The Garden is Wide Awake!

Greetings garden friends!  Yes, the garden is most certainly wide awake and growing!  Over the past few weeks, we have welcomed 20 new garden families as well as 18 renewed memberships.  We were also blessed with a few garden angels that help support our funding efforts in supplies and sponsored memberships.  Thank you everyone and praise God for answered prayers in “His sending out many workers into His harvest” (Matthew 9:38)!

Our first two Saturdays in March each were filled with over 40 folks (and lots of kids!) digging beds, pushing compost, weeding, planting, reconnecting, and celebrating the new garden year.  We offer praise and thanks as well for the overwintered crops that have fed all of the families visiting to include weekly donations to Siloam Missionary Homes.  Despite (and due to!) the continued chilly temps, our collards, kale, and spinach are still producing and the carrots were amazing!  

Our early planting of peas have slowly broken ground along with the turnips, spinach, radishes, arugula, and spring mix.  Expecting them to take off with the warmer temps (hopefully soon!) along with the emergence of our planted carrots, beets, parsley, cilantro, and dill.  We have also settled in transplants of kale, onions, Swiss chard, and lettuce along with 4 beds of potatoes.  

Kidz Thyme is back in session and looking forward to lots of gardening fun this year on Thursday nights (6-7pm) with our Jr. Gardeners, Mrs. Cook, and Miss Amy!  We need one volunteer each week to assist with the activities so please let me know if any of you would be willing to share your time in helping our Kidz learn about eating good food, gardening, and God’s creation. One of our newest Jr. gardeners told his mom after his first Kidz Thyme visit that he wanted carrots for his birthday dinner..and made it clear that it was not just any carrots, but the carrots from “The Garden”!

This weekend (4/6-7), we welcome back Crosswave!  The group of amazing teens and young adults from the triangle area will be returning to Concord UMC for another weekend full of shared blessings to include helping out in the garden on Saturday beginning with a garden dedication at 2pm led by our garden interns JE and Katie Misz.  On Sunday, Crosswave will also be leading the worship service at 11am filled with dramatic performances of song and dance, followed by a shared covered dish lunch in the fellowship hall. All are welcome!  Invite your friends and neighbors!

Our 5^th year beginning brings continued thankfulness and faith in God’s will and purpose for our garden ministry as we reach out to many through the shared working and taking care of His creation as well as feeding many in need.  We celebrate our new mission statement which was created over the past few weeks through prayerful discussions in unity with our Garden Advisory Board and Concord UMC Pastor Parish Relations Committee and subsequent approval by the church’s administrative council.   

The Garden of Concord, an extension ministry of Concord UMC, is dedicated to feeding the hungry in our community through sharing our harvests.  We celebrate the connection of church and community as we work, learn and care for God’s creation together while experiencing Christian fellowship, love, joy and unity.

Thank you again everyone for your prayers and support of our garden…It WILL be good!

“God saw all that He had made, and it was very good.” (Genesis 1:31)

-Donna Poe

Garden Coordinator

PS!   We love sharing our joy of working in the garden through the many photos taken and posted on Facebook.  One of these days, I will figure out my troubles in adding them directly to our blog!  You can view our recent two albums by using the links below.

 

Album Title: “Spring 2013?”

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.529393563765568.1073741826.129413523763576&type=1&l=c458fcebae

Album Title:  “Wake up the Garden 2013”

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.519523028085955.1073741825.129413523763576&type=1&l=c62d0462b5

The Garden is Awake!

“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.”

(Genesis 2:15)

Garden greetings everyone!  After a chilly wet past few weeks, our garden is now officially wide awake and we are so thankful to be finally beginning our 5^th year of The Garden of Concord!  Though our “Wake Up” day was brisk, we were warmed by God’s presence as we shared membership info, healthy treats, door prizes, plenty of garden work, and a plentiful harvest of overwintered veggies.  Lots of great pics on our garden Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.519523028085955.1073741825.129413523763576&type=1&l=c62d0462b5.   We also welcomed 15 new family memberships along with many renewed memberships!  Praise God!  

Membership is open to anyone interested in learning about and growing healthy food to be donated to those in need in our community along with taking home a share of the daily harvest.  No experience is required..just a desire to enjoy working and taking care of God’s creation while experiencing unity within the community through shared fellowship and the love of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Our workday’s remain the same this year which are on Saturdays from 9-noon and Tuesdays and Thursday evenings 5:30-7:30 (beginning after the time change).  Kidz Thyme, a program for our Jr. Gardeners meets Thursdays from 6-7pm.  Annual membership per family per season is $10 or $25 for all three growing seasons (Spring, Summer, Fall).  We also have “Garden Angel” memberships available for those that choose not to work directly in the garden, but want to donate towards memberships for those who do!  Any additional donations towards our ongoing expenses to grow and share God’s love in fellowship and fruits are greatly appreciated!

We enjoy many “out of the garden” activities to include those scheduled for 2013 listed below.  We will also be hosting several “Pizza Parties” in our soon to be completed brick pizza oven constructed by aspiring Eagle Scout, Kyle Gault.  Donations are still prayerfully requested and so appreciated for the completion of this project.  We will also hold another series of informative workshops over the summer with details to follow soon.  Our garden activities are always welcome to ALL members of our church and community and not just garden members!  We hope many of you will join us.

2013 Garden Event Calendar:
-Garden Dedication with Crosswave, Saturday 4/6.  
-Mother's Day Flower Sale 5/5-5/12
-Wellness of Chatham Health Fair 5/18 (Sat) 10-1

-First Fruits Luncheon 5/19 (Sun) at 12:30
-Tomato Sandwich Lunch 7/21 (joined with VBS lunch)at 12:30
-Harvest Dinner 9/7 (Sat) at 6pm
-Final Fruits Luncheon on 12/7 (Sat) at 12:30

Thank you everyone for your support and prayers!

“God saw all that He had made, and it was very good.” (Genesis 1:31)

-Donna Poe

Garden Coordinator

Thyme to Garden!

Garden greetings!  As we begin our fifth year in the garden, I reflect on the many ways that God has blessed our community and church and am so thankful to Him for His placing the desire in my heart as well as to others to begin a community garden in Eli Whitney.  The Garden of Concord has become a source of fresh, local, sustainable grown food and friendships to its members as well as to others in need through weekly donations to local food ministries such as Loaves and Fishes.   The garden has also enabled many to “find healing and hope in the harvest” through the love of Christ while working and taking care of God’s creation.  Our members continually share their gratitude for their being a part of the garden and the impact it has made in their lives: 

-“With this wonderful ministry, you have introduced me to so many vegetables that I have never tried and new ways to cook those that I have not liked in the past.” 

-“Can you imagine the difference it would make if every neighborhood had an organic community garden? By teaching and promoting sustainable agriculture techniques  such as composting, no-till practices, crop rotation, companion planting, and cover cropping, we can plant the seeds of change needed to care for God’s creation…His people, planet, and animals. Life began in the garden!”

-What would be “work” if done alone is transformed by the community of others!”

-“Thank you for creating the garden and letting us be part of it!  The kids really love it. They came home & cooked up some of the Swiss chard with garlic. How fun to see them excited because if I got it at the grocery store they wouldn't have taken any interest.” 

Our first gathering for the year was this past Saturday at the 3rd annual Christmas Cheers Chocolate Festival in which our table was once again a fan favorite thanks to all the bakers and servers from our garden membership and church..thank you everyone!  In just a few short weeks, we “Wake Up” the garden on March 2nd and look forward to a new season filled with God’s continued blessings of dedicated garden members, prayerful support of our community and church, and abundant harvests to feed many.   We also pray for His leading of new members to join our garden as well as to those who could help support the garden financially with their donations.  As a ministry of the church, the Garden of Concord relies on donations to continue its plantings while feeding the needs of our community physically and spiritually.   

Our Saturday workdays are actually beginning THIS WEEKEND (2/9) at 11am as we dig in with prepping beds, some weeding, general cleanup, and even some harvesting!  Our work nights this year will continue on Tuesday/Thursdays 5:30-7:30 beginning after the time change in Mid-March (can't wait!)  We are also excited to continue with our weekly and annual  garden activities/events to include our First Fruits Luncheon, Tomato Sandwich Supper, Harvest Celebration Dinner, Final Fruits Luncheon, Tasty Tuesdays, summer workshop series, weekly water fun nights, and of course Kidz Thyme on Thursdays!  Looking forward to that first pizza in our new brick pizza oven! 

Our Annual Food and Faith Bible study is happening NOW and it is not too late to join us as we continue this Thursday 2/7 and conclude on 2/21.  A soup supper is shared at 6:00pm in the fellowship hall and the study begins at 7:00pm in the church.  Kidz Thyme is also in session at 7pm!   J.E. and Katie have created an inspirational, thought provoking, and well planned sharing of our brokenness and reconciliation with God, His people, and His creation, as well as offering up new prayer practices that can help us all find healing in the process.   Week one “And I Will Heal Your Land” was packed with scriptures and teachings of Creation versus Care (Humanity’s and God’s care), Sin (the destruction of the land is a sin), and Redemption (God restores creation and creation praises God).  Below is an example of one of the many scriptures shared.  Can’t wait till next week!

“You care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly.  The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain, for so you have ordained it.  You drench its furrows and level its ridges; you soften it with showers and bless its crops.  You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance.   The grasslands of the desert overflow; the hills are mantled with grain; they shout for joy and sing.” (Psalm 65:9-13)

Wishing you warmer days (hopefully soon!) and many blessings this month and I thank all of our garden members, church, and community for your past, present, and future prayers, love, and support towards our garden.  It WILL be good!

-Donna Poe

Garden Coordinator

The Garden is getting sleepy!

But is not asleep yet!

Hi everyone.   

Our garden is finally settling down for its winter slumber with most of the beds cover-cropped and topped with straw.  The remaining few are still producing some greens though to include Swiss chard, Kale, Salad mix, Spinach, Arugula, Carrots, and Collards.   We will continue to meet briefly on Tuesday and Thursday nights to harvest while continuing on Saturdays to work on garden tasks for the next few weeks or until it snows (yikes!)

We celebrated the many garden blessings received from God this year at our “Final Fruits Luncheon” with several garden members and guests sharing in fellowship and as always, great food!    Thank you to those that ordered our 2013 garden calendar which have been ordered and will be ready for delivery soon (as well as the garden t-shirts!)  I can hardly wait to get the new seed catalog in the mail to see what God has planned for our plantings this new garden year!

Thank you all for your continued support and prayers for our garden. 

It WILL be good!

-Donna Poe

Garden Coordinator