Malachi Market: Giving Gifts to the World
by Laura Vondas
When Eugenia, from a small village in Central America, used to cook for her family, smoke filled the kitchen and her family’s lungs. One day she received a gift from Alternative Gifts International (AGI) called a “Lorena stove.” Costing only $28, this equipment circulates heat within its small chamber, channels the smoke through a chimney pipe outside the house, and burns one half of the wood needed for an open fire. The exhausting daily task of fuel gathering has been cut in half and the heavy black soot buildup on kitchen walls is gone. One small gift for Eugenia and her family has enhanced and changed their lives forever.
On December 2 and 9, Malachi Market opens its doors, and members and friends of Shadyside Presbyterian Church will again have the opportunity to join a growing charity movement, shop globally, and “Give the World a Gift,” by choosing authentic, life-giving gifts in honor of their friends and relatives.
Malachi Market was inspired by AGI, a non-profit, inter-faith agency begun in 1980 by Harriet Prichard, then director of Children’s Ministries in the Pasadena Presbyterian Church, California. Harriet wanted to offer the children a new, noncommercial way to give authentic gifts. She organized a market where children and adults sold relief, self-development goods, and animals for persons in need. “So often, gifts are unneeded, unwanted, unjust, trivial, consumable, or they entertain for a while and are forgotten,” she said. “But alternative gifts are sustainable, long-lasting, and urgently needed for survival. There’s a difference.”
From these humble beginnings, AGI has grown to an internationally recognized charity with over 500 markets worldwide, and, in the last 20 years, has raised nearly $20 million. The impact of Harriet’s project continues as a growing movement of giving builds across the country. One of the early churches to join this movement, National Presbyterian Church, was a congregation previously served by SPC’s pastor, Dr. Craig Barnes. Eager for SPC to know the joy of this extraordinary means of giving, Dr. Barnes brought the idea for the Malachi Market with him to SPC.
“People often feel an obligation to give presents to distant family members, colleagues, and
friends. But they are stressed by this expectation because it only adds one more thing to buy for
those who don’t really need more,” explains Dr. Barnes. “The Malachi Market permits us to do a
world of good, quite literally, by giving to the poor in honor of those on our Christmas list.”
This year at SPC, the Malachi Market committee members have worked diligently to ensure that the local, national, and international charities we feature in our catalog are credible, long-standing, and efficient community partners. From the comfort of the parish hall you can support these charities and positively impact the lives of those who need help – whether they are nearby or thousands of miles away in developing nations. Gift cards with the recipient organization’s name and an ornament are included with your monetary gift. Information about the charities will also be available. All gifts are tax-deductible. So please come, and bring the children, grandchildren, neighbors and friends.