Orchard parable: The Society for the Picking of Apples

appleorchard6I came across this modern day parable representing the intense focus on local ministry, and the trifle that churches spend on foreign missions. I think you will like it. It is very short (about a page long) but it is a good read.

http://home.snu.edu/~hculbert/apples.htm

“Our God of Grace often gives us a second chance, but there is no second chance to harvest a ripe crop.” — Kurt von Schleicher

Missions parable: The Society for the Picking of Apples

  • A large apple grower hired 1,000 workers to harvest his orchards.
  • 100 out of the 1,000 were full-time apple pickers. The rest were administrators or worked on building warehouses or drove trucks
  • Ninety-four pickers worked near the homestead and quickly filled the storage facilities while the remaining six pickers struggled to harvest the vast amount of remaining apples.
  • The six pickers from the far-off orchards felt neglected as all the resources were used on the homestead orchards, leaving apples on faraway trees to rot.