According to The World Bank, over 700 million people worldwide live on less than two dollars a day. This year First Presbyterian Church is partnering with Serrv International, a nonprofit who empowers nearly 8,000 artisans living in poverty to build better lives for themselves and their families through the sale of beautiful handmade gifts.

On Saturday, December 7 at our Christmas Fayre at the P.E.R.C, you will be able to purchase high-quality hand-painted, handwoven, and handcrafted gifts from around the world. Each purchase employs artisans and farmers living in marginalized communities worldwide.

Our Serrv sale will give the community an opportunity to buy meaningful gifts with beautiful stories— the story of an artisan or farmer receiving a fair wage for their work, of sending a child to school, or preserving an ageless craft. Proceeds also help fund improvement projects in the artisans’ communities, including healthcare and environmental protection programs.

Serrv, as a fair trade nonprofit, has a 70-year history of supporting and working with global artisans and farmers in marginalized communities worldwide, which complements our church’s mission as we strive to be a community of justice and peace in a world broken and suffering, yet full of God’s wondrous possibilities for healing and wholeness.

Their purchases of handcrafted home décor, fashion, and food items, which are sold nationwide, allow producers to fund artisan employment, community building, healthcare, and education initiatives. The company’s values and close connection to citizens of 25 countries allows for unique insight into the challenges and suffering of people on a global scale.

SERRV