Planting Mangoes in the Church

A mango rolled between the aisles of the church. No one noticed. Their eyes were focused toward the front. The mango stopped as it bumped the foot of a boy whose feet didn’t reach the ground. The bump startled him and he jumped. His mother poked him with her elbow.

“What was that?” he wondered. He wanted to look under the seat but didn’t want to get into trouble. He carefully looked to the left and then to the right. When he turned around to look behind him, he thought he saw an old man watching. Just as he saw the old man, his mother pinched his leg. He turned around and sat up straight. He thought maybe he had imagined the whole thing, until he swung his foot and it kicked the mango. He looked down and there it was, right in front of him. As the congregation stood to sing, the boy snatched up the mango and tucked it under his shirt.

“Thank you, God, for this mango!” he said silently, for he was hungry. He wondered where the mango had come from, but more importantly, what was he going to do with it? He carefully kept it hidden under his shirt for the rest of the church service. He was small and no one paid attention to the large bump under his crossed arms. After the final prayer, the boy paused for a minute to see if anyone was looking for a lost mango. He counted to ten but no one came for the fruit. As the adults started talking, the boy quickly took his treasure outside, walking a little bent over. He kept the mango hidden and stayed at the edge of the group of people.

“Are you sick or hiding something?” The voice came from the shade of the church building. The boy, shocked, turned around to see an old man looking right at him. The boy revealed the mango.

“Where did you get that beautiful mango?” the old man said.

The boy pointed to the church.

“You found a mango in the church?” the old man said.

The boy nodded. “It hit my foot,” the boy said.

“Maybe next time God will drop a banana on your head!” the man said as he laughed. “What will you do with the mango?”

“Share it with my family,” the boy said with a serious look.

“That is what I thought,” the man said, equally serious. “Enjoy the mango. It is a gift from God and me.” The old man stepped out of the shade and into the sunlight and bent to bring his face to the boy’s level. The boy’s eyes opened wide as he realized the old man was one of the original church members.

“But plant the seed wisely. You never know what God will do.” Then he laughed and said, “Maybe one day we should plant mangoes in the church for everyone to share? Think about that!”

The boy’s family enjoyed the delicious mango, and he saved the seed until he found just the right spot to plant it. Year by year, with care, the mango tree and the boy grew tall and strong. One by one, he planted new seedlings in a row, and step-by-step, a large orchard was created. Not every season was successful, but he took advantage of each success and tried to learn from his mistakes. His family grew too. He got married and had children and grandchildren. The orchard brought sweet fruit and blessing to the man, his family, his church, and his community. And it had all started with the gift of one mango in the church.

But one thing stayed in his mind over the years: the old man’s question about planting mangoes in the church. What did that mean?

Stories can tell deep messages in memorable packages. Words may pass through our minds, but stories tend to stick with us and cause us to think. Jesus often taught with stories and parables for this very reason. This book speaks about mangoes, the church, and work. Mangoes were chosen because they are one of the most popular fruits in the world and likely you have never met someone who did not like a fresh, sweet mango. By the end of this book, you may not only know more about mangoes but ideally about work and how the church can gather together to bring the peace of God to our communities through businesses that help people to care for themselves, their family, and their community.

This book started with an opportunity and an idea. The opportunity is based on the fact that one of the largest networks of people is the Christian church—and the church is growing quickly in many places around the world. But many in the church globally live in difficult economic conditions. The idea is this: what if local church congregations gathered to develop and support business efforts of people in the church? Perhaps the result would be that churches and church members would be helped and the surrounding community would be blessed. This blessing is based on the biblical concept of shalom—Christians bringing the peace, wholeness, and well-being of God to the world through their lives and activities, including their work.

Think of it this way: we all have a “mango.” You have at least one thing that you can share with your community to make it better. For most people, that one thing is your work. Work is what you spend most of your time doing and is incredibly important. Work is like a mango. It can be sweet and satisfying, particularly if it is shared with others. Work can also become rotten and harmful if it is done poorly or neglected. Like the boy with the mango, you have a choice about what to do with the work of your mind and hands and how you spend your day.