Zeal for Impact - Adrian Reid with Victory Gardens Caribbean
In episode 41 we speak with Adrian Reid, the founder of Victory Gardens of the Caribbean. Adrian is an entrepreneur at heart and has started several ministries. Adrian has long had a passion both for entrepreneurship and for the church. For a long time, he wondered if the two passions were compatible, or if he was alone in his calling. He shares how God has empowered him to use both to create new ministries and to encourage others like him.
Movements Start With a Simple Idea
Adrian shares the way he started Victory Gardens of the Caribbean. It started with the simple idea that consumerism has taken root in the world and that one way to combat materialism is to become a producer instead of being a consumer. So he had the idea to encourage people to start a garden in their yard or on their porch as a small way to become a producer. They expected to start a small movement with maybe 50 participants, however, they ended up starting with over 400 people ready to plant gardens.
Growing and Innovating
Tree of life ministries was birthed from the simple idea behind Victory Gardens. As an entrepreneur through and through, Adrian was ready for the “what’s next”, and this is where he reminds us that zeal is important, but zeal alone won’t make something happen if it doesn’t line up with God’s timing. It was around this time that he was connected to the Innovate program from the Chalmers Center. By collaborating with them he was able to provide training to local churches to enable them to launch their own ministries. This includes the framework to design the ministries, some seed funding, and most importantly a community to encourage and support each other.
Be sure to listen to the full episode at Adrian shares how he’s learned to wait on God’s timing, cast a vision, and get the right people on board.
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