Andrew Webb describes one church’s vision to serve its community through a programme to develop its garden

The message the exterior of a church gives to a passer-by should not be underestimated. We need to present our buildings in a way that will cause people to enquire within. At Holly Mount United Reformed Church in Malvern, Worcestershire, we have begun with the garden. However, our vision to develop the garden was greater than a simple smartening of the church’s exterior. We saw this as an opportunity to engage with the community, to enable members of the church to share their faith with visitors to the town, to offer a quiet space for reflection and prayer, and importantly to develop our relationship with schools as part of a curriculum-based education programme.

It has not been easy. Transforming a small, overgrown garden on an awkward hillside site into a vehicle for mission requires careful thought, planning and prayer. Naturally enough, we chose the Bible as the theme for the garden and, with the help of the local nursery, we selected plants mentioned in the Bible (or related ones more suitable to the English climate). Creating a collection of such plants would itself, we hoped, provide interest in a garden. Yet what has really provided a structure that enables a story to be told, is the artwork contributed by professional artists, church members, local schools and youth and community groups.

This is an extract from the November 2011 issue of Reform.

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Related articles:

1. Sonia Christie – Eco Gardener: Tough love in the garden
2. Sonia Christie – Eco Gardener: Embracing winter in the garden
3. Matt Stone – Starting out: The Garden of Gethsemane
4. Sonia Christie – Eco-Mum: Loitering in a neighbour’s garden
5. Sonia Christie – Eco Gardener: Serenading your plants

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