Evergreen Presbyterian Church

Kingsley is the second entrepreneur in Malawi to win a micro loan from Fresh Start, a group of approximately nine members of Evergreen Presbyterian Church.  This past month, two members of Chehalem Valley Presbyterian Church have joined the work helping to raise funds. Fresh Start cuts a loan of about $200.00 or less to an entrepreneur in an emerging economy, who has some connection and thus accountability to one of our church’s missionaries or ministers. Kingsley worships with Jay and Laura Stoms in Lilongwe, Malawi. He applied to Fresh Start for a loan to open a grocery kiosk. He now has several of these kiosks and is able to support his young family. Fresh Start requires the repayment of its loans in two years. Kingsley makes payments face to face with Jay, our onsite representative. Juston, the first entrepreneur to secure a loan from Fresh Start lives in Bolero, Malawi, several hours to the north of Kingsley and the Stoms. He is a bean merchant, driving a truck over the Zambia border to purchase beans, then returning to sell them in his draught-ridden region. He is now able to support his family. He makes payments to the Reverend Samson Mereka, who is the Malawi director for Good Samaritan Counseling Ministries, headquartered in Beaverton less than a mile from Evergreen’s site. Samson has visited with members of Fresh Start in Beaverton and has used his former experience as a businessman to help arrange the terms and features of the loans we offer in Malawi. (This is where you begin singing “It’s a Small World After All,” as you read the rest of this article.) This past year, Juston made his first loan payment to Samson. The following Sunday, he brought his first tithe from selling beans to the church worship meeting. The impoverished church erupted in praise and thanksgiving to God for this monetary tithe. It just so happened that Evergreen member, Jeff Boden’s sister, Jill and her daughter, from Beaverton, were in the throng of worshippers, visiting with a team from Good Samaritan Ministries. Samson Mereka told his congregation that the guests were from Beaverton, Oregon. Juston assumed that the guests were from Evergreen and so he approached Jill, wringing her hand and begging her to thank her fellow church members for cutting the loan, saving his family.  Jill had no knowledge of Fresh Start. She returned to Oregon and told Bettie Mitchell, the international director of Good Samaritan Ministries about Juston. Bettie said, “Oh, that would be Evergreen Presbyterian Church up the hill. They have a group working with Samson to offer micro loans….” (You may stop singing now.)  Two months ago Fresh Start participants met for lunch in the home of Guy and Novela Hamilton and decided to begin purchasing coffee from the Coffee Cottage in Newberg. The owners, Dave and Sally Mehler, are members of Chehalem Valley. Fresh Start participants purchase coffee at full retail price, pass it on to one another and friends at the full retail price, then Dave donates a portion of his profits toward Fresh Start micro loans. On January 6 at the Kings’ Day Feast at Evergreen, Fresh Start easily dispensed 30 pounds of coffee. An additional 30 pounds has been ordered for February. Lord willing, the order will increase in March. It is possible that in three short months, Fresh Start would be able to amass funds from coffee to offer one additional micro loan of $200.00.Kevin Epp is creating a Fresh Start website that is nearly ready to open on the www. Michael Kane has written Fresh Start information for coffee bag labels along with informative articles to post on the website. Novela Hamilton has offered her expertise and experience as a small business owner to the development of Fresh Start. If you have an interest in ministry and would like to join the efforts of Fresh Start, contact any of the names mentioned in this article and begin to participate.