Trev Gregory writes…

Over the last few years I have had the enormous privilege to travel into some of the world poorest nations to encourage, train and assist in many different ways. Throughout this time there has been something which has gnawed away inside me suggesting that the present paradigms and practices are not fully what is required in the future of mission or the advancement of the Kingdom of God.

When you compare today with 100 years ago you can see things have changed: the average Christian now is a Black woman living in rural Nigeria, but back then it was a White woman living in North America. And along with these changes are drastic shifts in mission practice, one being it is no longer ‘the West to the Rest’, but more and more mission is becoming a global participatory happening. Which - when you take time to think - is really exciting and we should thank God for it.

But with it comes some unique challenges because the present paradigm of Western mission is not necessarily the right way forward for these emerging mission initiatives. One challenge being: how do you finance missionaries and mission from the developing nations?

At the same time I have become increasingly conscious of the breaking down of the ‘secular and sacred’ in the Western Church (at long last) but, in most developing nations this is not an issue. They see the gospel not just as spiritual, but also the vehicle to bring social change.

The Quest for Answers

Now in my tiny mind over the last 2 years or so, I have been mulling over these things and have been speaking with a number of people here in the UK, across Europe, North America, and (perhaps more importantly) with indigenous people in developing nations. Through this process some ideas have emerged and have begun to take root which I now believe should be acted upon.

Over the coming weeks missionNOW will become registered as a charity. It will seek to raise and manage funds and projects for indigenous holistic mission in some of the world’s poorest nations. Also it will partner with local Western churches to help them see and appreciate the changes in mission and how they can take part.

At the same time a ‘hybrid’ micro-finance initiative is being started under the name Trade Right International. The concept and ethos is quite simple: People will be paid a good wage and 50% of profits will be used in local development aid, while the remaining 50% will go to establish similar initiatives in other countries. In this way sustainable social change AND sustainable mission collide through empowering people.

Going Nuts...

Trade Right International will begin a pilot initiative in the Upper Eastern Region of Ghana from August. Here we will employ 600 women to harvest Shea Nuts which are used in the cosmetic industry and, acting as their agent, these will be transported to the port of Tema and sold. Our conservative estimate is that we will harvest, transport and sell 27,600 sacks by February 2009 and this will mean as much as £68,000 could be released into social development and mission.

One thing Trade Right International is not asking primarily for is donations, but rather Investment Loans. Trade Right International is seeking funding in this way because we want to build in ‘on the ground’ responsibility within the local initiative and not dependency on the West.

Therefore, if you or anyone you might know is interested in making an Investment Loan, please contact me. And please let me know what you think by emailing info@traderightinternational.com

Thanks

Trev Gregory

PS: Take a look at the Utube video opposite and you will see the immediate benefits this initiative will bring to one Ghana’s poorest and underdeveloped areas