Hello all! This is Thomas Blocker, Garden Church Ministry intern! As the dust and fireworks settle from the end of our nation’s 250th birthday, we can reflect on the relative youth of our country and how we are not so many generations removed from its inception. So much has happened in the last ten years, let alone 250 years! As we ponder our nation’s life journey, we can also reflect on our own. Reconciling the past, present, and future allows us to make sense of who we are,

We are nearly 2 weeks into summertime and the garden is showing the fruits of summer. Specular heirloom tomatoes beacon to visitors and volunteers alike. The farm boxes are overflowing with green beans, fresh herbs and of course tomatoes. The slow move into summer is a wonderful progression in the garden. We've also so far dodged the hottest days seen in the rest of our nation. This Saturday our garden will be closed so staff and volunteers can enjoy the holiday. On Sunday we

Since our first days the words "All Are Welcome" have been part of who we are. From our signs to our social media posts, welcoming is core to who we are. Welcome is also core in the Christian tradition. Welcoming the stranger, friend and neighbor alike. Hostiles and hospitals are all based on Christian hospitality, the idea that you welcome some one passing by, or through your area. So each time we are open, we stand at the gates and encourage people passing by to come inside

It is looking like summertime in the Garden! What a week this is with Juneteenth on Friday and Father’s Day combined with the summer solstice on Sunday the 21st. It also marks four years that I have been part of this amazing ministry team and ministry. While this is the longest day of the year, it has always amazed me that there is this delayed effect of summer in the natural world. The daytime hours slowly get shorter while the season of summertime has just begun. The heat

Summer has unofficially begun! From the end of school and a wonderful 1st Thursday celebration in the Garden with the unveiling of the mural. It has been so much fun! On the heals of a wildly successful Feed and be Fed fundraiser, we turned around and hosted 400 people for the mural unveil. The team of 3 who lead the project were honored with scrolls of appreciation from the City of Los Angeles and the 3 organizations behind the Tree of Life Mural (The Garden Church, Feed and

This Sunday we are being joined by David Johnson who we know through St. Peter's by the Presbyterian Church. David will preach for us and tell us about the Makeshift Traveler Backpack. A project in partnership with St. Peter's the Sea, and the Johnson Family Foundation.Here's a little more about David: He is Chief Philanthropist for Johnson Family Foundation. He is also ordained Minister known for his Godly passion for creating impact and change in communities using his 35-ye

This week has been extra busy in the garden. From the flurry of activity leading up to the Annual Feed and be Fed Fundraiser (Tickets still avaliable) to welcoming our newest staff member--our Summer Intern Thomas. Thomas will be with us for 10 weeks and we are excited to learn together! Here's a message from Thomas: Hello, Garden Church! I’m Thomas Blocker, a soon to be rising fourth-year Dual M.Div/MACEF (Masters of Divinity and Masters of Arts in Christian Education and Fo

The Garden has been undergoing cleanup, decluttering and tiding ahead of the May 30th Annual Fundraiser. On Tuesday a group of volunteers worked for 3 hours weeding and organizing. The afternoon grew particularly windy and the glass art piece we made last summer fell over and shattered. Wind is powerful and we are often reminded of its strength in the garden. This Sunday is Pentecost a day known as the birth of the church when the Holy Spirit arrives in the form of wind and

Springtime in the garden is filled with life. Not just the people, but also the hummingbirds, lizards, bees, and especially the butterflies. The Garden Church is an urban sanctuary in so many ways that transcend the human experience. The birds and various creatures, including the bugs, all celebrate God’s creation in their various ways. This Sunday I am highlighting the good news happening in the world that includes conservation efforts that are working. The Monarch butterfly

We've had a cool spring so far in the garden. Bright sunshine meets cool air for a pleasant mix which also means we're never quite sure if we need sleeves or not. The plants are loving the change to longer days and more sun as we put in the summer crops. This time of year and the coming summer months are busy in the garden. We often need extra hands. Saturday Open Garden is a great time to help out! Come find us at 429 W. 6th St. from 9am-11am every Saturday. Later this month

We are coming off of a wonderful week in the garden. Last weekend between Saturday's Open Garden featuring "Art in the Garden," Sunday's community Art tour showcasing our mural sized art work in progress, and the Annual Interfaith Earth day with the San Pedro Faith Consortium we welcomed 150 people to our outdoor sanctuary. It is such a gift to be part of the greater San Pedro Community. Tomorrow (Friday 5/1) marks 11 years since Rev. Anna and a handful of volunteers unlocked

In my first year with the Garden Church Rev. Anna told me that for us at the Garden Church Earth Day is a High Holy Day. Each year for now 11 years we have hosted a special service close to Earth Day. This year we are thrilled to host again with our San Pedro Faith Consortium community. Sunday's service at 4pm will include speakers from the Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist and Christian traditions. Sunday is also the 40th anniversary of Chernobyl. With that in mind the planning team

Spring is in the air with the butterflies dancing in the Garden with the vibrant flowers swaying in sunlight and light breeze. The recent rain was welcomed and will likely keep the hills green for a few more weeks. The natural world reminds us all of the spiritual journey we are on and how using our senses can us help feel closer and connected to God. This is the case in these Eastertide days following Resurrection Sunday and how people were talking about the miracle that had

Tonight is our first evening service of Holy Week. It will look different thank in year's past. Holy Thursday coincides with 1st Thursday this year. Instead of our usual service of worship, meal and foot washing, we will have live music from our hometown favorite the Harbor Jazz Ensemble from 6:30pm-8:30pm, an agape feast table and an opportunty for foot washing. The "agape table" or love feast is a table brimming with easy to pick up and enjoy foods which remind us of the bo

This Sunday is the official beginning of Holy Week. A week every year where Christian Communities mark the last week of Jesus' life. (In the West, Eastern Christians observe these dates about a week later). From the waving of Palm Branches to a passover supper with this disciples and finally to the cross, we remember the stories at the end of Jesus life. We do all this as preparation for the celebration of Easter morning. This Easter, as in year's past we'll gather for worsh

Our winter here in Southern California has been dry this year. I was recently talking to someone from Colorado who told me this was the least snowfall they've had in her area that she can remember. The unusually dry weather matches up with our scripture reading for this Sunday. This week we will spend time with the prophet Ezekiel's vision: the valley of dry bones found in the 37th chapter of the book by the same name. In his vision he sees a valley filled with death restor

The Garden Church is blooming and growing with the sounds and sights of springtime on the move. I saw a Swallowtail butterfly and several hummingbirds last week at the Garden along with all the new growth in the plants growing fast. The natural rhythm of the garden reminds us of the deep wisdom that the natural world is doing what it knows how to do. We have arrived at the fourth Sunday in Lent with a focus on Jesus healing a man who was born blind as recorded in the Gospel o

We've had enough dry days in the garden that activities have picked up again. Feed and be Fed's Garden Lab is off and running with 4th graders from Taper Elementary School. This program joins the ones already running including 15th St. School, boys and Girl's club and Little Sprouts. This past Sunday at church we were joined by members of Brianna Laural's family to plant a tree in her memory. It was a gift for our community to have time to remember her as many were not able

The rains of last week have blessed our garden with an extra dose (or 10) of water and things are growing well again. We are were blessed with dollars from the denomination's Gray Fund which has allowed us to upgrade our sound system for Sundays and also better secure our solar batteries. So while we were closed, the back corner of the garden got a re-do. We had a blessed Ash Wednesday with our friends at St. Peter's Episcopal Church since the garden was too full of puddles

Weather we like it or not, the world is full of limits. We have limits as humans, our planet has limits. The garden has limits. This week we've had a lot of rain and the garden soil can only absorb so much before we have standing water and puddles. This year due to rain, our annual Ash Wednesday service will take place indoors with our friends at St. Peter's Episodical church (1648 W. 9th St.). We will join them for their 12pm service and then head to the neighborhoods to sha