“God blessed them…then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it.
They will be yours for food…God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.”
In 2009, churches in the Hampton Roads area worked together to develop a community garden to provide fresh produce to people in need.
Virginia Beach UMC developed the idea and bought seedlings to plant in the garden. Church members at Virginia Beach UMC needed to find land and approached Nimmo UMC, which had space vailable. A team of volunteers from local churches and the community worked together.
The garden is large enough to make an impression on the community. It is approximately 60 feet by 45 feet, and its visibility from the busy General Booth Boulevard has served as a living witness to the love of Christ. Over the summer, watermelon, cantaloupe, cucumbers, squash, tomatoes, eggplant and peppers were grown. Most of the produce went to Potter’s House, Virginia Beach UMC’s urban ministry at the oceanfront. Some went to Judeo Christian Outreach Center.
The garden also has served as an educational place for children from Virginia Beach UMC in Vacation Bible School, Summer Splash and Kids in Action mission program. The children learned about the nutritional value in growing food and in helping children that are less fortunate.
The garden also ministered to the disabled in the community through Tanner’s Creek Horticultural Services, a division of Eggleston Services. Tanner’s Creek Horticultural Services’ volunteers worked in the community garden each week and experienced team building skills, social skills applications, and rehabilitation/recreation tasks through normal garden maintenance.
— Melody Jeffrey, Missions and Outreach
