Trade As One

This is a guest post from one of our stalwarts, Lisa Mazur. Lisa is a leader at Manchester Christian Church in Manchester, New Hampshire. She and MCC have been pioneering new ways to use Fair Trade to subvert the mindless excess of Black Friday. We’re really proud to call her a friend and partner.

Black Friday. For years I was one of the throngs of people that woke up at 4am to brave hours of congested mall traffic, only to then wait in long purchasing lines of aggravated shoppers. I, like everyone around me, would do anything to find that perfect gift, but more importantly, that perfect deal. Little did I know that that $5 scarf for my sister and that $10 dollar pair of earrings for my mom were both made by women and children working in disgusting and deplorable conditions. All that mattered was that I had just found two gifts that didn’t cost much money.

Then I heard about Trade As One. After awakening to the fact that my spending habits were actually causing harm to the people that made the gifts, things had to change.

So, last year I brought an idea to my church. On Black Friday, why not provide a venue for our community to do their holiday shopping and use their spending power for good? We then spent the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving encouraging our members to worship fully, spend less, give more and love all. We asked them to spend less on gifts that people wouldn’t remember next year and to give more to those in the developing world that live on less that $2 a day. They could do this by purchasing beautiful, handmade and quality items at the Trade As One Trading Post on our campus. We connected them with the stories of the men, women and children who made the items and also put this message out to our community in the greater Manchester area. The response rocked our world.

In just two days, on Black Friday, we are doing it again… and this time even bigger. Now that we have heard that JUST ONE Fair Trade purchase from every churchgoer in America this holiday season would lift one million families out of abusive poverty for one whole year, it’s on! On the ‘day of all shopping days’ we are blatantly choosing to subvert commercialism as a kick-off to this holiday season by opening the doors of our Trade As One Fair Trade World Market. Instead of stressing out in long lines at the mall, men and women will be sleeping in and then hanging out with their friends in our café (where the World Market is set up). All while getting their holiday shopping done…and with no stress!

Here at Manchester Christian Church, Black Friday has become one of our favorite days of the year! We love seeing people who have never stepped through the doors of a church before come with their friends and comment on how cool it is to see a church providing a way for people to shop with a conscience. We make sure they leave knowing that their purchase has provided hope for someone’s future. They leave with beautiful gifts. Then some of them come back to check out this whole ‘church’ thing. Now that’s cool.