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SAN ANTONIO – Texas Baptists are discovering that the perfect Christmas gift can do more than bring a smile to someone’s face; it can change a life.

Several Texas Baptist congregations across the state are holding Good News Goods markets leading up to Christmas, giving people an opportunity to purchase fair trade items that serve as Christmas gifts, but also help people work their way out of poverty.

Good News Goods is the fair trade initiative of the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission and brings fair trade products and ministry opportunities to churches and universities all across Texas. Fair trade is a market-based approach that seeks to help people in developing countries earn better wages and lead more financially secure lives. Fair trade products are guaranteed to be made without child or slave labor by producers who treat their workers fairly.

Charlotte Bumbulis, Good News Goods specialist for the CLC, said the ministry is designed to alleviate poverty across the globe by helping create sustainable and dignified employment for the poor. Additionally, the effort helps Christians think about whether their purchasing habits match up to an authentic gospel which emphasizes taking care of “the least of these.”

“We were created in the image of a God who worked hard for six days, and who’s first command to Adam was to continue that work and glorify God with the fruits of his labor” she said. “We were created to work hard to provide for ourselves, provide for our families and give back the fruits of our labor to God and others in need. Good News Goods enables people to work their way out of poverty, recover their dignity and see themselves as images of a loving God who created us for a purpose.”

Mike Fanning, associate pastor of The Fellowship of San Antonio, was excited by the way church members embraced the opportunity to help people pull themselves out of poverty. They enthusiastically surrounded tables that displayed the Good News Goods products, realizing that their purchases can change the lives of people on the other side of the globe.

“One reason we decided to host a Good News Goods market is it’s a win-win for every one of our people buying as well as for people who made them,” Fanning said.

“I love the fact that by doing this, we are putting what we believe into action.”

Cheryl Kimble, associate pastor for children and family life for Highland Park Baptist Church in Austin, said the Good News Goods trading post helped as part of the congregation’s missions education efforts and how the actions of Texans can positively impact people trying to work their way out of poverty.

“It has been a great program for our children at Highland Park to be educated in the ways that their purchases make a difference around the world,” she said. “They have been able to personally learn about the artisans that create each of the products and they have been a part of re-telling the artisan’s stories and selling their products to church members at our monthly Good News Goods Trading Post, and so it has been a really important learning process for our children.”

Bumbulis hopes Good News Goods impacts Texas Baptists like her first exposure to a church-hosted fair trade market impacted her. The experience opened her eyes and heart to the Bible’s call for a Christian’s actions to reflect his or her faith. Good News Goods provides a way for believers to put their faith into action in a way that helps people around the globe.

“It’s something everyone can fit into their lifestyle,” she said. “That’s something that everyone’s looking for in a world that we know is broken. We turn on the news and see victims of human trafficking and people suffering from poverty, hunger, sickness and war and wonder what we can do. How does my faith in Jesus Christ prompt me to respond to this? This is just one way to put your faith in action.”

For more information, including ways to order products via Good News Goods, visit www.goodnewsgoods.com.