St. Michael's Good News Gardens
St. Michael's is nestled in a neighborhood on a sizable plot of land. Through the years, members have replaced invasive plant species with native plants suited to the Kentucky climate. During the pandemic, when gathering inside was too dangerous for people, the spaces outside of the church building offered a much safer place to gather for worship, for visiting with friends, and for finding time in prayer. We noticed the large number of people who consistently made use of our grounds. When we began to return to indoor worship, we wondered if, just as the church left the building during the pandemic, we could find a way to share the holiness, welcome, and faith of St. Michael’s through the church grounds. What if we intentionally looked for ways to use our grounds as an open place of prayer, reflection, and education for the many people who encounter God there each week. What if we created ways for them to encounter the Episcopal Church through nature right within their neighborhood?
From those questions, we created our Good News Gardens that share the nourishment of holy space with God. Various areas around our grounds are being developed to invite people to stop, to pay attention, to reflect and pray, and to learn. Each area has a sign with a QR code that invites people to learn about the plants growing there and to see how specific habits like shade or wetlands, contribute to flourishing. Each code also leads to a video or an audio meditation on how this specific part of God's creation speaks to us. These meditations change with the seasons.People present on our grounds are be able to pray, reflect, and learn about Christianity, the commitment to God’s creation, and how we as Episcopalians see God’s creation as a reflection of God’s love for us.
In a given week between 300 to 500 people enjoy the grounds of St. Michael’s. School children enjoy the space for play and education. Parishioners find a peaceful place for prayer, for remembrance of loved ones in our Memory Garden, and for gathering and fellowship. Neighbors enjoy the space for reflection and contemplation and even, on regular occasions, a place for learning to ride bikes and skateboards. Those who attend the many meetings St. Michael’s hosts gather outside during much of the year to visit and find some quiet time in an often too-busy world while waiting for their meetings to begin.
We are also developing a Garden dedicated to those enslaved who were forced to labor on this land. While St. Michael's was founded in the mid-20th century, the land on which our building sits was part of a large farm. After months of research, we have been able to locate the names of 5 people: Fanny, Sarah, Mary, William, and Charles, who were enslaved and likely labored on this land. A quiet space with individual markers etched with each name will invite anyone to reflect on the stories - both hopeful and tragic - the land shares with us.
From those questions, we created our Good News Gardens that share the nourishment of holy space with God. Various areas around our grounds are being developed to invite people to stop, to pay attention, to reflect and pray, and to learn. Each area has a sign with a QR code that invites people to learn about the plants growing there and to see how specific habits like shade or wetlands, contribute to flourishing. Each code also leads to a video or an audio meditation on how this specific part of God's creation speaks to us. These meditations change with the seasons.People present on our grounds are be able to pray, reflect, and learn about Christianity, the commitment to God’s creation, and how we as Episcopalians see God’s creation as a reflection of God’s love for us.
In a given week between 300 to 500 people enjoy the grounds of St. Michael’s. School children enjoy the space for play and education. Parishioners find a peaceful place for prayer, for remembrance of loved ones in our Memory Garden, and for gathering and fellowship. Neighbors enjoy the space for reflection and contemplation and even, on regular occasions, a place for learning to ride bikes and skateboards. Those who attend the many meetings St. Michael’s hosts gather outside during much of the year to visit and find some quiet time in an often too-busy world while waiting for their meetings to begin.
We are also developing a Garden dedicated to those enslaved who were forced to labor on this land. While St. Michael's was founded in the mid-20th century, the land on which our building sits was part of a large farm. After months of research, we have been able to locate the names of 5 people: Fanny, Sarah, Mary, William, and Charles, who were enslaved and likely labored on this land. A quiet space with individual markers etched with each name will invite anyone to reflect on the stories - both hopeful and tragic - the land shares with us.