Lutheran Social Service - National Capital Area and Grace Lutheran
Church/Jubilee Center, Inc.
Washington, DC
All is not shimmering white marble and open green space in
our nation’s capital. Within blocks of tourist areas with fine restaurants,
people live in apartments and townhouses in concrete dominated neighborhoods laced with
poverty. Often the produce available at local groceries is inferior stock. Concern for that led Lutheran Social Services
– National Capital Area (LSS-NCA) to launch an Urban Agriculture Environment Ministry
for greening and gardening several neighborhoods.
Grace Lutheran Church serves a diverse metropolitan DC area. It counts members from 14 different countries, and
its Jubilee Center, Inc. reaches out to immigrant refugees, and youth from the Caribbean
and several continents. In early 2000, Ken Best a Grace and Jubilee board member, met with
staff of the ELCA’s Division for Church and Society (DCS) about starting an urban
garden. The result has been a
congregation-social ministry organization partnership that is growing as it grows
food.
LSS-NCA and Grace have piloted a demonstration garden
to show congregation members, neighbors and the community how they can grow their own food
in very small spaces. “The church offered a small area of its yard,” notes
Pastor Lee Ann Schray of LSS-NCA. “We
were able to provide technical expertise together with seeds and seedlings in order to get
started. We used the backyard baby swimming pool model of container gardening, pioneered
on the ELCA’s Chicago Lutheran Center parking garage rooftop.” An ELCA hunger grant provided start-up funds for
the pools, soil, tools, and additional seeds and plants. To keep the weeds down, under
Best’s direction the new gardeners mulched with cardboard and shredded wood donated
by local businesses. They drilled holes in the pools for drainage, and filled them with
soil and composted leaves.
Today, Grace members and neighbors plant and tend the garden. Youth lend a special hand weeding and
harvesting crops. Harvesting usually takes
place after worship on Sundays. To help with ongoing expenses, members provide small
donations for their produce. Produce is given
to neighbors who are elderly, sick or in need. Some neighbors, who have gardens, also
share their produce. “Through gardening
at the church, we hope to teach gardening basics, expanding the number of gardeners from
the congregation and neighborhood. We hope to
provide workshops, further train volunteers and encourage those who have expressed
interest in gardening in their own yards,” says Schray.
Grace’s garden is located in a visible, high-traffic
area, and news of it spreads by word of mouth.
Grace pastor, Dean Moe, notes that, “Sometimes the produce is harvested
without our knowledge, but we hope that the food goes to the hungry and those in need,
whether we know who they are or not. We’re
always seeking to reach out, and with the garden we trust that we are keeping up with the
changing dynamics of the community. The congregation has benefited by seeing green things
growing. They have a sense of excitement and accomplishment, especially at harvest time. Having fresh produce to take home to eat has been
fantastic.”
Schray says, “The LSS-NCA benefit is a closer
relationship with Grace and Jubilee Center.
We know members and staff better, and more about their ministry beyond the
garden. They have identified other sites
where we might develop partnerships for our Urban Agriculture and Environment Ministry. We are committed to growing a healthy environment,
healthy community and healthy people. This project was an easy way to link with a
congregation toward that end.”
From the ELCA publication, “Set Your Table,
That the Hungry Might Eat: 3 ½ Cooperative Models.” Available from the Division for
Church in Society or Lutheran Services in America.
Contact points:
Pastor Lee Ann Schray
Lutheran Social Service – National Capital Area
Phone: 202-723-3303
E-mail: schrayla@lssnca.org
Pastor Dean L. Moe
Grace Lutheran Church/Jubilee Center, Inc.
Phone: 202-829-9400
E-mail: grace@us.net
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