Ministry through Potatoes

How one Bethel grad is changing the world.

Summer 2009

One acre of land. Nearly 2,000 pounds of potatoes. And one recent Bethel Seminary graduate. This combination is reaping quite a harvest.

With his new degree, a Master of Arts Theological Studies (MATS), Travis Dahlke has created Hands for Harvest, an organization of volunteers who plant, cultivate, and harvest potatoes, giving the crop to local food banks and food shelves in the Twin Cities area.

“Hunger needs don’t go away when the economy gets bad,” explains Dahlke. “But as the economy gets tougher, we can be sure the Holy Spirit will continue to be at work in manners that stretch beyond our imagination to help those in need.”

Dahlke decided to attend Bethel Seminary upon the conviction that he was cheating the body of Christ by ignoring his gifts and ways to humbly use them to serve the kingdom. Knowing he could do more than work a 40-hour-a-week job to pay the bills, he enrolled in SemPM classes at Bethel Seminary in St. Paul to learn how
to live out his faith more
effectively.

And learn he did. “This degree has helped me to see gifts in others and learn how to encourage others to use those gifts in service to Christ, just as I need to be encouraged,” says Dahlke. “I also learned that one can lead in a transformational manner through humility and humble service. Leading through service will hopefully inspire others to follow and contribute as well, and they will in turn inspire and ultimately transform others.”
For more information on Hands for Harvest, visit handsforharvestmn.org.