The Garden Gate Group
May 24th, 2012 // 1:09 pm @ admin
We began our ‘gathering’ in the Spring of 2008 when our small Free Methodist Church began to meet over a two month period to ask how we might somehow make a positive contribution to the happiness of our neighborhood. At the time we met the stock market DOW was 7,200 and life looked a little gloomy!
After 8 weeks of deliberate prayer we felt that we were to find a way to encourage our neighbors to eat more plants, for their better health. To grow some in their backyards, for some outdoor activity. To meet together to cook some of these plants , so that we could get to know each other better.
And to plant enough to be able to share with folks less fortunate. There was no hidden agenda. This was not a membership drive. Of course, as committed Christians we are grateful people who don’t hide our gratitude and we would always welcome newcomers but our immediate intent was to have a ’growing relationship’with neighbors whom we could literally love unconditionally.
Some of our early Garden Gate Group had already got their own backyard gardens. We settled on a dual ‘leadership’. Larry had a great track record as a diligent encouraging administrator, a keeper of records and accounts. I shared the ‘servant leadership’ with him in my role as visionary and very new but enormously enthusiastic gardener.
Gordon provided us with a lifetime of small garden experience, Joel turned out to be our construction guru. Jeanette turns up to weed whenever the need seems to escape our attention. Wes reminds us that we have a recorded story of God walking in the cool of the evening with Adam. Steven has a vision for the preservation of the harvest and is a workshop leader .
Valerie Rose is a Master Gardener and Gardening Journalist,one of our non-church members. We had a few more early responders who helped to get us established and then went on to connect with others to found small groups who had a variety of creative ways to be a blessing in our neighborhood.
I will pick up our story next week with the way we chose to have a community garden and set it up as an experiment that we could share with our neighbors.
Category : Blog &The Ripple Effect
Linda Moore Kurth
11 months ago
Sounds like a wonderful effort. I look at our church (not to name names, but it’s near the Riverside Club) and it’s all building and parking lot. Perhaps some day God will give me a vision on how I can help change that. I look forward to hearing how your community garden progresses.
Valerie
11 months ago
I am so pleased to see the direction of your efforts. Both as a cook and as a follower of Christ I am looking for ways to incorporate and activate my faith in daily living that will be light in this dark world.
My church has a large field included in our church property. This field is directly under power lines so not usable for much and every time I see it I think, “What a great community garden this would make.”
I am not gifted as an administrator (we creative types often aren’t but we are enthusiastic). I will be watching your blog for ideas and praying you along. I will also be praying for the patch of ground I think God might have plans for. May the Lord bless your efforts richly!
Val
wendy
11 months ago
Hello LTF ( long term fan!!!)
I remember that HUGE steak very well. It was almost big enough to ride!
Nowadays the big trick is to shift the emphasis from meat to vegetable and still have a ‘sigh of delight’ for the garnish.
Take a look at the food preference sheet on this web site and see if you can imagine a 4 oz steak with 10 oz of the vegetables you REALLY like. Could that work for you? It’s what works for our planet and it’s people.
LTC (long term cook !!)
Graham
wendy
11 months ago
Well done Wares, it’s so good to have you on board as we begin to see how this idea shakes out. Congratulations on the 7-9 servings a day..you are one ahead of us so far!
I loved the idea of the bean of the week and the fact that you are starting from dried by very simply soaking them overnight the day ahead ( like putting the cat out?), there is nothing so good as planning ahead and creating a new habit pattern.
Using meat as garnish is also our method. We found that, as a family of four, we saved just on $1000 a year by cutting back to no more than 100 grams ( 3 1/2 oz) per person per day. We then had to increase the vegetable portions to cover the vacated plate space, which cost $500.
We found a great children’s ministry to give that other $500. So everybody got to benefit!
Thanks again, it’s families like yours that will help to fill this little pond to overflowing.
Graham
wendy
11 months ago
Dear Val, You are not alone! I get to hear stories from all over the world as many churches and lots of others besides are being prompted to begin to grow something edible in their ‘ open spaces’
one recent survey by a huge international gardening equipment supplier reports that the kitchen garden in the largest trend in gardening worldwide.
Why, I wonder?
Could it be the economic slowdown, that would make sense to make some kind of provision for ones family?
Then again, could it be a return to the original ‘garden’. we often pray that God’s will be done on EARTH as it is in heaven . Could it be an expression of his kingdom coming?
I guess the only way to know, since we lack wisdom, is to ask him?
I am of the very strong opinion that any work needs to be prompted by a call, based on compassion and not as random acts in response to public activism that often has it’s roots in criticism and judgement of others, which we, as Christians are commanded NOT to do.
I will join you as you seek for a ‘word’ to get it started.. Where two or more are gathered……?
Benedicere!
Graham
wendy
11 months ago
Dear Linda, Yes, I do believe that I know where you are! I think it very important to have a time of pondering before putting a well meaning work into action. I certainly hope that our little story might be an encouragement, The thought that you will following our journey is a great encouragement. Should something ( anything”!!) be unclear, please do let me hear from you and let’s walk this out together?
Benedicere!
Graham
Michael Barger
11 months ago
Dear Graham,
I have enjoyed reading about your gardening efforts. I still eat my “birdseed” breakfast each morning and think about you often and how much you encouraged me while working at the YWAM Kona kitchen in 1978. I learned much from you then. I am driving to see my brother in Vancouver Washington from my home in El Paso, Texas tomorrow, June 27. I would love to visit you one day next week and see how your garden is growing. Please let me know where you are and if you will be available. I fly home on July 5. God bless you and Treena both!
Michael Barger
John Wilkinson
8 months ago
Hi Graham,
We have met at several occasions. once in garden club at Oak Harbor, and again during Mount Vernon garden tours this Spring. You may remember me as apple John from Anacortes. Graham, the reason I’m contacting you is because my church FirstBaptistChurch of Anacortes asked me today if I could offer any help or suggestions for them to build and maintain a community garden that would help to supply some of their new Soup Kitchen needs.
My background is in commercial horticulture and as a master gardener, so what I need help in is anticipating potential problems and needs to consider in my advice to our associate pastor Kevin Olivariz. This request from our pastor is part of my commitment to serve in a ministry. Many thanks and Blessings for all you have inspired, John Wilkinson
wendy
8 months ago
Hello John, Of course I remember you and your heirloom apples!
Your request is truly amazing in it’s timing, let me explain why.
Back in 1980 my wife Treena and I were serving as missionaries with youth with a mission(YWAM). These are the folks who have helped over 500,000 young, and not so young, people to go out on relatively short term missions to over 145 nations in our modern world.
Last year they celebrated their 50 th anniversary.
A young man was more than a little challenged by my then recent ‘celebrity’ and, for the sake of the common good we moved on to another location.
The change was painful and disruptive. At the time we were starting to plant gardens in places where they could provide better nutrition for some of the world’s poorest people’s. All that stopped suddenly and we began to focus on ‘advantaged’ people who ate unwisely and became sick as a result. It was this change that led us back to Television and the Mini-max idea of Minimum risk,Maximum flavor.
A couple of months ago the new leadership of that YWAM base in Salem Oregon asked us to go down and tell them what we thought that the Lord was saying back in 1980.
We went and explained and were prayed for and asked if we would consider returning as Elders to mentor their ongoing small garden missions project. This we did and submitted the request to our Pastor and the leadership of our church.
As of today 23 September 2012 we are officially sent out to rejoin YWAM and reconnect with the small garden projects that have world wide potential.
Now you see how amazing is your request!
Of course we would be delighted to meet with both you and your Pastor and discuss some of the ways this could work in the modern church.
Let is know some dates that work for you. Our mission is to offer ideas, we make no demands and seek to avoid all criticism and judgement of others. We also have no need to prove ourselves to anyone…only the Lord
Benedicere! (This means “To announce good things and to affirm one another”)
Graham.
Jo
3 months ago
Lived in California and followed you all through the decadent years. Now my husband and I are with Africa School of Missions, in South Africa and some of my best friends are YWAM-ers! If you come this way, will treat you to fresh salads and herbs from my garden on the school campus and there is always a room for you at the guest cottages here in White River near Kruger National Park! Consider yourself and Treena invited. Like your website! Benedicere! Jo
wendy
3 months ago
Jo, We had a new friend drop in just yesterday who had just returned from your neck of the woods absolutely raving about how beautiful etc etc etc . We have no plans yet, but it’s a great invitation!! Benedicere! Graham