AUSTRALIA—Philadelphia Church of God members in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Kenya, the Philippines, New Zealand and Australia all participated in a Mother’s Day flower fundraiser on May 10.
South Africa
Almost 20 volunteers from the Johannesburg congregation, along with a visitor from the Netherlands, assembled and prepared flower arrangements. A decrease in volunteers meant a decrease in bouquets produced, but single roses were added to the booth to increase sales.
After a slow morning, sales picked up and by 1:30, Team East had sold all but one of its bouquets, and Team North was down to four.
In one instance, a man stopped on the opposite side of the road asked his wife what she liked. He presented 400 rand to pay for 280 rand in flowers and asked what the fundraiser was for. When told it was to support an educational service, the customer gave another 100 rand and said to keep the change because he and his family wanted to support a “good cause.”
The fundraiser brought in a total profit of $268.
Zimbabwe
Members of the Harare congregation participated in a work party on May 9 to assemble flowers for their own Mother’s Day flower sales the following day.
The men prepared the worktables, and ladies cut and arranged the flowers into bouquets. The sales team was comprised of four groups working in different areas.
According to event organizer Alex Matemadombo, “It was tough selling on the streets.”
At three of the four selling locations, members faced resistance from owners of nearby establishments. One group had to move its position twice. Only one of the groups had a different experience.
“People were cordial and loved the flowers, but most of them said they couldn’t afford the price due to the tough economic climate in Zimbabwe,” member John Phiri said.
This year, the fundraising also included cellphone airtime sales, which will continue on throughout the year. Sales amounted to $294, yielding a profit of $24.
Matemadombo said he is already strategizing next year’s fundraiser, focusing on pre-order and online sales.
Kenya
Eleven members of the Nairobi congregation held their first fundraiser of the year on Mother’s Day.
Members said they were unsure about a flower fundraiser on Mother’s Day, since Kenyans do not observe the holiday, but they underwent preparations for the flower sales anyway, building and decorating a booth and reserving flower arrangements.
When the day arrived, the volunteers easily sold every last bouquet and rose, raising a profit of $28.
“It’s humbling to see what God can do if His people step out in faith and let Him lead,” member Philomena Wangigi said.
“This was truly a miracle, and [I] am really happy with the feedback,” member Catherine Wamala said.
Event organizer Maingi Kuria said, “We all learned valuable lessons from this activity and all look forward to the next Mother’s Day flowers sale fundraiser.”
Philippines
pcg volunteers in the Philippines set up 10 flower booths in three cities on the morning of May 10: at three major thoroughfares and a busy residential area in Angeles city, near two exclusive subdivisions and two major traffic routes in Quezon City, and a subdivision in Davao City.
Activity coordinator Jake Gallardo said organization would be key to reaching this year’s targets for contributing to the building fund.
“The enthusiasm, energy and hard work of everyone greatly contributed to the overall success of the flower sale,” he said.
Member Roderick Ranises said the volunteers’ attitudes were visible even to passersby. “The enthusiasm and the radiant smiles of the selling crew had a positive effect on those who pass by the booth, even if they didn’t buy flowers,” Ranises said. “They were happy that we kept and left the place clean and tidy.”
At one booth in Angeles City, bouquets sold within 30 minutes of delivery, and the volunteers had to request freshly arranged flowers by the hour.
Answered prayers on Mother’s Day appeared as a Category 4 typhoon being diverted, doors opening to suppliers, and customers offering generous payments.
More than 100 members, ages 6 to 80, served as pre-sellers, arrangers, helpers, sellers and deliverers, raising a profit of $3,616.
Australia
Australian pcg members in six cities participated in what has become a large annual fundraising tradition for members in the country.
In Sydney, fundraiser coordinator Ross Macdonald said the 2015 Mother’s Day flower sales fundraiser was “a big step up from previous years. We prayed for fine weather and great early sales; we got both. … God certainly made up the difference and blessed our efforts, which produced our most successful fundraiser.”
Sydney posted a 27 percent increase in profit over last year, earning a total of $14,033.
In Brisbane, Local Church Elder Brian Sherwood said volunteers showed “drive, energy and support” for the fundraiser, which was “quite inspirational.” The pleasant weather resulted in a larger number of people being outdoors, which resulted in increased sales for the dozens of Brisbane volunteers working 10 booths.
“It was incredible to watch, and to receive the phone calls from each area supervisor asking if we could get them more flowers …” Mr. Sherwood said. “It truly was a remarkable day, and you could see God right behind it from the moment we set up the stalls.”
Brisbane’s 70 volunteers raised a total of $12,706.
Across the continent in Perth, the congregation increased its output of flower arrangements this year and recorded a 22 percent increase in profits for a total of $2,237.
Members in Melbourne, Adelaide and Tasmania also participated in the fundraiser, including children who helped decorate signs to advertise the flower sale.
“The actual day of sales started with storms, rain and wind with really slow sales,” Local Church Elder Andrew Kennedy reported, “but everything sold by the end of the day with our highest margins yet.”
Melbourne members posted a total profit of $5,500, an increase of 20 percent. The Adelaide congregation was up 25 percent to $2,159, and Tasmania earned $1,560, an increase of over 200 percent.
New Zealand
The Christchurch, New Zealand, congregation also participated in the Mother’s Day fundraiser again this year. The New Zealanders reported an 11 percent increase over their total for 2014. With only one stall, the congregation raised a total profit of $476.
The total profit for the entire region for the Mother’s Day flower sales was $40,000.