Seeds in Good Soil

St. Mark's Park and Community Garden

And Jesus said, “for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink… Truly I tell you, just as you did it to the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”

St. Mark’s in Aurora has been presented with ample opportunity to care for their neighbors in the ways that Jesus calls us to. Their building happens to be in an area that experiences a lot of homelessness and low-income families, and even though not all of those people go to St. Mark’s, St. Mark’s asked themselves how they could be servants for those people. Thus, new programming was born. Every Wednesday night St. Mark’s hosts a hot meal for people experiencing homelessness in their neighborhood. They truly wish to give food to the hungry, and use their resources to help those that have none.

Another way St. Mark’s shows hospitality to the larger community is through their community garden. Each summer, St. Mark’s opens up over a dozen plots in their garden for both church members and community members alike. One of the members of St. Mark’s cares for the garden in the off season and makes sure the soil is ready and fertile to produce new life. And, when the soil is ready and the weather is prime, the garden is planted and cared for by people from all walks of life; not just congregation members, but neighbors as well! They plant their seeds in good soil, the same way that St. Mark’s is planting seeds of hospitality, love, and grace in their community!