By Mark Swanson, Pastor, Wiley Heights Covenant Church
“One day I was in my cocoa garden composting when a gentleman approached me and asked, “Why are you going through all this trouble?” a farmer in the Central African Republic (CAR) shared. He had learned his skills because of the work of CEFA, a research and training farm in the CAR supported by Sharing the Harvest through Covenant World Relief and their partner Foods Resource Bank.
He quickly answered his curious inquisitor that even though it takes more work to compost, it has great benefits for the cocoa plant production. He invited him to try this with his cocoa plot and see for himself, and assured him he would be happy with the results.
The farmer said, “So, this man went straight to his cocoa orchard and composted. Later he returned and reported to me that composting had given him amazing results! He also testified that other cocoa farmers in the area liked what they saw with his composting and now they want to form their own cocoa co-operative!”
This gets to the heart of what sharing is all about! For the last five years churches in Pacific Northwest Conference have been sharing through a ministry called Sharing the Harvest (STH). STH sells Yakima-area apples to participating PacNWC churches and all those resources go to CEFA. You can find out more at www.sharing-the-harvest.com or your church can sign-up to be a part of this simple, effective, and fun ministry simply by filling out this form and STH will get you everything you need for the sale: Sharing the Harvest 2018 Church Registration. Keep sharing!
