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Grace and Peace,
Most of us, enveloped in the world of technology, have experienced that moment when we really needed to do something and our phone / tablet / laptop says “WAIT, upgrade in process!”
So we have to wait, convenient or not, and can only continue with our task once the upgrade is complete. Timing for this is seldom convenient, frankly, the timing is often directly proportional to our need to accomplish a task. To the extent that we are able to schedule and plan for these upgrades everything else seems to go much smoother.
St. John’s has reached a time when one of our core ministries, African Palms, needs an upgrade. Since the 1970’s we have been importing and selling palm crosses for the benefit of the villagers of Masasi, Tanzania. Over the years we have moved from all volunteers to a mix of volunteers and paid staff. We have funded drinking wells for villages, assisted with building and outfitting medical facilities, and many other projects all with the intent of improving the lives of our Tanzanian siblings one village at a time.
During that time, the market place for palm crosses has changed, each year we face increased competition from many other sources. Our distributor business has been healthy, though cyclical. Unfortunately, the other portion of our business, the thousands of churches across the country that we count on, have been ordering fewer crosses each year. This business segment has been declining and the pandemic shined a light on just how much it has diminished.
On the import side of the business our shipping expenses have grown exponentially. Getting the shipment on a boat has gotten more difficult with the waiting time no longer measured in weeks but now in months. It can take 6-9 months to get a space on a boat.
Together these factors all combine in a manner that makes it impossible to continue the operations of African Palms while fulfilling the mission of improving the lives of the people of Masasi one village at a time.
Earlier this year, the African Palms board and the Vestry made the courageous choice to say it is time for change; we will continue to ship and process palm cross orders this 2023 palm season, all while re-imaging and re-booting African Palms. It is time for an upgrade to African Palms 2.0 and we hope to have those plans in the summer of 2023.
There are other ways, beyond selling palm crosses, that will permit us to improve the lives of our Tanzanian siblings. In order to help the villagers of Masasi, we can raise funds through events like Walk For Water; we might offer micro-loans to villagers who want to start a cottage industry; we might partner with other organizations that offer humanitarian aid in the region; these are just a few possibilities. Right now, we have more questions than we have answers, and that is a good place to be.
Einstein has been reported to say “If I had an hour to solve a problem and my life depended on it, I would use the first 55 minutes determining the proper question to ask, for once I know the proper question, I could solve the problem in less than five minutes.”
We are now formulating the question that will help us define African Palms 2.0; we want something that is self-sustaining, impactful, and improves the lives of the people of Masasi, one village at a time. We want to re-boot and upgrade African Palms on our schedule, and now is the time to do this work.
Please pray for this work, pray for our siblings in Masasi, and if you feel called to look towards new horizons with African Palms, please speak with me.
Peace
Fr Henry+
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