2021: A Year in Review
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

NC Council of Churches

Strength in Unity, Peace through Justice

  • Voices
  • About
    • Overview
    • Staff
    • Members
    • Covenant Partners
    • Issue Statements
    • Governing Board
  • Programs
    • NC Interfaith Power & Light
      • NCIPL Overview
      • Faith in Action NCIPL
      • NCIPL Articles
      • NCIPL Resources
      • Upcoming Events for NCIPL
      • Contact NCIPL
    • Partners in Health & Wholeness
      • PHW Staff
      • Mini-Grants
      • PHW Collaborative Pledge
      • The Overdose Crisis: The Faith Community Responds
      • Mental Health Advocacy
      • BIPOC Mental Health Grant
      • Growing Communities of Inclusion: A Faithful Response to HIV
      • Citizen Science
      • PHW Articles
      • FAQs
  • Priorities
    • Racial Justice
    • The Overdose Crisis: The Faith Community Responds
    • Gun Violence Prevention
    • Criminal Justice
    • Immigrant Rights
    • Public Education
    • Farmworkers
    • Legislative Advocacy
    • Christian Unity
    • Peace
  • Events
  • Resources
    • COVID-19 Resources
    • Publications & Reports
    • Raleigh Report
    • Lectionary
    • Sermons
  • Donate
  • Council Store
  • Show Search

Search NC Council of Churches

Hide Search

Concord UMC: Planting Seeds and Watching Hearts Grow

Chris Pernell, Director, Partners in Health and Wholeness · September 14, 2016 · Leave a Comment

By Kaitlyn Brodar, PHW Intern

As the health lead for Concord UMC in Graham, NC, Donna Poe spends most of her time in the garden. Even as we were talking, she was hard at work picking caterpillars off the collard greens. “You know, it’s amazing what you can get accomplished while you’re kneeling over a bed just talking to someone else—whether it’s the first time meeting, or if they’re best friends, or if it’s families coming out. It’s very special.” Concord UMC started their community garden eight years ago, and it’s grown larger with each new year.  The idea of the garden sprouted in church conversations when Donna was a new member.  The pastor wasn’t able to attend a community garden interest meeting at Anathoth Garden, so she jumped in and offered to go as a note-taker. While there, she became so excited and passionate about the project that she took the lead on breaking ground for the Garden of Concord.

In its infancy, the garden had around ten volunteers and only a few beds. Today, over 70 families share the work. They have over half an acre planted—around 80 beds. “It’s a community effort. We all work together. There are always different tasks for different people with different skill levels, because the thing is, you don’t have to have any experience. I didn’t have any experience when I started, so I just tell people to come on out and learn about growing good food and sharing it and making good friends and all of that.” While she may not have started with much experience, Donna completed a two-year degree in sustainable agriculture and obtained a Master Gardener certification because of her passion for the garden.

The Garden of Concord is always busy. They donate a portion of their harvest to S.A.F.E (Southern Alamance Family Empowerment), a food pantry that feeds many families in the area. While food pantries are often limited to processed and canned foods, S.A.F.E is able to provide fresh fruits and vegetables that come directly from the garden. The garden has also recently started a CSA (community supported agriculture) program called Box of Blessings. Families can purchase a share and they can also sponsor a share, which allows families who cannot afford the CSA to receive a weekly box of free vegetables.  “People come only once a month to the food pantry, and what we donate is in bulk so we never see the people that get the food.  With the CSAs, the families come to us every week during garden hours to pick up their box, and they’re always invited to grow with us and to come to anything that we’re doing in the garden.”

The garden also hosts various workshops on topics like nutrition, cooking, and canning. Recently, they hosted a dermatologist who gave a presentation on the harmful effects of sun exposure and proper skin care techniques, and also provided free screenings for the community. Each week, the garden hosts “Kidz Thyme,” an hour for children to come to the garden and participate in garden-related activities. “I don’t know how many parents have said how long they’ve tried to get their kids to eat vegetables, and they come to the garden and they’re so excited, they’ll just pull a carrot out of the ground and start munching on it. They’re just so excited to be part of the process of planting their own food.”

Donna views her work in the garden as an extension of her faith—a response to our call to care for creation.  “I don’t have a Duke Divinity degree—I’m not out here preaching to people—but I’d like to think that I’m witnessing my faith to others just because of my love and care of the church and of this garden. I would say about 50% of the people in the garden are unchurched folks.  And then there’s a good percentage of folks that go to church, but not our church, and they are just working out their stewardship by working in the garden. It’s wonderful when I hear from people how thankful they are for the garden—that there’s something really special going on and they’re not exactly sure what it is. It’s just so great to actually see the seeds that are being planted in the hearts of so many, that they’re definitely feeling something. Whether they’ll start coming to our church has never been a goal of mine; it’s just about nurturing the hearts of those in our community.”

The fruit of Donna’s labor is helping others enjoy the garden. “The heart of our garden is our membership. I’m just so thankful for the 70 families that are involved. We definitely could not do it without them. And we’re very mindful about how we’re growing—we’re trying not to grow too fast, just grow according to God’s will for the garden. I would say my favorite thing is just the relationship that we’ve established with families in the community.  They feel so welcome to come here. A lot of times it’s hard for people—they just don’t want to go to a church—it’s a little easier for them to come to a garden, a community garden.”

Sharing the garden with others is really important to Donna. She regularly travels to other churches and organizations to speak about care for creation and to help them to start their own garden. “I usually just start with our beginning—like, I had no experience. I try to just encourage folks—just build upon that passion that’s placed in your heart by God. You don’t have to have any kind of major degree or anything to do it. It’s just about gathering folks together with a common interest and a desire to work together. It could be as simple as a small flower garden or just anything to get a group of people together in caring for something together.”

If your congregation would like to put your faith into action by prioritizing the health of your members, please visit the PHW website at www.healthandwholeness.org.

Filed Under: Blog, Homepage Featured Tagged With: Come to the Table, Community Gardens, Health

About Chris Pernell, Director, Partners in Health and Wholeness

Chris is a native Kentuckian and the daughter of missionary parents who served Eastern Kentucky for more than 40 years. She relocated to North Carolina in 1981 and has come to call NC home. Prior to coming to the Council, she spent several years in corporate America before joining a faith-based, nonprofit medical clinic serving the uninsured and under-served of Franklin County. Chris is excited to be a part of the Council’s PHW program where she can utilize her background in health care and service. She and her husband have two children, a cat, a dog, and a surprisingly friendly bearded dragon. In her free time, Chris enjoys reading, basketball, and traveling, especially to the mountains.

Reader Interactions

More Like This

Bolstering Local Economies & Food Access: Faith Communities & Farmers of Color
Supporting a Sustainable Race Workshop
Dignity Through Food

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Anonymous comments or comments that target individuals will not be posted (please include your first and last name). All comments must be on topic and respectful. Comments will not be posted until they have been reviewed by a moderator. Comments do not reflect the positions of the NC Council of Churches.

Footer

Contact

NC Council of Churches
27 Horne St.
Raleigh, NC 27607
(919) 828-6501
info@ncchurches.org

Facebook

Partners in Health and Wholeness

Featured

Concord UMC: Planting Seeds and Watching Hearts Grow

Latest Tweets

Your Vote is Your Voice! Learn more about Democracy in Action on 5/27 with Blueprint NC’s Executive Director, Serena Sebring. We will hear about the political movement and how we can take action. Register for our #2022CriticalIssues at the link! bit.ly/3KZgi7z pic.twitter.com/CrMe…

About 2 days ago

Learn what’s at stake for North Carolinians and how our courts impact our daily lives on 5/25 with @NCVCE Director, Melissa Price Kromm. The U.S. courts play such an important role in our lives no matter what the issue. #2022CriticalIssues bit.ly/3KZgi7z pic.twitter.com/1z1v…

About 4 days ago

Since redistricting affects who is elected to governmental bodies, the decisions about boundaries also affect policies these bodies enact. Anyone who cares about the way laws affect communities should care about this. Learn more #2022CriticalIssues bit.ly/3KZgi7z @scsj pic.twitter.com/sls7…

Last week

Through the assistance of @CarterCenter, Jennifer Roberts & Bob Orr are assembling a cross-partisan network of respected North Carolinians advocating for adherence to democratic & civic values in NC elections. Learn more & register: bit.ly/3KZgi7z #2022CriticalIssues pic.twitter.com/dCTl…

About 2 weeks ago

RT @healthactionnc Help us keep Medicaid expansion in the spotlight by joining our letter to the editor campaign. Never written an LTE before? No problem, register for our Action Hour and get all the tools you will need! bit.ly/MedExActionHo… twitter.com/healthac…

About 2 weeks ago

Follow @ncchurches

Latest Tweets

RT @FaithCompassWFU Consider becoming an HIV & Faith Ambassador! To learn more, plan to join us for a virtual information session on 05/18 at 2 PM, 06/30 at 2 PM, or on 07/20 at 11 AM, all EST. Register now: bit.ly/FaithAmbInfo #faithandHIV #faithcompassWFU #transformthestory pic.twitter.com/oZo7…

Last week

Join us now Attorney General Josh Stein for a virtual conversation, “A Faith-Based harm Reduction Approach to the Opioid Crisis.” youtube.com/watch?v=…

About 2 weeks ago

RT @NCAGO Join Attorney General @JoshStein_ today at 1 p.m. for a discussion on a faith-based harm reduction approach to the opioid crisis with representatives of Olive Branch Ministries. Register here: us06web.zoom.us/webi… pic.twitter.com/XB05…

About 2 weeks ago

Register here! #phw #MentalHealthAwareness ncchurches.ourpowerb… pic.twitter.com/VTN7…

About 3 weeks ago

Please Join Us! ncchurches.ourpowerb… pic.twitter.com/KG6o…

About 3 weeks ago

Follow @healthandfaith

Latest Tweets

RT @mocleanair Read our editorial in @GeorgiaRecorder. georgiarecorder.com/… @EnergyFdn @GCVoters @cleanenergyorg @GeorgiaIPL @gasierraclub @CleanAirMoms_GA @PSEquityMatters @SouthfaceInst @GAChapterAAP @CEHN @docsforclimate @enviRN @schoolnurses @uwomenfaith @eldersclimate @NCIPL @AlabamaPJC

About 3 days ago

RT @mocleanair Comments due in 3 days - if you haven't submitted one yet, do it today! For tips, read our blog about the different kinds of air pollution heavy duty vehicles make. #HealthyAirIsHealthCare #CleanAir @CEHN @TheOxygenProj @eldersclimate @uwomenfaith @GeorgiaIPL @AlabamaPJC @NCIPL twitter.com/mocleana…

About 3 days ago

RT @WECAN_INTL 📢Today, Indigenous women leaders & 200+ groups sent a letter calling on @USACEHQ to deny the permits for Line 5, conduct a federal EIS & respect Indigenous rights! To protect communities, water & our climate we must #StopLine5. Learn more👉bit.ly/3MBazW4 pic.twitter.com/FqeQ…

About 3 days ago

RT @interfaithpower North Carolina congregations with @NCIPL are taking advantage of their utility's solar panel rebate program to save on their lighting and space heating and cooling costs. #Faiths4Climate #EarthWeek twitter.com/PNS_NC/s…

About 3 weeks ago

RT @scennetwork1 This past weekend, Alexander Easdale, our Executive Director, attended the Fight for Our Future rally in Washington D.C. to advocate for climate action! Read more about this event here and see if you can spot our SCEN T-shirts in one of the pictures: nytimes.com/2022/04/… pic.twitter.com/5voq…

Last month

Follow @ncipl

Latest Tweets

Copyright © 2022 NC Council of Churches · All Rights Reserved · Website by Tomatillo Design · Hosted by WP Engine