Be a part of launching our community garden this year at CGS!
Lots of work is being done this year to transform two previously underutilized spaces into inviting gardens for our church family and local community. On May 17th a crew of about 25 adults alongside the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle completed building 12 raised beds and filled them with soil and planted seedlings. A team of 22 adults and children worked on May 24th to begin transforming the courtyard near the nursery entrance into a sensory garden for children, families, small groups, and the office staff to enjoy during the week and after services. Both spaces are still under construction and we hope to be able to utilize the fruits of our labor soon! There will be work days every Saturday during the summer in 2025 and we will need volunteers to help water the gardens. All ages and abilities are welcome to come help!
Contact Amanda Briscoe or Tara Carlson for information on how you can come join the fun!
FAQs:
How are we paying for the garden?
The garden is being paid for by alms offerings from the church, donations from our congregation, and hopefully grants for which we have applied and continue to apply.
How can you donate? Online through regular CGS giving (simply designate that it’s for the garden), or purchasing items off of our Home Depot wishlist and bringing them in to church as well. The Community Garden team is hoping to raise $10,000 to cover the cost of improving soil, building raised beds and filling them with soil, building a fence, and purchasing plants and seeds. Every dollar helps us get to our goal of a space of blessing and community.
Who will benefit from the produce?
During this first season of growing, we aren’t sure how much harvest we will be able to get, but all the produce will be put into the hands of those who need it. We plan to partner with organizations our church currently has a relationship with (ex: Pregnancy Support Services, Samaritan Health, TABLE, PORCH, and several refugee families in attendance). Once we have a consistent volunteer base and harvest, we will develop a distribution plan.
In addition to the harvest from the Community Garden, the cut flowers and herbs as well as the spaces to pray and meet together will be open to all and benefit everyone who chooses to utilize them. We are working with the Women’s Ministry Team to plan a special place for members to remember people they have lost. We also hope to work with the Children’s Ministry Team to create special events for children to learn about nutrition and gardening and caring for creation as well as craft days where we hope to build stepping stones, bird houses, fairy houses, insect hotels and more.
Our Vision
This garden is abundant with potential to love our community, steward our resources, and to create beauty that is both uplifting and welcoming. In response to God’s provision of land and his command to be good stewards, we would love to grow fruits, vegetables, and flowers to share with those in our church family, as well as local community members, including refugees and new Americans that attend our ESL classes.
Our Mission
We plan to plant native flowers and herbs as well to make the space not only beautiful, but in line with good gardening practices to attract pollinators. The garden will provide opportunities to grow relationship within the church through shared projects (ex: building a fence, building beds, planting and maintaining the beds).
These projects have the potential to create intergenerational relationships and for those who are experienced to share their gifts and knowledge. It will create opportunity to meet and greet those that utilize the trails behind the church and the parking lot for exercise. It will increase our visibility to those nearby and encourage conversation while demonstrating our care for the land and community.
It will provide a space for contemplation and prayer as well as an outdoor classroom for anyone who wants to learn about gardening, including the church’s children. A secondary garden is also planned as a sensory and prayer garden specifically for children and those who would enjoy a space to sit outside and meet, work, or pray.
Contact Us
Want to get involved? Reach out to Amanda Briscoe or Tara Carlson with questions.