The Accidental Garden

The boys, Jessie, and I went out to the garden this morning. We expected to be out there for maybe an hour, just puttering around with some stuff. I had already been up early, working out with the guys. I thought we’d do a bit in the garden with Matthew and Robert and move on. Wrong.

Next thing I know, people from the neighborhood show up. We had 19 people out there today, most working, a few passing through and talking. 13 of us were there for 5 hours. I wanted to get to the church yard sale, but could not leave the work—not the garden, but the work of ministry! What other chance am I going to have to talk for 5 hours with one family about Christ?

Here’s the garden work: weed-eating the edge of the garden—thanks Chris Zoch.

Weeding the tomatoes—Cliff, Robert, me. Cliff and I had some good talks, some imaginative talks. Cliff is right on board with the idea of the garden—getting food to people. He really knows the impact of the high price of veggies and fuel. He suggests (and seriously, no input from Jessie here) that we should be able to keep goats in the city for milk! We started dreaming about how to get aquaculture going so people could have some good protein! And we talked a lot about Jesus.

When Tanya came by, she and I got to talk about her kids and extended family. She and Jessie hit it off. And of course, there was time to talk about the church, about how maybe we could meet their needs.

Jessie was putting stray rocks and bricks (the garden is on a few old house lots) along the walk ways. Cliff and Tanya’s girls and their two friends got into it and were hauling loads of rocks in buckets. Then they went and got their wagon. They made repeated two-block trips back to their house brings brick and broken cinder block pieces. So now, the garden is edged and run through with bordered pathways. John and Joe scavenged some gravel for a nice spot in the middle. They think we can put a grill there. The idea now is to have one of our Thursday night dinners in the garden.

I have had this quirky idea to put up a door at the garden, just a door standing there. No reason, other than I think it seems at once inviting and jarring. Anyway, Robert and Chris helped me set it up, Katie cleaned it, and the kids want to paint a little on it. “Community Garden” is what Katie wants to put on it. Flowers and vegetables are what John wants. I wonder what other spontaneous artwork can erupt? I think on the back, the part you’d see in the garden or on the way out it should say, “garden of the people, for the people, by the people.”

Chelsea weeded the cucumbers, squash, watermelon, and okra. The garden is now about 90% weeded. It was in pretty grim shape last year. Something about having a year under our belt has made it known, made it a happening.

The funny thing is, this all came about by simply taking Jesus seriously when He said, “feed the hungry.” I like to garden, there is always an abundance… give it away. And then you find that people like to see things grow, they like to work and play together. It just happens. God has so much in store when you are faithful. It’s almost never only about the obvious; it has been about way more than feeding the hungry.