Return to the Garden
Community gardening
for congregations
The 2009 Indianapolis General Assembly marked the fourth Return to the Garden training event. Held at Felege Hiywot Center, home to a large community garden and emerging community food security program in partnership with a number of Indianapolis organizations, Disciples witnessed first hand what can happen within a community.
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.
Since 2005, more than 100 people have participated in Return to the Garden. Look for us in Nashville, Tenn., in 2011.
