THE FARM
The Farm was created after ALIVE realized that we had 6 acres of property that were not being utilized. We cleared and fenced in the land and eventually added six cows to the field, making ALIVE known as “the church with the cows.” The idea behind adding cows was to grow local cows, sell the beef, and use the money to help give back to our community.
This last year was our first year of doing this, and because of it, we were able to donate $5,000 to a local elementary school to help fund their new Discovery Zone.
This year, we were able to add seven cows to our pasture and added a farm to our Pleasant View Campus as well!
THE EXCHANGE
The Exchange is a second-hand store that was built from a picnic shelter that ALIVE already had on our property. The Exchange was built to be a donation-based store where all proceeds would go into building churches for Project 20. We wanted to create a space where people could come onto the church's property and feel the same love and community they would feel in the church building. This past year, after being open for only six months, The Exchange was able to transfer $25,000 to Project 20! If you are interested in learning more about Project 20, you find more information here.
THE ORCHARD
The Orchard has not yet started, but ALIVE plans to use more of our land and plant fruits and vegetables to sell and use those proceeds to give back to the community, just like the farm.
If you are interested in volunteering with the Exchange, the Farm, or the Orchard, you can sign up for more information here!
FOUNDATION
“All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God: You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.”
– Deuteronomy 28:2-6
VISION
The ALIVE Mercantile is a bold initiative stirred by the call to be faithful and intentional with the resources God has given ALIVE.
ALIVE is dedicated to reaching Spiritually Hungry People and connecting them to a Personal Relationship with Jesus and an Active Role in Christian Community.
- Offering new opportunities and environments for people to bump into Jesus.
- Offering new opportunities to people who normally would never set foot in a church building may find their way to ALIVE through the ministry of the ALIVE Mercantile.
- Offering new opportunities for service and profitability, enabling ALIVE to meet the needs of our local communities.
- Offering new opportunities to utilize uncultivated and underdeveloped resources that God has entrusted to us.
ASSET BASED COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
Asks: What do we have? Who is in our circle? What can we produce? How can we leverage everything for impact?
ABCD says: “We have unused, uncultivated, underdeveloped resources to answer unmet needs.” This is as opposed to a needs-based approach. This means people are seen as producers, contributors, partners, and clients (as opposed to needy, donors, victims).