Ministry cares for Drakenstein
2008-12-04
AN orchard of 7800 olives is planned by Monte Christo Ministries in Paarl, to raise funds for the needy. According to spokesperson Daleen Labuschagne, the introduction of the ‘Promise Olives’ campaign will generate the income to the needy for the projected life of the groves, as long as 100 years into the future. “A R300 per tree investment will allow us to plant and care for the tree to maturity, pay off the land it is on and help fund other key MCM ministries as the olive grove matures over the next five years. “Then, at full maturity, the ‘Promise Olives’ grove investment is projected to return over R11 million per year for the expected 50 to 100 year life of an olive grove and will provide the funds for the ongoing work of Monte Christo across the region. “This will ensure that our food centre, discipleship programmes, sports ministry, health programmes and many more outreach efforts will continue to serve the Drakenstein area,” say Labuschagne. According to Labuschagne their primary aim is to help meet the basic human needs of those caught in poverty. “This includes feeding the hungry in the community of 150 000 people where it is estimated that about 40% of the children go hungry every day. “Our basic needs work also focuses on relieving the suffeirng from HIV/Aids, abuse and violence and the need for shelter,” says Labuscagne. After responding to people’s basic needs, their second core focus area is Christian discipleship and leadership development. “Here the aim is to help people turn in a new direction and learn new life skills and moral values leading them to a meaningful future. “This effort is so rewarding in that it is through the building up of young people of the next generation that those now in poverty have a pathway to a future beyond the conditions where they’re now trapped,” says Labuschagne. Their final focus is sustainability. “This involves the building of activies inside the MCM that both create jobs and teach new skills for previously disadvantaged people as well as to generate an income that will enable MCM to operate into the future without being dependent on ongoing donors from around the world. “We teach the value of ‘hand up versus hand out’ and we are also committed to walking out this value in our own MCM organisation. “This focus area has led to our opening a ministry coffee shop in Pastorie Avenue, an industrial bread bakery, producing and selling MCM branded bottled mountain spring water from our farm, and growing vegetables and other farm crops for our feeding programs and the open market,” says Labuschagne. Anyone who wants to get involved, can visit their website www.montechristoministries. co.za.
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