Calling the United Church of Christ to Declare Itself to Be a “Fair Trade” Denomination a Resolution Passed by General Synod 25
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Calling the United Church of Christ to Declare Itself to Be a “Fair Trade” Denomination A Resolution passed by General Synod 25 The Twenty-fifth General Synod resolved that the UCC would: • strive to serve fairly traded, certified coffee at its meetings and in its institutions to lead by example; • encourage its churches to serve fair trade coffee at Fellowship Hour and for sale in churches; • encourage members of UCC congregations to travel on immersion trips to coffee- growing regions; • develop educational materials and develop mission projects to help members of UCC congregations learn about how our consumption practices affect farmers in the global economy. When the resolution passed in the summer of 2005, the UCC Coffee Project, a collaboration with Equal Exchange, was a year old. This popular program has grown significantly since 2005. While the project once featured only coffee, now members of UCC congregations buy fairly traded coffee, tea, chocolate, nuts, and fruit snacks. Coffee sales in UCC congregations have grown from 40,725 pounds in 2005 to 47, 885 pounds in 2006, to 57,000 pounds in 2007 to 68,825 pounds in 2008. In 2008, total UCC sales of all fairly traded products were 76,110 pounds, roughly 38 tons. Equal Exchange and Justice and Witness Ministries have actively partnered at booths in the display area at General Synods 25, 26, and 27, where Equal Exchange has generously given away coffee samples along with dark chocolate, cashews and dried cranberries. Every effort has been made to encourage the serving of fairly traded coffee at events and UCC related institutions. Justice and Witness Ministries staff members work with staff at Equal Exchange to expand the number of congregations serving fairly traded products and educating folks about the importance of the connection between their consumption habits and the economic conditions faced by farmers in the developing world. UCC staff and members of our congregations have joined Equal Exchange immersion trips to Chiapas, Mexico since 2006. Justice and Witness Ministries made grants that enabled two of our members to join these trips, and Stan Duncan of the Massachusetts Conference has provided leadership each year. Equal Exchange also hosted a busload of visitors from General Synod 26 to travel from Hartford for a morning-long tour of Equal Exchange and its coffee roasting facilities in West Bridgewater, Massachusetts. Here are the communications initiatives to spread the word about the UCC Coffee Project and to educate members about the justice issues involved: • The UCC Coffee Project web page, http://www.ucc.org/justice/coffee-project/ , is kept updated with news and educational materials, including links to the Equal Exchange page, http://www.equalexchange.coop/ , which provides extensive educational material, regular publications, and ordering information. • Mike Rowe, Justice and Witness Ministries board member from the Central Pacific Conference, publishes an occasional UCC Coffee Project Newsletter: Coffee Chronicles, Talkin’ Coffee and Other Fair Trade Products, http://www.ucc.org/justice/coffee-project/pdfs/Coffee-Chronicles-Issue-2.pdf , that is posted on-line. • The Justice and Witness Ministries staff worked with Equal Exchange Staff to develop a brochure back in 2004. It has just been re-designed and re-issues in spring 2009. Equal Exchange donates fifteen cents per pound of all fairly traded products sold in the UCC Coffee Project to a UCC Small Farmers’ Fund. Justice and Witness Ministries has used these funds to work with Northwest Cooperative Development for extensive exploration of the formation of a coffee cooperative among small coffee farmers in Kona, Hawaii. This work developed because a Hawaiian coffee farmer and member of a UCC congregation requested assistance to explore the feasibility of establishing a coffee cooperative in Kona. The UCC Small Farmer Fund grew by $11,417 in 2008. Through the UCC Coffee Project, small farmers and their families gain more control over their lives, earn a fairer share of income, have access to credit and technical support. The UCC Coffee Project is a way for UCC members and all settings of the church to join hands with communities in the developing world. .