“Every product in our consumer hands has a trail,” says Nancy Ortberg, former pastor at Willow Creek. “From coffee to cars, there is a collision of economics and ethics that Christ followers must take seriously.”

Willow Creek takes seriously the call for economic justice for the poor—and to that end, it offers Fair Trade Certified products in its Seeds Bookstore. Fair Trade certification ensures that workers are paid fair wages for their products, are protected from abusive labor practices, and use environmentally-sustainable production methods. Seeds Bookstore (and the church) make no profit from the sale of these items, but instead see them as an opportunity to bless our brothers and sisters around the world by helping them earn a living wage for their families.

When it comes to Christmas shopping, consider purchasing Fair Trade gifts at the Fair Trade Christmas Market on Willow Creek’s South Barrington campus. From now until Christmas Eve, Seeds Bookstore and The Branch are carrying an expanded variety of beautiful, top-quality gift items including journals, art, small toys, handbags, and jewelry.

Whether it’s a unique gift or an everyday product like Fair Trade coffee, chocolate, sugar, or tea, gifts from Seeds Bookstore connect with stories of hope and dignity for those fighting poverty. Let your Christmas gift-giving be a vehicle to help spread the “good tidings of great joy which will be to all people” (Luke 2:11).