PHOTOS COURTESY FAITH & LEADERSHIP AND GARDENERS IN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT


ABOVE: Located in Dallas’ diverse, economically-challenged Pleasant Grove section, the Episcopal Church of Our Saviour is still small, but has found new purpose through its garden. LEFT: The garden draws a range of volunteers, some of whom participate in the church, some not.


this area.” But they said they’re glad to see a


community project develop, particu- larly when it benefits neighbors. “This is awesome,” Patricia Guynn


said. “It’s a testament to what can be done.”


Neighbors connecting While new residents have acceler-


ated the growth in North Dallas and its suburbs, older neighborhoods like Pleasant Grove have struggled. First settled in the 1840s, the Pleasant Grove area exploded with new homes between 1943 and 1952, according to the Handbook of Texas Online. But development since then has


been scant. Although the area is ethni- cally diverse, the population is more transient now, making it difficult to grow the size of church membership. But at Our Saviour, church mem-


bers decided they could “grow” their church by forging stronger connections with their neighbors, many of whom seemed to be barely scraping along. Back in 2003, they considered a range of ideas, including opening a day care. Their decision to start a commu-


nity garden is now part of a growing trend, because the work and the yield provide so many benefits, both tangi- ble and spiritual. People are increas- ingly drawn to the idea of eating nutritious food, and most find a deeper connection to their communi- ties when they work on a joint project. “Jesus was in the food business, and I think it’s time for Christians to be in the food business, too,” said Nor- man Wirzba, a theology professor at UMC-affiliated Duke Divinity School. He is an interdisciplinary specialist who has focused his teaching and re- search on the overlap between theol- ogy, philosophy, ecology and agrarian and environmental studies. But in Dallas in 2003, the trend


hadn’t really caught on. Our Saviour’s garden idea was sparked by a presen- tation by Don Lambert, who had vis-


ited the church a year or so before the garden outreach began. Mr. Lambert, who was once called “the acknowl- edged dean of the community garden movement in Dallas,” is a former Peace Corps volunteer and Berkeley- trained anthropologist. He had helped develop gardens for


Asian refugee families who settled in Dallas in the late 1980s and had been trying for years to interest churches and other organizations in starting their own community gardens. But he had met with resistance from home- owner associations, elected officials and city staff, some of whom worried that community gardens would be un- sightly and hard to regulate. “Implementing it here is very


tough,” Mr. Lambert said. “The local culture. The inertia. Local community associations haven’t seen gardens as anything they want in their neighbor- hoods.” Against this backdrop, Our Saviour


launched its roadside garden with help from Mr. Lambert and his non- profit, Gardeners in Community De- velopment, which provided crucial technical assistance on starting and maintaining the garden.


Because Our Saviour was built on


church property, gardeners were able to sidestep many of the regulations from City Hall. But some church members did


have concerns. They wondered whether the gardeners would track a trail of mud and debris into the church. They were a little concerned about having so many strangers visit- ing at one time. And they wondered whether irrigation costs would burden the water bill. The garden started with 20 small


plots, six of which were set aside for growing donated food. Others were tended by individuals or families who wanted to grow their own food. Mr. Lambert gave advice about how to keep things going with an ever-shift- ing workforce of Boy Scout troops and other volunteers. “He usually knows [what we need]


before we know to ask,” said Ms. Smith, the indefatigable garden coor- dinator. For the most part, the congrega-


tion’s worries have been laid to rest. Not only has the original garden grown in size, but gardeners have tried their hand with a worm farm, a


beehive for honey and an orchard with fruit trees. The church still operates some


plots specifically to grow food for charity, as well as designating some for individuals who want to grow their own food.


Measuring success The garden has increased traffic at


Our Saviour, although it has not added to the thin ranks on Sundays. Some weeks, just 10 families attend. But the gardeners say they meas-


ure their success by the many people who’ve been touched in one form or another. There are the people who tend their own small plots, plus a cast of volunteers that includes countless Boy Scout troops, students, interns, civic clubs and neighbors. And now there are other parishes that want to replicate Our Saviour’s model. “It’s just amazing what this small


group of people has done,” said Bishop Lambert. “Now you have churches 15 to 20 times the size of them coming to them for information.” And then there are the needy in


Pleasant Grove, who recently lined up outside a food pantry even as the gar-


deners were pulling produce from the ground and shaking the dirt off the plants less than a mile away. One food pantry client, Alice King,


55, lost her job 14 months ago. She brightened at the sight of the fresh produce after spotting it amid the ce- real, rice and other food pantry sta- ples. “I love veggies,” she said. “These


will be a meal for me all week.” Before she left the parking lot, Ms. King had menus in mind. For the greens, “I already know. I’m


going to boil them. The peas, I know I’ll shell them and freeze them until I need them. The eggplant, I’m not re- ally sure. She said you can cook it like you do squash. I had never tried it be- fore.”


That’s why the garden ministry is


considered a resounding success, re- gardless of whether it boosts church membership. If Our Saviour disap- peared today, it’s plain that the garden ministry would indeed be missed.


Ms. Stahl is a Dallas-area writer. This article first appeared at the Faith & Leadership website, www.faithandleadership.com, and is used here by permission.


LEFT: The garden regularly sees visitors, and much larger churches have sent teams to inspect it and ask advice from the Our Saviour team. RIGHT: Don Lambert (l) leads Gardeners in Community Development, a Dallas group, and has helped the Our Saviour garden become a major contributor to food pantries.


UNITED MET HODI S T REPORTER | JANUARY 6, 2012 | 5B


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