NORQUAY, SK (November 3, 2005) – Covenant “farmers” recently raised $69,178 to help displaced people in the African nation of Liberia. <\/p>\n
Members of Evangelical Covenant Churches across Canada “bought” 55 acres of wheat for $160 an acre for their “Kernels for Hope” project. The money covered the cost of farming the land, which was done by the farmer who owns the land, Dale Peterson.<\/p>\n
The 55 acres yielded 92.5 net metric tons, or 3,398 bushels, says Ray Baloun, who developed the idea with Jeff Anderson, the superintendent of Evangelical Covenant Church of Canada. Extra funds were donated and the final price of wheat was matched four to one by the Canadian International Development Agency. The money will be distributed through the Canadian Foodgrains Bank and World Relief Canada.<\/p>\n
“It’s been a fun project, and a lot of people have learned from it,” Baloun says.<\/p>\n
Delegates to the Annual Meeting bought an initial target of 38 acres. The target was set by the words of Proverbs 30:8, which reads, “Feed me with the food I need.”<\/p>\n
At the Saturday night banquet, host pastor Arden Gustafson reported that 32 of the 38 acres had been sold. “He also told them I was locking the doors until we hit 38.” Baloun says. “That part wasn’t true, but by the end of the banquet, we had exactly 38 acres booked.”<\/p>\n
Then the target was enlarged. After the 38 acres were booked, Peterson said the field actually contained 55 acres. He planned on donating the crop from the unsold acres.<\/p>\n
That quickly became unnecessary. As delegates returned home across Canadian provinces, they informed their local congregations about the project. “Soon, we were at 55,” Baloun says. Money that continued to come in after the 55 acres were sold was added to the revenue that was generated from the sale of the wheat. Stan Unger of the Evangelical Covenant Church in Norquay purchased hail insurance.<\/p>\n
The “new farmers,” as Baloun refers to them, actually include people from Oregon, Michigan and even Ecuador.<\/p>\n
“I could not imagine at the start that we would get that many people to give that much money,” says Baloun who is a member of the conference executive board.<\/p>\n
The idea of selling the acres developed during a quick lunch between Anderson and Baloun, who were attending a meeting of Canadian World Relief and the Foodgrains Bank in Winnipeg. Anderson and Baloun, a member of the nearby Minnedosa Covenant Church, were invited to attend because Canadian World Relief is supported by the conference.<\/p>\n