Part of our mission as a church is to help others, not just in our community or even in our country, but around the world. Here are some of the things we are currently doing to help our brothers and sisters around the globe.
Youth Raise Funds for Heifer Project
Congratulations to the tribe of Gad in their fundraising efforts with the coffee and chocolate! They raised enough to buy a Hope basket (rabbits and chickens), a flock of chickens, ducks and a share of trees! WOW! Great job!
*NOTE from a student: Thank you so much Crossroads! It means a lot to us to be able to help a family through the Heifer Project. We never could have done it without you! The Gad Tribe
Pennies for East Angola Education
How do you raise $550,000? One penny at a time.
Angola, located in southwest Africa, has a population of 13 million people, with over 40% under the age of 14. Angola was the scene of an intense civil ware for 27 years, from 1975 to 2002. Much of the country is still devastated from that civil war, much of the land unusable due to widespread land mines which still mar the countryside. Although Angola is one of Africa’s fastest growing economies, 40% of the population lives below poverty levels, and 80-90% is unemployed, working to farm just enough to sustain their family. Half of the country’s food must be imported, as the landmines make farming unpredictable and dangerous.
The Wisconsin Conference has been in partnership with the East Angola Conference for just over a year. East Angola Bishop Jose Quipungo has asked for our assistance in the following areas:
- Support for pastors serving in villages and towns of East Angola.
- Scholarship Support
- Purchase of books (in Portuguese) for library
- Purchase of building materials for rehabilitation of a building to house the library
- Support for pulpit exchanges
- Salaries for teachers
In order to help meet these needs, the Wisconsin Conference is hoping to raise $550,000 by Annual Conference 2013. One of the items requested for the Ingathering at Annual Conference this year is “Pennies for Schoolbooks.”
Did you know that if you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace, you are among the top 8% of the world’s wealthy? A pile of pennies doesn’t mean much for us, but it will make life better for children growing up surrounded by the consequences of poverty & war.
Crossroads has a jar in the church entrance to collect your pennies (or quarters, or $20 bills…). In June, Pastor Sharon will take a check to Annual Conference. Let’s see how many pennies we can gather!
Relief for Haiti Continues
Since the January 12, earthquake, Unitied Methodist Church’s Committee On Relief (UMCOR) has been responding to the needs of the people in Haiti via strategic partnerships with the United Nations, NGOs, and the Methodist Church in Haiti. United Methodists have responded with donations and volunteer work, which have helped UMCOR deliver necessary relief.
As of the end of April, the Wisconsin Conference reported $413,300 received for relief efforts in Haiti and $10,165 for Chile. Over 3,000 health kits were brought to the Wisconsin Conference office in Sun Prairie or were shipped separately to MMDC or Sager Brown.
However, the United Methodist Church in Haiti will need our support to continue serving the Haitian people for years to come. Check for the Haiti relieve can be mailed to our church, or mailed directly to the Wisconsin Conference Treasurer at P.O. Box 620, Sun Prairie, WI 53590. Please mark it for Haiti relief or fund #6010.
Equal Exchange through Fair Trade Coffee, Tea & Cocoa
Crossroads participates in the United Methodist’s Equal Exchange program for Fair Trade coffee, tea & cocoa, by having product available for sale at our church, using the product for our fellowship events, and providing special ordering for additional products. You can order via the coffee order form, and e-mail, mail or fax your order to our church office. This program does not benefit Crossroads church directly, but is part of our global missions work. Read below for more information about Fair Trade, the United Methodists response, and how your orders help support global missions.
For many farmers and artisans, being able to sell into the fair trade market means the difference between being able to feed a family or not, being able to send their children to school or not, being able to have access to clean water-and many other basic necessities they can’t take for granted.
By making your purchases of coffee, tea, chocolate, and craft items from fair trade distributors, you are helping to ensure a better life for farmers and artisans globally.
UMCOR supports fair trade. We encourage United Methodists to send a signal that we want an economy that is just and sustainable.
Good Coffee for a Good Cause
“We used to live in houses made of corn husks. Now we have homes of adobe, better work, better schools, and a greater community of decision makers.”-Don Miguel Sifontes, President, El Salvador coffee cooperative
The UMCOR Coffee Project links congregations with small farmers and their families through fair trade. It is a way to help people like Don Miguel Sifontes while enjoying fellowship and an excellent cup of coffee. In addition your support of the UMCOR Coffee Project provides income to UMCOR.
As Christians we can reach out to neighbors overseas with our thoughtful purchases as well as our offerings. Our buying coffee that is fairly traded leads to better health and better lives for farmers in Latin America, Africa, and Asia-some of the poorest regions of the world. We can help them earn a fairer share of income, obtain access to credit and technical support, and gain a trading partner they can trust-a fair trade organization called Equal Exchange. This is truly good coffee for a good cause!
Did You Know?
- Coffee is big business-the second most heavily traded commodity in the world.
- Some 20 million people depend on coffee for their livelihood.
- The chain of events that leads from the coffee farm to your cup is long and expensive. Benefits to the small farmer: Few. Many are trapped in poverty.
- One reason for this trap is: intermediaries, called “coyotes” in Latin American countries, offer coffee farmers the lowest possible prices to inflate their own profits.
Fair trade is the alternative. Fair trade spreads the bounty of a rich crop among those who grow the crop, helping them build a better future for their families and communities. “By drinking a cup of fairly traded coffee you’re giving small farmers in poor countries an opportunity to plan their own futures,” affirms Gabriel Ulomi of a coffee cooperative in Tanzania.
How to Order
You can purchase coffee at Crossroads UMC in Waunakee, or you can special order your favorite coffee, tea or cocoa via this order form, and e-mail, mail, fax or bring your coffee orders to church.
