Market-place Ministry

We went to the monthly markets yesterday- it was showery and there weren't many people there.

Margaret & I go there to sell prams and baby products. Our motivation is that these products are not readily available in our town, and the new good quality prams are too expensive for single mothers and people on low incomes.

So we buy anything that we can get that is good, lasting and cheap. Margaret spends a lot of time on EBay these days. Margaret lovingly scrubs, soaks and disinfects them, repairing as necessary. We then sell them at a reasonable profit to enable us to cover costs and keep the process going, while pricing them within the means of most people. Sometimes we give them away when there is a real need.

Our other motivation is that we believe christians should be out in the community, being Jesus in the world. By doing this marketplace ministry, we can meet with people who otherwise would not come near the church. We talk about babies and living on low incomes and play-groups, and sometimes about faith.

Yesterday, as we were packing up, a very pregnant young lady came and talked to us. We invited her to come to the church and have a look at the other prams we had there. She came, with her mother, and talked about her very difficult relationships. Her mother has had some contacts with churches before, but doesn't belong anywhere right now.

I think that as Margaret listened to these ladies, God was present, Jesus was ministering love, and these ladies are a step closer to the Kingdom of God.