Welcoming God and Other Strangers.....

Saturday, February 23rd. we held the first in a six-part workshop series on faith-based community gardening in conjunction with PING, Covenant Community Garden, Heifer International, Anathoth Community Garden, and Come to the Table. Seven families became members of our garden community that day, we also received many visitors, and were assisted in building 3 raised beds by folks from Anathoth and Covenant Community Gardens. We gathered together, told our stories, and broke the bread.Venetia Smith welcoming our guests.

Pilgrimage to the garden.

Everyone finding their niche and pitching in.Fred Bahnson, manager of Anathoth Community Garden.
Shoveling and hauling manure.John Hughes reminiscing on Anathoth's first year.Slate Gray pitching in.Catching a breath between working in the garden and lunch. Chris Burtner, garden manager at Covenant Community Garden in Fuquay-Varina, is the lady in the middle with her hands wrapped around the coffee cup.Carving the turkey. After all, it was a day of thanksgiving.There was plenty of food.Some of our guests.
Beth Norris speaking on Christian hospitality and community.Chris Franks speaking on communion as hospitality.Rich Church speaking on hospitality and creation.

Part of the assembly.

The Lord's supper - communion - Eucharist - thanksgiving.

Photographs courtesy of Claire Hermann, director of Come to the Table.

Mule team.....

One of our neighbors, Wayne Hussey, brought in Mabel and Jane this past Saturday to start building what will become our raised beds.

They plowed up 11 beds in no time at all. In fact, we spent more time driving back to Wayne's to replace a broken plow point than they did actually plowing. On the way to his home, Wayne showed me an 8 acre plot and a 5 acre plot he had just plowed under with his mules. The mules might be pulling the plow, but the driver has to work too. Considering what they usually do, our little job was a piece of cake.

Eleven beds (some 36 ft. long) may not seem like much, but I think we're going to have our hand's full when it comes time to do the weeding and harvesting!

Last tractor, we hope.....

Slate Gray watching Tim Davis load horse manure into a spreader at Callicutt Stables here in Seagrove.

John Callicutt, stable owner and horse trainer, with one of the manure providers.

Tim Davis, stable employee.

Tim spreading manure on the garden area.

We hope to have a mule and plow in here on Saturday to start building the raised beds, and after that, we also hope the garden will be entirely worked by hand. There might be a few areas that require the use of a lawn mower and a weed eater, but other than that, all by hand. God willing. Thanks to the Callicutts for providing the "fertilizer" for our community garden. Having a stable less than a mile from the garden is a plus.
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I hope those of you reading this have chosen to come to our Piedmont Interfaith Network of Gardens workshop on Saturday the 23rd. Be sure and call Claire Hermann at (919) 542-1396 x207 to register. Here's the schedule of the day's events.

Welcoming God and Other Strangers
Hospitality, Communion and Sharing the Fruits of the Garden
Feb 23, 2008

Agenda
Seagrove Community Garden-Sowing Seeds of Faith

9:00 a.m. Registration, Coffee Connection--Fellowship Hall
9:30 a.m. Gathering in the Sanctuary
Welcome--Venetia Smith
9:45 a.m. Pilgrimage to the Garden
10:00 a.m. Work Share- Tom Gray
Stories about the Garden-Tom Gray
Group I: Building Beds
Group II: Sowing Seed Trays
12:00 Noon Return to Church
12:15 p.m. Blessing the Bread-Rev. Bob Dowling
Potluck Lunch
Workshops
1:00 p.m. Communion As Hospitality- Rev. Chris Franks
1:30 p.m. Christian Hospitality and Community-Beth Norris
2:00 p.m. Break-Fellowship Hall
2:15 p.m. Hospitality to Creation-Rich Church
2:45 p.m. Panel Discussion
Rev. Chris Franks, Beth Norris, Rich Church, Tom Gray, Fred Bahnson, Chris Burtner, Claire Hermann and Ginger Deason
3:15 p.m. Eucharist--Rev. Bob Dowling & Rev. Chris Franks
3:45 p.m. Blessing and Sending Forth--Rev. Bob Dowling