Return to the Garden

Download the Return to the Garden resource that shows congregations how to start community gardens. Check out the community garden timeline. Or download the PDF timeline. Does your congregation have a community garden? If so, complete a form and let us know about your garden. What do you do with all of that fresh produce? Check out the following cookbook: Simply In Season (World Community Cookbook) by Mary Beth Lind and Cathleen Hockman-wert

Is your church garden on the map? Find out >

Download a bulletin insert for your congregation.

Join the R2G listserve.

The Vision

The vision of Return to the Garden is to train Disciples how to address hunger relief, food security, and Earth stewardship through community gardening.

Community gardening for congregations

The 2007 Fort Worth (Texas) General Assembly marked the third Return to the Garden event. With 25 people participating, our total participants since 2005 now number 85.

The 2007 Return to the Garden event was made possible in part by participants in both the Portland (Ore.) Assembly and the Indianapolis Mix in ’06. At Portland, members of the University Christian Church (UCC) youth group who participated returned home with a mission to start a garden there. At Indianapolis, UCC associate pastor Cyndy Twedell participated, and having recalled the youth group’s desire to start a garden, also returned home with a mission to start a garden. After many conversations on land use (do we build a parking lot or plant a garden?), an organic community garden was launched in March 2007 at UCC.

Thanks to DHM, Disciples Volunteering, Yakama Christian Mission and Week of Compassion, Return to the Garden was launched nationwide at the 2005 Portland, Ore., General Assembly. In 2006, Return the Garden continued at Mix in '06. More than 30 women participated, witnessing the significance that church gardens can have in their communities. See photos from the Mix. In 2007, the ministry continued in Fort Worth, Texas, with 30 more people participating. And in 2009? How many people will participate in Indianapolis?

Disciples Gardens mapped

A list of congregations who have community gardens is now mapped!

Community garden timeline

Download a PDF of the timeline by clicking on the image below.