Fair Trade: Prayer, preaching and study - Christian Concern for One World

Fair Trade: Prayer, Preaching & Study

Praying about Fair Trade

Four prayers for Fairtrade Fortnight 2024

One brand new and three favourites from previous Fairtrade Fortnights

Agents of Change

Dear Lord, please give us hearts
Yearning for the changes
That manifest your Kingdom:
Justice in matters large and small,
The love that cares for neighbours,
A closer walk with you as we follow your ways.

Dear Lord, please give us minds
That strive to understand
Your Word and our world
So that we can hear your call
In the situations we encounter
And the choices we have to make.

Dear Lord, please give us eyes
That see the world as you do,
Lips that speak words of truth and love,
Hands and feet that take action,
And strength to persevere:
That, changed by your Spirit,
We may become agents of change
Through whom you reveal your Kingdom
For the honour and glory of your name.

Just a moment

It starts with a change
So outwardly insignificant
That no one would notice
Except the person
Behind you in the aisle.

Just a moment
When instead of seeing
Rows of labels
On a supermarket shelf
You imagine the people
Behind them,
Tilling the earth,
Sowing the seed,
Gathering the crops.

And you pause,
Wondering,
What their names are,
Where they live,
What difference it will make
If your hand picks up
This box instead of that,

Wondering: how do I
Love these neighbours?
Can I help change
This child’s long journey for water,
Her mother’s lack of healthcare,
The prospect her father faces
Of another year unable
To feed his family well?

Just a moment.
And the person behind you,
Her impatient baby
Squirming in the trolley,
May never realise
That in that brief hesitation,
A life hung in the balance.

Change our habits, Lord

Where our habits have reflected our sin and not your love,
Have mercy, Lord – forgive us our sins.
Where we seek help to form habits that conform to your ways,
Grant us grace, Lord – your will be done.
Where new habits of righteousness transform unjust structures,
We praise you, Lord – your kingdom come!

Taking a step further

Dear Lord,
You call us to a neighbourly love
That is generous in practical ways,
That doesn’t leave by the roadside
Those harmed by sin and greed
But goes out of its way
To bring healing.
Help us to see
How neighbours near and far
Are suffering, their resources stolen
By unjust people and systems.
And fill us, we pray, with your Spirit,
That we may be inspired
To go further each day in using our gifts
Of time and money and talent
Lovingly
In ways that redress injustice
And renew life.
Amen

Materials for a full Fairtrade service

CCOW’s Materials for a Fair Trade Service

Fairtrade Foundation Service (2021)

More Fairtrade prayers from CCOW and our partners

Collected Prayers from CCOW

Prayers from Asha Handicrafts

Prayer for Bethlehem

You might wish to say this as you hang one of the Palestinian ornaments on your tree … or at any time during the Christmas season.

Lord Jesus Christ,
Born in the town of Bethlehem,
Where today there is no celebration of Christmas
Except in the hearts of your people:
Grant that those who celebrate in their hearts
May be filled with a sense of your peace and joy.
Hasten an end to all conflict
And through your healing presence and transforming love
Bring all people to live together in harmony
To the glory of your name.

Prayer Powerpoints

Prayer – For Fairer Sharing

Fairtrade Prayer – Choices

Fairtrade Prayers – Confession

Other Prayer Resources

- CCOW’s archive of old Fairtrade Foundation “Church Action Guides,” containing prayers, Bible studies, and other helpful material.
- Methodist Fair Trade Covenant Service put together by Traidcraft.
- CAFOD has a collection of reflections and excerpts from Catholic Social Teaching and prayers – around trade and Fairtrade.
- Christian Aid’s prayer for a more fair and just world.
- The United Reformed Church’s Commitment for Life programme: prayer from Dr Mark Dawson of Fairtrade Yorkshire.
- Want to try something different? Why not do something that involves several of people’s senses? For example, following a suggestion by Peter Graystone, hand everyone a sample tea bag as they come into church. During prayer time, ask them to hold it, to sniff the aroma of tea, to pray for all who have grown, picked and transported the tea – and for justice in the tea trade over all. Or show a PowerPoint sequence of images as a focus for your prayers.

Preaching about Fair Trade

Preaching about Fair Trade – or holding a service on a Fair Trade theme – can help people to make the connections between faith and trade, to understand something of why trade can be unfair, and to see how Fair Trade operates.

The Revd Dr Kevin Snyman’s sermon for the Fairtrade Foundation ecumenical service in 2021
The Revd. Dr Bruce Hamill, a Presbyterian Anabaptist in New Zealand, “Learning to Consume Rightly”
The Revd. Simon Cutmore, A Sermon to End Fairtrade Fortnight 2011

We’d love it if you were to share your sermons with us! Send us an email.

Studying about Fair Trade

Materials for Study

Might your home group want to explore the realities of Fair Trade and the reasons why so many Christians support it as part of their discipleship? Take a look at the Fairtrade Association of Australia and New Zealand’s Bible Study guide, based on the ten Fair Trade principles of the World Fair Trade Organization: https://cdn.moble.com/w/903/463625/file/FTAANZ%2010%20Principles%20Bible%20Study%20-%20March%202021.pdf

And after the service …

Using Fair Trade in Your Church

One of the easiest ways to promote Fair Trade is to use Fair Trade products wherever appropriate in your church’s daily life. So if you serve tea and/or coffee after services, you could have a policy that they’ll always be Fairtrade. But it’s not just tea and coffee! You can also use Fairtrade sugar, biscuits, juice, etc for refreshments, Fairtrade flowers in arrangements – even Fairtrade footballs for your children’s/youth groups. Look at our Using Fair Trade in Your Church sheet for recommendations on finding and using the products.

Selling Fair Trade

Selling Fair Trade products through a stall in the church or by placing joint orders from catalogues can help people become familiar with the products and the ideas behind them. Look at our Selling fair trade sheet for suggestions on how to do this in new and different ways.

As part of selling Fair Trade, you might want to hold special Fair Trade events at which people can taste or buy a wider range than usual – and through which you can reach out to people who might not regularly come to church. Look at our “Fair Trade Special Events” section for some ideas.