Last Sunday, one of our worship team members brought together flowers from two of the gardens that make up Circle of Hope’s Urban Farm Team. The Frankford Ave Garden has been going strong for over a decade and the Hart Lane Garden has been maturing even this year. By snipping a flower during worship, our friend Julius invited us to gift this symbol of God’s beauty to someone while saying a blessing from Romans 5:5. The Holy Spirit has been given to us, just like that church in Rome…and our hearts can be filled with God’s love.
I love how Compassion Teams make direct contributions to the Sunday meetings. They also help organize us towards the discipline of service and help us make new connections for Circle of Hope. A few of our leaders got to spend a day last week at the Farminary, a formation experiment by Princeton Seminary where theological reflection and leadership development happens “in direct relationship with God’s good creation.” We made some beautiful connections that I think will bear some good fruit for Jesus.
If you want to enjoy some good work in the soil—whether you think you’re learning about God and making new friends or not, there are workdays at several gardens. Come to the Frankford Avenue Garden on Tuesday nights or Sunday mornings. Talk to members or our team, the Compassion Core, or your cell leader to find out more.