Sara Thiessen

First call at Holy Ghost and Trinity United Church of Christ, Darmstadt and Biddleborn, Illinois. Now serving Zwingli United Church of Christ, Paoli, Wisconsin

It was a Sunday morning in October, and the members of two rural Illinois United Church of Christ congregations had just finished worshipping in a farmer’s machine shop. With them were members of an urban UCC church, St. Paul’s in Belleville. Not the usual venue for any of the three: this was a special Sunday. As the worshippers opened the doors of the shed, the sun came streaming in. Beyond the doors stood a field of corn, ready for harvest. It was an exciting moment, one the three congregations — each in its own way — had worked hard to bring about.

While city and country folk alike looked on expectantly that day, two combines gathered the riches of the field. A convoy of trucks hauled the treasure to the grain elevator — opened on a rare Sunday just for them. By the time the harvest was in and the proceeds matched by a government humanitarian agency, two small rural churches and their city partner had raised nearly $20,000 — money that would help farmers on another continent learn to work their own land and sustain their own food production.

That bright Sunday morning was the culmination of an extraordinary effort, and the dawning of a renewed sense of purpose for members of the two small farming churches Sara Thiessen serves. “When I first got here, these congregations had little self-worth and low self-esteem. Pastors came and went, budgets were small, the congregation was aging and the members didn’t feel like they had a lot to offer. I have tried to help them realize their potential.”

What I do every day stems from my preparation at seminary.

Their potential has proved to be far beyond what they might have expected. The adventure began two years before when Sara received a pamphlet about the Foods Resource Bank, a program in which farmers donate a portion of their land for one year, and dedicate the proceeds from the crops harvested to help struggling farmers and communities in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Sara quickly realized that the outreach program was perfect for her churches. “It was something farmers could do. It wasn’t daunting. And it could give these rural churches a global mission perspective. Before I knew it we had 22 acres.” For the farmers, it was empowering. They felt empowered to share their trade and lifestyle. “Rural life is not like it used to be and some feel like they’re just ‘lowly farmers.’”

Sara’s passion for the project is itself a harvest: The fruit of seeds planted in part during a cultural immersion experience in Central America while an Eden student — an experience that sharpened her awareness of the struggle of farmers in other lands.

“This just seemed to fall in my lap and I could not put it aside. I felt called to do it. I had all the gifts that were needed to fulfill it. Everything fit.”

As another planting season approaches, Sara’s farmers have already donated land for this year’s crops. Sara is living out a theology that has been shaped by her life, her faith, her experiences and her time at Eden. “My theology and perspective of the gospel is utilizing our gifts in the way we can serve every day we live. What I do every day stems from my preparation at seminary.”