The UMCOR Coffee Project is an innovative way to reach out to small-scale farmers in the developing world while enjoying fellowship and an excellent cup of coffee. As Christians we can address a consumer dilemma by buying coffee that is fairly traded. United Methodist congregations that participate are helping small scale farmers in Latin America, Africa and Asia 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.

Launched in the Spring of 2002, the UMCOR Coffee Project has already been a great success.

To date, over 1,400 United Methodist churches have participated in the project, serving Equal Exchange at coffee hour, offering coffee, tea and cocoa products as a holiday fundraiser, and spreading the word about fair trade in their communities.

In addition, for every pound of coffee, tea, cocoa, and chocolate purchased by participating congregations, Equal Exchange makes a contribution to UMCOR to provide additional support to coffee-growing communities.

As people close to the land; Sons and Daughters of Ranchers, Farmers, and workers from the oil patch and lease owners we should understand that free Christians are not meant to be impoverished sharecroppers by the tens of thousands even though they own their land.  Justice calls for the sweat of all families who toil on the earth to earn a living wage.  This will not make them rich or even bring them up to our standard of living.  It will enable them to live as free capitalist off the fruit of their own land and labor.  We expect to be paid a fair wage for the work we do, so does God and so should others who dedicate themselves to produce a good, even superior product for the market.  For generations the market Americans’ consider almost sacred and a symbol of our view of economic and political democracy has been turned against these farmers for the wealth of a very few.  This is against the American way of life we have tried to export to other nations and most egregiously offends the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Word spoken through the prophets.  As always we have choices.  I hope we choose wisely in the eyes of the one and only God.

In future purchases we shall follow the lead of the United Methodist Church in the purchase of Fair Trade products for our brothers and sisters in Christ.

To participate as an individual or family you may follow this link to order on line or download the order form. Alternate ways to order can also be found at the website link.