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 Falkirk Old and St Modan’s Church has been actively involved in fair trade for 20 years. In the early 1980s, the then minister’s wife formed a group which sold Traidcraft goods on Friday lunch-times in a church annexe. While they waited for customers, the volunteers knitted blanket squares and garments for Oxfam and later "teddies for tragedies". When the minister’s wife moved on, an elder took over and raised the profile of the group. When she in turn moved on ten years ago, a replacement group gained lighter and brighter premises in the new church hall. The Session lent £700.00 for the new start, which was repaid after several months, and the modest surplus from sales is now shared between the church and Traidcraft Exchange. The cafe which was started at the same time uses Traidcraft coffee, tea, sugar and recycled toilet rolls. We have not sought official Fairtrade Church status as we feel the activity is self-evident. However, Falkirk became a Fairtrade Town in 2006 and is working towards a Fairtrade District. The church is represented on the local committee and we take some part in the annual "Big in Falkirk" event. We also work with the other members of Falkirk Churches Together to organise coffee mornings in Fair Trade Fortnight and One World Week. Other churches in the area buy Traidcraft goods from us either regularly or for special occasions. Some feel that with supermarkets increasing fair trade sales there is no need for the churches to continue, but we believe it is important to support Traidcraft Exchange in its development work and campaigning role. Traidcraft is, of course, a Christian-based organisation. New helpers are always welcome; the Friday lunchtime stall is surrounded by a lively buzz of people coming and going at the cafe, the Open Door and the keep fit club, so we often act as a kind of reception centre. The Sunday stall occurs when there is a joint service with lunch afterwards, so can also be quite sociable. See Margaret Thomson on a Sunday or ring her at 621733, if you would like to try it. |