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About Cheryl Broetje

Cheryl Broetje and her husband Ralph, own and operate Broetje Orchards, along the Snake River in the Southeastern part of Washington State. She grew up in the Presbyterian Church, the oldest of 6 children in a dairy farming family. After her marriage to Ralph, in 1967, they joined a United Methodist church, and remained in that denomination for 20 years.

 Currently Cheryl attends a community church in Richland with her family. She and her husband are the parents of nine children, ages 18-35, 6 of whom are East Indian by birth. They have 6 grandchildren.

The Broetjes believe that there is no separation between their business and God’s business. They believe that God wants to use their business to serve the common good (especially the least of these) as part of the Church at work in the world. As a result, for example, Vista Hermosa was born to serve an immigrant community of around 650 Latinos who now live on their farm. It includes a preschool, an elementary school, a gym, chapel, grocery store and laundromat through which a variety of social and educational opportunities are offered. On the other end of the farm they started a residential program for struggling teen boys, about 9 years ago. About 50 boys are there currently.

Over the years Cheryl has primarily served on the not-for-profit side of the business, out of a deep desire towards integration of the dualisms of her life. She founded the first of several not-for-profit faith-based organizations in 1986: The Center For Sharing. Through the Center, she largely lives out her passion for equipping lay people to discover and put into practice God’s call on their lives in ways that nurture life-giving, depth community between rich and poor, and those marginalized. Since that time her work has been of an ecumenical nature, allowing her to act in a role as mid-wife at the birthing of some 25 program-ministries in the U.S, that serve among the poor and marginalized, such as housing, medical clinics, outreach and residential youth programs, educational ministries, etc.

 She has traveled to many places around the world as an extension of that work. Today she serves on various boards while continuing to learn and teach through the servant leadership school, and assisting in the birthing of new ministries as they come along.