Grand Rapids church gardens

Church gardens build community, help the hungry

By The Grand Rapids Press

June 28, 2008, 8:41AM

Press Photo/Dave RaczkowskiGreen volunteers: Members of Redeemer Covenant Church help plant a community garden in Dutton.

The deer fence that surrounds the new community garden at Redeemer Covenant Church in Gaines Township has been full of laughter.
On a recent, sunny weekday evening, the hilarity centered mostly around who was willing to get dirty and who wasn't.

Garden support Here are some support organizations in the area: • Family Network in Wyoming will provide garden assistance to neighborhood groups, schools and churches throughout Kent County. For details call 885-9919. • The Greater Grand Rapids Food Systems Council is a support and education network focusing on Kent, Muskegon and Ottawa counties. For details call 451-3051, or go online at www.foodshed.net

Pastor Jack Brown and his 12-year-old son, David, pulled rocks from the ground and placed them in a large circle meant to become a compost pile.
Brown referred to himself and his son as "black thumbs."
"(Gardening) is definitely outside my comfort zone," he said.
At the other end of the garden, church member Marlene Peterson waved a hose over rows of peppers, beans and cucumbers.
Debra Sportel stomped rows for sunflowers with her bare feet.
"It's exhilarating," she said. "Life comes from the dirt, and you're helping make life come from the dirt. This is really, really close to God."
The 10,000-square-foot garden, on church grounds at 6951 Hanna Lake Ave. SE, has several purposes: to give church members and neighbors space to help offset rising food costs and grow organic produce, to build community and to fill the shelves of a soon-to-open food pantry at the church.
"Times are tough, and we want to be faithful to the words of Jesus, who calls his followers to feed those who are hungry," Brown said. "When the Bible says to be fruitful and multiply and all that good stuff, it's not just people. It's, 'Go and make the most of what I've given you.'
"Our church doesn't have a whole lot of money," Brown said, "but we have land and we have lots of willing hands."

Press photo/Emily ZoladzNeighborhood garden: Judy Jelsema, of Wyoming works in Calvary Christian Church's prayer garden Monday. Jelsema and other church members planted the garden five years ago.

'Tons of food'
Redeemer isn't the only church where a vegetable garden has cropped up.
Calvary Christian Reformed Church in Wyoming has maintained a garden for five years behind the church at 3500 Byron Center Road SW.
Started by church members Judy Jelsema, Marilyn Kamstra and Phyllis Guindon, congregants and neighbors can sign up for plots and grow for their families and others.
"The first year we had tons of food, so much we couldn't give it away fast enough," Jelsema said.
They also found that more than produce thrived in the church's garden.
"We wanted to be a part of the community, and a garden is an easy way to do that," Jelsema said. "You can meet people while you're working in or visiting the garden, and help the community with what you grow."
Some of the harvest goes to food drives at the church, church suppers and nearby food pantries such as the Family Network of Wyoming.
A prayer garden with flowers is adjacent Calvary's vegetable garden, with paths and benches and a birdhouse that resembles a church that overlooks the cross on the church.
Jelsema considers the garden a holy place.
"You watch things grow," she said. "It's quiet, you hear the birds. Sometimes there are others there, working, and sometimes you're alone. God's always there."
Trinity United Methodist Church in Southeast Grand Rapids has seen how the roots of church gardens can spread throughout the neighborhood.
Church members have been working a half-acre community garden plot for 25 years on private land about 3 miles from the church.

Press Photo/Dave RaczkowskiPlanting with a purpose: Volunteer Jill Damec plants flowers in the community garden. The produce from the garden will be donated to struggling families in the area.

Crops include cabbage, tomatoes, peppers, collard greens and chard. The church takes an offering every year to pay for seeds and supplies.
Trinity member Dick Barber, 72, who has been working the garden since 1990, said those who garden take some of the harvest for themselves, and the rest is distributed to food pantries at North End Community Ministries, United Methodist Community House and South East Community Ministries.
"We depend heavily on it, because our clients depend so heavily on produce," said North End Community Ministries Director Laura Castle.
While Trinity's produce donation comprises just a small percentage of what the ministries gives out, "It's very vital," Castle said.
"God has called us to take care of the needy," she said. "It's very biblical to share with our neighbors."
Email: localnews@grpre

Columbus community garden

Garden will benefit residents, food pantry

* For $30, gardeners can secure a plot for growing vegetables while agreeing to donate 10 percent of what they harvest to Helping Hands.

By LAURA ENGLEHART

Published: Wednesday, March 3, 2010 4:47 PM EST

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Gardeners in Reynoldsburg have less than a month to wait before they can get started working with their neighbors in a community garden project.

Plans for a community garden were made official with the approval of a memorandum of understanding in January between the city and Truro Township.

The site is behind Truro Township Fire Station 162, 6305 E. Livingston Ave. The land is owned by the township, but the city is responsible for promoting and operating the garden.

Jason Shamblin, Reynoldsburg's director of parks and recreation, said the garden project has been in the works for some time.

"(The city) has been interested in creating a community garden for a while, and, through the Brice-Livingston Task Force, this area (on East Livingston Avenue) was identified as a good possibility for that. We had several discussions and meetings with the township and they were very excited and enthusiastic," Shamblin said.

Plots for gardeners will measure 10 feet by 20 feet with 16 plots available, although Shamblin said there is room at the site to expand the garden to 40 plots.

The fee per year to secure a plot is $30. The deadline to request a plot is March 22, and the garden will open in April.

Mark Waite, a member of Sustainable Reynoldsburg, said he is excited for the community addition.

"I hope it will be a nice, high energy community feature," Waite said.

"It's also an opportunity for people that live around the garden to use a piece of land productively. What better way to use it than to grow vegetables to put on the table?" he said.

Waite said gardeners will be asked to donate 10 percent of their harvest to Reynoldsburg Helping Hands, a local food pantry.

"We'll make it as easy as possible for people to do that by setting up drop off points close to the garden from where volunteers will be able to take it to the food pantry," Waite said.

Local churches, such as the East Livingston Baptist Church, have offered to help in that capacity, he said.

Other area organizations plan to get involved with the garden, including Sustainable Reynoldsburg, Fisher's Gardens, Crossroads United Methodist Church, Girl Scouts of America and Reynoldsburg High School students.

Shamblin said overhead costs to get the garden started are minimal and require fencing and healthy soil for the ground. The city plans to amend the soil at the site by tilling it with compost material and top soil to get it ready for planting.

Livingston Seed Co. agreed to donate packets of seeds, and some classes will be offered at the site for beginners.

To request a plot, call the city's parks and recreation department at 614-322-6806.

Is our church ready for a garden?

posted online at Flourish.org and copied here:

Extending the Front Porch: Is Your Church Ready for a Garden?

[Ed. note: This article is part of our weekly series of church activities, called Cultivating Community, published on Thursdays.]

What is so refreshing about sitting on a front porch? It can be the company you’re sitting with, a gentle breeze, or an impromptu jam session. But a lot of the time, it’s encouraging just to have a physical space in which to enjoy creation in the company of others.

The beauty of God is in your midst when you plant a flower garden.

Most American churches do not have a physical front porch where folks can gather to enjoy God’s fresh air. But the lack of a front porch shouldn’t inhibit the development of a front porch culture. An alternative outdoor space that is often easier for churches to construct than an actual front porch is a garden. Much like a front porch, a garden welcomes us into a relaxed, fresh air setting and encourages curiosity among passersby, strengthening community ties.
But is your church ready for a garden? If so, there’s a lot to consider before breaking ground: Do you want a flowerbed with a curbside bench for weary walkers? Or is your church up for establishing a full-blown vegetable garden to feed the neighborhood?
If dreams of ecclesial-based produce are floating through your head, lead your church in responding to this questionnaire to get started:

Church Gardening Questionnaire
1. Is there support in your church for a garden? You will likely need to share a report on a potential garden with your church’s governing body to gain that support. Addressing the following questions in that report will help you make your case.
2. Would your larger community benefit from having a community garden in its midst?
3. Does your church have a clear understanding of its goals for the garden?

• Will the garden space be open to church members only, or to the wider community?
• Will the garden be primarily a place for rest and meditation? If this is the case, you may want to be sure you include seating and perhaps a prayer walk in the garden.
• Will the garden provide a space for gathering, holding events, or building community in groups? If so, you may want to factor picnic benches, shelters, and waste receptacles into your plan.
• Will the garden produce food for church members? For the wider community (either directly or in partnership with another entity)?
• Will the garden provide a place for groups to learn and volunteer?

4. Does your church know what type of garden it would like to establish? (Note: these garden themes are not exclusive of one another, and can overlap. However, it’s helpful to know the main thrust of your garden before you begin planning it.

• A flower garden: Amenable to variable levels of light, moisture, and soil pH, a flower garden helps your church bring creation into the sanctuary by providing a treasure trove of cut flowers for decoration. It can provide a beautiful respite for souls in need of restoration, and a volunteer site for students, seniors, and individuals in rehabilitation programs. It also provides instant, free floral arrangements for church members experiencing illness, grief, or celebration
• A prayer garden: Like the flower garden, a prayer garden is adaptable to geographic and climatic variations. The amount of upkeep it will require can be determined by those who plan it, as the goal of this garden isn’t to produce a harvest or even cut flowers. Planning a prayer garden allows for a creative use of space and garden elements: prayer walks or labyrinths to encourage walking and meditation; nooks and crannies where folks can read and pray; benches, gazebos, and tables to rest on; water features to soothe with their gentle sounds; and signs with quotations on them to encourage those in prayer. A prayer garden can provide peace and rest for those undergoing illness or rehabilitation.
• A vegetable garden: Requiring the most work and specific conditions, this garden also produces the most visible harvest. Sun, healthy soil, access to water, and a lot of sweat goes into a vegetable garden. But the requirement of physical labor may open opportunities to work with other groups and partners in your church’s community, and provide volunteer opportunities to anyone from school children to individuals on probation. Provided it is large enough, a vegetable garden can also produce healthy food to feed the neediest.
• A container garden: A container garden allows your church to produce a harvest of fruits and vegetables even without
  

  Container garden can-do.
  access to a vast swath of land or eight hours of sunlight. This garden takes some ingenuity, but it can help a church locked in a sea of concrete to add some green. It is also a terrific learning tool for children. Classes can work container gardens and learn about healthy eating, natural life cycles, and our connections to creation. Seniors and members of your congregation with special needs can also find joy in gardening in a space that is limited and accessible.
• A wildlife garden: Establishing a wildlife garden is a conservation tool that provides food and safety for local creatures, especially in suburban or urban areas. It also creates a great learning opportunity for schools and other educational groups to discover more about their local ecosystems. This kind of garden will require less regular maintenance than a vegetable or flower garden, but it may be difficult to establish if your municipality understands the wildlife you’re trying to attract to be pests.
• A native garden: Much like a wildlife garden, a native plant garden works in a symbiotic relationship with the land and the creatures living on it. Requiring less maintenance because it is perfectly suited to your area, a native garden can provide a valuable learning space for school and community groups. It is also beneficial to the land on which it is placed, nourishing the soil, taking in only the water naturally available to it, and providing food for local wildlife. It will not, however, provide you with cut flowers or a human food harvest to the extent that other garden types will.

5. Does your church have (or have access to) the physical and financial capacity to start a garden? This community gardening site can help you brainstorm the amount of space and money you may need to get a garden together, but here are some general financial factors to take into consideration:

• land: Does your church own property that would support a garden? If not, is it feasible to buy or rent land for this purpose? What sort of financial partnerships could be made with other institutions to make this possible?
• soil and mulch: Establishing a compost bin in your garden will reduce your need to buy soil, but to start your garden you want to ensure a healthy source of nutrients for your plants.
• gardening tools: shovels, trowels, rototillers, wheelbarrows, buckets, wood (especially for raised beds), rakes, hoes, hoses, rain barrels
• plants: seeds, seedlings, transplants, cuttings, etc. Also consider what you will be feeding your plants, and how much that plant food will cost you.
• larger garden elements: a toolshed, compost bin, picnic tables, bird feeders, bird baths, benches, gazebos, fences, stones or gravel for paths, a water source, lighting, trash and recycling receptacles

It takes a community to make a community garden.

6. Are there people who live close enough to your church to tend the garden?
7. Are there people in your church with basic, proven gardening skills?
8. Is there ample physical space, exposed to at least six hours of sunlight, available for your church to establish a garden? How much space is accessible to you will help you determine what kind of garden would be appropriate for your church.
9. Are there potential institutions and non-profits in your community (a grocery co-op, a food pantry, a shelter, or a school) that might benefit from your garden and be able to provide you with volunteer support?
10. Are there community members or institutions that could provide your garden with donations or funding to get it started and keep it going? These might include members of the local business community, hardware stores, nurseries, florists, sister churches, etc.
Taking these questions into consideration as you plan a church garden will set your community on its way to establishing a hospitable, outdoor space in which to share the refreshment of God’s love (and maybe his juiciest peaches or sweetest strawberries) with your neighbors!
Related Posts at Flourish
Front Porch Revival: The Past, Present, and Possibility of a Neighborhood Mainstay
Lines in Winter: Map Your Patch of God’s Green Earth
Further Reading
American Community Gardening Association – To help you get started establishing a church garden
RebelTomato – Start getting some dirt under your fingernails with these in-depth, start-to-finish gardening instructions

Tagged as: church, Creation Care, Cultivating Community, Gardening, local community