum of the poverty experience and as an action piece. Set-up and tear-down takes up to an hour and a half each. The marketplace can be open as long as you wish.
Additional information and necessary printable resources and videos are available at TexasBaptists.org/WorldHunger & GoodNewsGoods.com/Fair-Trade-Market
Both the Offering for World Hunger and Good News Goods are ministries of the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission, and provide tangible ways to follow Jesus, who ministered to the whole person as He proclaimed good news to the poor, release to the captives, sight to the blind and liberty to the oppressed (Luke 4:18).
For more information, see our brochure (pdf),
or contact joyce.gilbreath@texasbaptists.org
or anne.olson@texasbaptists.org
Apr
11
Mothers Day Gift Cards with a Mission
Are you looking for a special way to celebrate this Mother’s Day that also impacts the life and mission of your church? This Mother’s Day, Good News Goods is offering a new ministry opportunity for churches called Gift Cards for Missions.
Buy a gift that says I Love You to the special women in your life while sending love to women and mothers around the world!
This is an exciting and simple global missions connection for churches that not only celebrates the many wonderful women in your community by showering them with love (and Fair Trade gifts), but also celebrates the lives, value, and hard work of impoverished and vulnerable women and their families in the developing world.
Churches can purchase a Mother’s Day Gift Card Pack from Good News Goods that includes:
- Gift cards & Divine Chocolate Bars (milk or dark)to be sold as a set for $5.00 on or before Mother’s Day
- $50 fee for small pack (25-50 cards/chocolate bars
- $70 fee for medium pack (51-100 cards/chocolate bars)
- $100 fee for large pack (101+ cards/chocolate bars
- Instructional cards for buyers to add value to their gift cards online
- 8 Sample chocolate bars for tasting (4 of each flavor)
- Promotional Signs to post around the church (1-2 weeks prior to May 1 and/or May 8th)
- Divine Chocolate producer picture and story table top signs
In addition, 10% of purchases will be given by our partner, Trade as One, to support the relief and development ministries supported by the Texas Baptist Offering for World Hunger
We look forward to partnering with your church and building for the Kingdom of God together.
For more information and to order your Mother’s Day Gift Card Pack, contact Charlotte Bumbulis at charlotte.bumbulis@ texasbaptists.org or call 512.473.2288
Jan
18
Good News Goods – January 2010
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What an exciting beginning to this ministry! In November and December of 2009, 9 churches and 3 universities hosted a Good News Goods Fair Trade event. Proceeds from these events are estimated to be around $21,000, which in turn created over 4,000 hours of dignified employment for poor artisans around the world (every $5=1 hour of employment), as well as $2,000 for the Texas Baptist Offering for World Hunger relief and development ministries (10% of yearly proceeds are deposited into the Offering).
Here is what some ministers have to say about their Good News Goods event:
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
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 redemptively spend. Good News Goods gave our congregation a jumpstart 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
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
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
We value your input and suggestions.
Your comments and recommended resources are welcome in the comments box below.
Jul
31
Hello I’m Charlotte Bumbulis and I have recently become a consultant for the CLC on our new fair trade initiative called Good News Goods. The last few years, God has been transforming my world view by opening my eyes to a hurting and broken world, and by burdening me with a passion to be an active part of His healing Kingdom vision. I taught elementary music 5 years but consistently yearned for something more. Thus, a new door has been opened…
My journey with Fair Trade began last November when Trade As One (our supplier) hosted a market at my church, First Baptist, Austin. Of course, I was curious about the exquisite product before me, but I was ruined by the stories I read and the faces I saw. These were no longer mere products to purchase for my self-gratification, but rather a way to live missionally and in solidarity with the exploited, marginalized people of the world who created these products. I realized how detached I was from the things I bought. I had no idea who made my clothes or food. Furthermore, I was ignorant of how they were treated and paid for their work.
About 2 months later, I was contacted by Shelton Green to launch one of the first Good News Goods trading posts. I was only a lay person, but I desperately wanted to be involved with this new initiative somehow. In February I opened our church’s first trading post. At this same time, a conversation began with Suzii Paynter about transitioning out of the world of public education and into this new world of biblical justice. In June I took on this exciting new role helping to launch this innovative initiative at the CLC. I am here now to educate Texas Baptist churches about their purchasing power, and equip them with a better spending alternative—Good News Goods. In the coming months you will hear more from me about how you can make your church a place to buy redemptive products.
In closing I’d like to leave you with a Franciscan Blessing:
May God bless us with discomfort at easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships, so that we may live deep within our hearts.
“May God bless us with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that we may work for justice, freedom and peace.
May God bless us with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, and war, so that we may reach out our hands to comfort them and to turn their pain into joy.
May God bless us with enough foolishness to believe that we can make a difference in this world, so that we can do what others claim cannot be done.
And, may the Blessing of God, who creates, redeems, and sanctifies, be upon you and all you love and pray for this day, and forever more.
Amen”
We value your input and suggestions.
Your comments and recommended resources are welcome in the comments box below.