Logo design by YoungDoo Carey / mnml-studio.com
Grow. Gather. Give.
A garden and kitchen ministry for the whole church.
We help churches in central North Carolina plant a garden, cook and eat what comes from it, and send the harvest out to neighbors — with children, families, and the whole congregation sharing in each step.
“Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop — a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
Matthew 13:8 (NIV)
The oldest work of the congregation.
A church is a people who gather, and a people who gather will eat; the oldest work of the congregation has always been to put a table in the middle of the room and then to open the door.
Grow. Gather. Give. returns that work to the soil. A church needs no field to begin; a few raised beds will do, and so will a handful of containers and a fellowship kitchen.
Grow, gather, give.
We grow because a child who has planted a seed has been taught patience by something that cannot be hurried.
We gather because the harvest is meant for a table, and the table is where a congregation becomes a family.
We give because food that is only kept spoils, and a garden that feeds no neighbor has not yet finished its work.
Every lesson follows this arc — from preparing the land through planting, tending, harvesting, cooking, serving, and seeing what the gift has done in the community. Every lesson is written from Scripture, drawing on the Parable of the Sower and the teaching of Christ, and rests on a simple ethic of care for people, care for the earth, and a fair share for all.
“But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.”
Luke 8:15 (NIV)
Wherever you are starting.
Every lesson is written for three settings, so that no church is told it needs more before it can begin.
No garden
We teach with containers and windowsills, with soil and compost, and with the kitchen — cooking from a local farm or a member's garden.
Raised beds
A few shared beds can serve every age and be tended by a small team of volunteers.
Ground to break
A full garden offers room for work days, a real harvest, and a generous gift to the pantry.
It fits the week you already keep.
Nothing new has to be added to the calendar. If your church has a weekday preschool, Sunday school, midweek suppers, youth gatherings, vacation Bible school, or fellowship meals — the program fits inside what you already do. One garden serves every age, and the ministries your church already has begin to work on the same project.
The church year
- SpringPlanting meets Easter and Pentecost.
- SummerCamp, tending, and the long days of growth.
- FallThe harvest feast and the thanksgiving table.
- WinterRest, planning, and Advent.
What we provide, and what you provide.
We bring
- Lessons and teacher preparation
- Materials lists
- A bound field journal for each child
- Help setting up the garden that suits your space
- Optional summer care service
You bring
- Your people
- Your land, or your kitchen
- Your table
Begin with a conversation.
Every congregation is different, in its size, its space, its volunteers, and the ministries it already loves. We would be glad to talk with you about what would fit yours.