The Community Garden Part 1

A picture that hung in her mother's house, a reminder of prayer over the garden.

Gardening has always been an important part of Kathy’s life and spiritual practice as she was growing up in the mountains of Burke County. She recalls the gardens that her mother planted each year and the ways in which they were gateways to her faith. She watched as her mother prayed before leaving the garden each day, “I did my part; now it’s your turn. And when you finish, I will be back to do the rest.” Just before her mother passed away in January 2007, she reminded Kathy and the rest of the children to “save her seeds,” and so they did. In the following Spring, they planted a garden in her memory only to realize that their mother was not talking about actual seeds. Rather, she was speaking spiritually, urging them to save the seeds of faith and plant them in the hearts of others.

One day, while driving down the road, Kathy heard the voice of God tell her to get involved in a community garden effort that the missions team of her previous church was organizing. She was not on the committee nor was she invited to the meeting, but the Spirit persisted in its urging. During the meeting, she asked if a small plot could be reserved in the corner of the garden for the children, and the committee agreed with enthusiasm. Later, the pastor of the church asked Kathy to expand the program into something bigger, and what began as a small effort became an 8-week summer program. The kids came once a week, and they would sing songs, read books, plant seeds, and harvest. They focused on themes such as creation, took walks in the woods, and learned about the parallels between gardening and God. Connections were formed between the youngest generation and the oldest as the children would carry baskets of fruit and vegetables to the elders in the church. 

Kathy recalls that the children would line up and each had a job to do. One would come and dig the hole for the seed, the next would plant the seed, the next would water it, and so on. Finally, the last boy came up, and Kathy jokingly told him that he had to "make it grow!” He looked at her, confused, and Kathy said, “We have to pray,” a lesson she took from her mother. After the prayer, the child opened his eyes and looked. “Did it grow yet?!”

This beautiful effort toward spiritual discipleship lasted for 12 years, and then CoVid happened.

When the group could no longer meet together, Kathy continued by making videos of her efforts in the garden. She would video herself planting and harvesting, reading books, and teaching about God’s beautiful creation. She encouraged the kids to come with their families to the garden throughout the week, and they did! When she and her husband moved to Emerald Isle full-time around 2021-22, the garden initiative she had founded years ago fell by the wayside without her care and commitment. When she walked into the doors of Emerald Isle Baptist Church, she realized that none of the children were running up to her for hugs. 

One day, she was watching a Senior Sunday service from her previous church, a worship service dedicated to recent high school and college graduates of the church. One of the participants declared, “One of the things that built my faith was Ms. Kathy’s Garden. I remember the Fruits of the Spirit song she would sing to us.” As tears began to form in her eyes, Kathy said to herself, “I am not finished. If that seed has grown, then we can plant more seeds!” Kathy realized that our plot surrounded by the little white fence which now holds the playground and garden was empty, and she asked herself, “What if?” And so she approached church leadership and was granted some raised beds in the corner of the plot. She and the children began to meet once a month on a Sunday after church, and the children would come out and continue to learn about God through the joy of planting and harvesting. She began saying her mother’s prayer, “I did my part; now it’s your turn. And when you finish, I will be back to do the rest.”

When asked about the connection between theology and gardening, Kathy said, “We each have a job to do, and we have an evangelistic responsibility to spread the Word. Ultimately God is the one that makes it grow. We do our part, and God does the rest, just like my mother’s prayer. We can plant seeds in these children’s hearts, and even though they might not remember the exact words that were said or who said them, they will remember the joy in the moment. With time, the seed will grow.”

The small garden that was planted in raised beds is still out in the corner of our playground. Kathy is still discerning the future of the program and whether or not it will expand. For now, the children continue to go out once a month during the Sunday worship hour. What will become of our humble garden. . .? We leave it up to you to decide.

If you would like to hear more of Kathy's story or are interested in getting involved with the program, please reach out to her!