One of the most exciting things that has happened since I’ve joined the ministry of The House of Hope Presbyterian Church is our new community garden that sits right on Summit Avenue.
We have formed a partnership with Neighborhood House, a community service organization that serves mostly immigrant and refugee populations in West Saint Paul. Neighborhood House provides basic needs, youth programs and adult programs for those who are learning to navigate life in a new country and particularly in the Twin Cities.
The fruits and vegetables we harvest from the community garden fill the shelves of the food pantry at Neighborhood House providing its patrons access to free and fresh produce. The food pantry at Neighborhood House tries to include culturally appropriate food that its patrons would recognize and know how to cook, so we’ve got things like bok choy and bean sprouts growing in our garden, not just typically midwestern veggies like, oh, I don’t know, potatoes.
I don’t know a whole lot about gardening, but I do know that the fact that hunger and food insecurity exist in a country as wealthy as ours is just plain wrong. I’m proud to be part of a congregation who has decided to take a small part in trying to alleviate this problem.
Since the garden has been up, there has been some controversy with the fence that surrounds the garden which protects the produce from the rabbits and squirrels. Some neighbors in the area have found it “not up to par” with their tastes and while they were at first requesting that the entire garden itself be moved to the back of the church, they are now asking that the current fence be removed and replaced with one more “fitting” to the historic nature of Summit Avenue.
Here are some pictures of the fence:
I don’t know what Summit Avenue looked like when the House of Hope was built here in 1914, but I doubt it was all pristine & manicured lawns. I imagine there was a lot more animal fecal matter on the street and perhaps a lot more gardens to feed the families living on Summit. That’s not what we mean by “historic,” though, I suppose.
Anyway, on Wednesday night, I went to a city council hearing to speak in favor of the garden. Others spoke to the more logistical nature of things, like the fact that we did get a permit from the Historic Preservation Commission who approved our plans, that we did carefully design the garden and it fence taking into account the neighborhood, etc. etc… But I spoke to the more theological reason for having a garden right on Summit Avenue.
Here’s what I said:
As people of faith, we believe God calls us to share with the whole world the message of God’s love and justice for all people, and to let that light shine. Where there is injustice and inequity, we believe we are called to shine light on it, bringing awareness of it and helping to right that wrong.
Our new community garden on Summit Avenue bears witness to that call to actively engage and work for to make this world a better place. By its presence, the garden reminds all those who see and encounter it that food insecurity and hunger are problems not just in developing countries around the world, but right here in Saint Paul as well.
The fruits and vegetables we harvest from this garden fill the shelves of the food pantry at Neighborhood House providing its patrons access to free and fresh produce.
Its visible presence on historic, and largely affluent, Summit Ave. reminds us all that while great disparity and injustice exist, we can do something about it.
The name of our church: The House of Hope, was intentionally chosen in 1855 by our founding minister as a sign of welcome and sanctuary for the new immigrants in this frontier-world who were looking for a place of refuge because they felt like strangers in a strange land. We can’t think of anything more true to our founding as a church than the establishment of this community garden that benefits the largely immigrant and refugee population who receive food assistance through Neighborhood House.
Through this garden, we share this vision of hope with the community around us, inviting all of our neighbors, near and far, to participate in helping make Saint Paul a better, more welcoming place for all its residents.
The next morning, we found the story in the paper, and I was quoted! Read the article:
“Summit Avenue church garden lauded; not so its fence”
We are currently navigating a middle road where all parties might be happy with, or at least can live with the garden on Summit Avenue.
While I want to be a good neighbor and listen when members of the surrounding community are upset, I have to admit, I am finding this “cause” rather unsympathetic.
My parents were first generation immigrants to the U.S, and for most of my childhood and adolescence, we were in survival mode. I grew up with way too much financial insecurity to really care about the aesthetics of a fence, particularly when it’s protecting a garden whose produce is doing so much good. (We’ve already harvested 70 lbs of food from it since it was put in this past May!)
There is a part of me that cannot believe the absurdity of the situation, but I am heartened by all those who have come forward in support of the garden, its fence and its mission.
I also feel that this garden has done so much more than just feed the hungry. It has taught a naïve pastor that despite all the good you do, there will always be those who object. This is not just the cynical side of me rearing its ugly head; it’s learning to understand the reality that even something that seems as trivial as a fence will sometimes stir in people anger and energy like I’ve never seen. It has also helped me reflect on my own values and where I’m willing to invest my own time and energy.
Inadvertently, with the help of the Holy Spirit, I think the garden has done something “A Brief Statement of Faith” calls “unmask some of the idolatries of church and culture.” For me, it has brought into light some of the obscene things we idolize as a society like: outward “beauty” over the beauty of what’s happening inside; tradition over innovation; and aesthetics over compassion…
And if I’m honest, I know there is a part of me that also subscribes to that idolatry, as much as I try to resist.
So I end this post with that very paragraph from “A Brief Statement” because I think it captures what I (with the help of community of faith and of God) hope to be and do in this world:
In a broken and fearful world the Spirit gives us courage to pray without ceasing, to witness among all peoples to Christ as Lord and Savior, to unmask idolatries in church and culture, to hear the voices of peoples long silenced, and to work with others for justice, freedom, and peace.
Jumping into Living Water 