We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Alan Mellinger a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Alan, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
As a kid growing up, I was not part of the “cool Kids”. I lived in the country and most of my class lived in a suburban Neighborhood. They all played together when not at school so I was often considered an outsider and the one they all could pick on. No matter what I tried and how hard I worked it was not meant to be. So I had to learn how find strength and purpose from somewhere else. My family were Christians and very active in a local church most of my classmates were not Christians or active in a local church. I came to know Christ as my lord early and then felt the call to ministry in 8th grade. I saw myself from then on as one who was to work to reach and help all people for me it started right away.
Over the years God has not only led but also provided what I needed. As a kid people would ask what do you want to be when you grow up? I have had 4 choices: a politician, an artist, an interpreter and a minister. All these dreams as a kid have come to be in some way, shape or form throughout my life.
I always wanted to travel but on a minister’s salary that just does not happen and yet God has let me travel to 49 of the 50 states and more than 40 countries on 5 continents. My purpose comes from seeing God work in my life so many times that now I know that God will follow through and give us what we need when we need it.
As far as my want to be as a kid dreams -I have been an ordained minister for over 40 years, I have served internationally as a missionary for 15 of those year working in another language (many languages), I run a company helping the poor be creative and artistic many of the items made I design hence the artist. The only one that I really have not gotten to do is to be a politician (although there are politics in most of the work, I have done that needed navigating)
I share those with you because I have learned that if we trust God and allow Him to lead, He provides the skills for what He wants you to do next. Early on it was much harder to see and know God was moving but as you trust and obey, I have begun to see what God is up to next and so when the call comes to do something new the move is not too hard.
Currently I am missionary for economic development – helping people and churches figure out the best ways to serve the poor around them. It is easy to see the problems the needy have but figuring out a way to help without creating dependency is not the easy way. I operate a nonprofit that operates a fairtrade shop, a workshop for skill training for the needy and coaching services to church and other groups.
There is not a one size fits all but rather a great deal of one-on-one plans laid out to help folks in need. I stay faithful to serve after my calling of 40+ years ago because I know for me that is what God wants and until He calls me home I will keep finding the needed and helping where I can.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I currently am founder and president of Marketplace Manna, Inc a nonprofit who’s mission to help the poor, disenfranchised, persecuted, disabled, unemployed and Vulnerable around the world. Marketplace Manna has a fairtrade store in Jackson, Michigan but we partner with 30 partnering organizations in 50 countries. Monthly Marketplace Manna goes to the local homeless shelter and low-income senior homes in Jackson, Michigan, and pays some of their residents a fair wage to make a product we teach them how to make and then add it to our stores inventory.
None of the clients are making a living off what we do but they are encouraged and given a bit of hope that they can still be useful and productive in this world.
My wife and I also work part-time for the Homeless shelter and a home for girls who have aged out of the foster care system and have no place to go.
When not doing this, we travel and speak to churches and groups helping them learn and know how they can connect and impact the needy in their communities. Most folks are afraid of the poor, homeless and needy but they are really people like you and me, they have just run into hard times. We try and help change the perception of the needy.
When we see one of our workers coming back to look for the items we paid them to make and you see the pride on their faces knowing that what they did will used by someone else is priceless.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
First, you need to have a passion for what you are doing. – It is not just a job it is a life. That said it also needs to be balanced with family and other things. You will need the support of family so you also need to engage your family and friends.
Second, You need to be open and willing to learn and deepen your understanding of what is happening. You sometimes have the answers and sometimes you are seeking the answers,
Third, eecruit a team to help with your passion – never do it alone. That means you will need to be able to communicate what you do quickly and clearly to folks who know nothing about what you are doing.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
We are always looking for people or other groups to partner with in our drive to help the poor. It could be another group that makes products we can add to our retail location. We are also looking for other stores that would be open to having the items made by our local and international livelihood groups in their locations. We are also looking for people and place that would be willing to set up a similar retail and workshop program where they live.
To me, partnerships is what we are all about – the more we work together the more people are helped and the better the world becomes.
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Image Credits
Al Mellinger took all the photos
