By CHERE SIMMONS

If you’ve visited an agricultural show or expo you’ve no doubt seen visitors with all sorts of promotional items in tow. These ‘gifts’ from companies and professionals are used to promote each one’s personal agenda. One of the stand-outs is the Wordless Walking Stick. It too has an agenda, and its gift is one that can’t be bought.

Thousands of these sturdy staffs with the familiar gold, black, red, white and green beads have been given away by the Fellowship of Christian Farmers International (FCFI) at events around the country. The colored beads hang from the top, strung on a piece of leather and each has a unique spiritual meaning. It is through the beads that member farmers relate the message of eternal life through Jesus Christ to visitors at their booth.

The Fellowship was formed in 1985 during the American Soybean Association Expo in San Antonio when a group of farmers met to discuss the need for an organized Christian group to support and uplift members of the agricultural community. All agreed that farming is a stressful occupation. With rising overhead and turbulent weather patterns, faith is a constant in an industry that changes daily.

Visitors stop by the FCFI tent at the 2006 Sunbelt Ag Expo, Moultrie, GA. This is where the walking sticks are distributed and the story of the beads and God's plan of salvation are shared.

From their first meeting of 26 attendees, the membership has grown to several thousand and countless lives have been changed as a result of their outreach.

The FCFI has no affiliation with any particular commodity group or agricultural organization. It is a non-profit, non-denominational ministry with a heart to share the good news.
Since its inception, the organization has spread to chapters throughout Canada as well as every corner of this country. Representing the southern states is Walter Powell of Georgia. Powell is gearing up for the Sunbelt Ag Expo next month in Moultrie, Georgia, where the FCFI tent will be erected and Wordless Walking Sticks will be put to work.

A visit to the organization’s website (www.fcfi.org) gives the viewer a glimpse of the worldwide impact the group has made since its humble beginnings at a soybean expo. Mission trips have traveled the world rebuilding churches, helping farmers, and spreading the gospel in areas that have seen their share of persecution for the faith.
There is no better time than now to yoke yourself with a group of like-minded farmers who can offer fellowship and support in an industry that is often misunderstood. To contact the FCFI about membership, missions, evangelism or to gain a better understanding of God’s message of salvation, visit their website at www.fcfi.org, or call 309-365-8710. In Florida and Georgia, contact Powell directly via email at bwpowell@planttel.net

Chere Simmons photos