African Palms was founded in 1965 by Father Alan Talbot. Having served as a missionary in Tanzania, Father Talbot observed the poverty of the people and sought ways to help them increase their income. He encouraged the villagers to weave palm crosses which would be sold to churches for use on Palm Sunday. In 1976 the women of St. John's Episcopal Church accepted the mission of distributing the palm crosses to churches throughout the United States; African Palms USA was born and is now a major outreach ministry of the church.
