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 5th
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?”
Album Title: “Wake up the Garden
2013”
