Going to the Garden

“Peace and social justice practiced here.” Those words are found on a banner hanging outside of the Champaign Church of the Brethren in Champaign, Illinois. This church has worked for the last few years to house a community garden for their congregation and the local community. The Champaign congregation has used the grant money they received from Going to the Garden to revamp their garden beds, increase their growing capacity, and to make a difference in the lives of the community members.

In a recent conversation with Dawn Blackman, she told how their community garden has become a safe space for “warring factions” in their community. The part of the city that their community is located in is one marked by ethnic diversity, low incomes, and poor relationships between residents and the police.

By opening their garden to the community at large, the church has established a strong bond with many of the neighborhood children through an after school program during the school year and a gardening program during the summer. This gives the youth the opportunity to grow their own produce which they can take or home to eat or which they sell at the church's weekly marketplace. It also gives leaders like Dawn time to teach the youth on topics ranging from healthy eating to working on basic life skills.

One of the most meaningful efforts that they have undertaken is to create a bond between the youth and the local police. Given the lack of trust between both sides, the garden is trying to bring the two groups together through work days and garden parties. Dawn said that it is their hope for both groups to learn to trust one another and to foster relationships in the context of community gardening. In this way, the Champaign Church of the Brethren is carrying out the message of peace and justice posted on their banner.

For more information on Going to the Garden and how your church can become involved, please visit www.brethren.org/goingtothegarden or e-mail kfurrow@brethren.org

Reprinted from Church of the Brethren Action Alerts