Health comes in many forms. Clean air, clean water, safe environment. Health also comes about through acts of feeding hungry people, bringing healing and wholeness to individuals, and offering hospitality to native species. Through changing an empty weedy lot into a lush Community Garden and an outdoor labyrinth, St. Andrew Presbyterian Church has created a healthy, wholesome space for God's creation. Rev. Brent Long, pastor at St. Andrew, says, "It is our hope that this community garden is a place for receiving and encountering God, met in organic earth, local neighbors, and hungry souls."

In both casting the vision and evaluating the end result, the congregation has sought the neighborhood's input at a community pig roast. Neighbors are also invited to participate in gardening and walking the labyrinth. Rev. Long explains, "To the best of our knowledge no other outdoor labyrinth exists in Billings (a city of about 100,000) and there are only five or six in the state of Montana. Everyone is welcome to use the labyrinth and community garden for physical health and spiritual growth."

In order to create the garden, countless volunteers labored together. The process included digging a well, installing a pump, cutting through a parking lot, digging under a sidewalk, and preparing the soil for planting. Gardeners abide by rules of using church grass clippings for mulch and other organic compost rather than chemical fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides. Each year, local nurseries have donated plants to the garden. At harvest time, in order to spread the healthy bounty, gardeners donate a minimum of 10 percent of their produce to groups serving community hunger needs such as Montana Rescue Mission and Billings Food Bank.

The seven-circuit labyrinth is located west of the garden and circles a cluster of cottonwood trees. Built with landscaping fabric covered with milled asphalt, gravel, and wood chips, the labyrinth provides a comfortable, durable path. It is lined with large river rocks carefully placed by hand by volunteers, with a path wide enough for a wheelchair to navigate. Future plans for the labyrinth include park bench, maybe chimes, potted aromatic herbs in the center. The labyrinth is used as a prayer tool and is offered as a way for people to enjoy quiet time, find peacefulness, and think/feel their way through challenges. As such, it uplifts healthy living in mind, body, and spirit.

Rev. Long concludes, "This project has provided us opportunities to serve the spiritual and physical needs of everyone in the community, to express our concern for the most vulnerable and to continue in our striving for good stewardship of our land and resources. The congregation has seen an increase in energy and recommitment to ecological stewardship and community service in feeding the hungry, both spiritually and physically, as workers in the spirit of God."

Contact Person: Rev. Brent Long at brent.long@pcusa.org