The Vine and the Branches

Abiding Peace Lutheran Church
Kansas City, MO

Eight years ago, Mary Gerken described the grounds of Abiding Peace Lutheran Church in Kansas City, Missouri as "the most desolate four acres." She and some other members of the church began developing a creation awareness ministry. Their vision was to create a sanctuary with their facility and grounds that would welcome people and wildlife.

After seeking advice from a local gardening expert, they began planting and changing their surroundings one step at a time. They planted trees and shrubs around the church building for windbreaks and shade. Marginal areas became berry patches or ponds for wildlife. Kansas is a prairie state, so they began to restore a portion of their property as a prairie meadow. The backyard was fenced and turned into a meditation garden, with grape vines, plantings for butterflies and a walking trail. A portion of the property was dedicated to community gardening, used not only by local gardeners but also as therapy by a mental health facility.

The wildlife came. Birds nested in their birdhouses and rabbits appeared. The berries fed the birds, but also the church's human neighbors. Someone jokingly asked if they were going to make wine from their grapes. Accepting the joke as a challenge, they have made their own communion wine for the last several years.

There have been difficult moments. The property, particularly the meadow, was no longer familiar to people. The first year of the meadow, the church was reported for weed violations. They learned to put up signs and to inform people of what they were doing. It has been a cultural change for many and has taken time. Now, however, the community views these gardens as their own. Neighbors bring visiting friends to walk around the trail. Many older folks grew up on farms and feel comfortable in the church surroundings. It has become a special place for children. Mary has discovered that people are more apt to open up about spiritual things if they are working together in a garden.

As the congregation has grown more environmentally conscious, it has affected their life indoors. They recycle bulletins and use mugs instead of Styrofoam cups. The parables of Jesus have come alive. The struggle between the wheat and the tares makes sense when you have been trying to grow wheat. And what of the "vine and the branches"? If you have to prune grape vines that grow 15 feet a year, you develop a new understanding and appreciation for the work of the Father, the Master Gardener.

Adapted from an article in Creation Care magazine by Ginny Vroblesky.