Opening Day ignites new Hope!

An article from our families December Newsletter.

Admittedly, I (Tonya Herman) was a bit skeptical when the Lord dropped this community organic garden on us. I am a big believer in eating healthy, in community development, and in ministry to the whole person. After all, Jesus fed the thousands and healed the sick -- who would we be to deem such things not important? But there was still that niggling voice in the back of my mind -- would we really be able to see spiritual development happen because of a garden?

Our team leaders had great vision -- of relationships we could build through the garden, of spiritual, life-filled conversations that could happen there. And as God kept providing and moving (sometimes it felt more like shoving!) us forward, it became very clear that this was on HIS agenda. I was excited as I saw the way God was obviously moving, but I still had my doubts...

The day of the garden opening was a beautiful SoCal fall day -- sunny blue skies and mild temperatures. Almost 200 people came out to celebrate with us -- ministry partners, volunteers, students from nearby universities, and most importantly -- people from the neighborhood! We had music and delicious food, face painting and crafts for the kids. We rented garden plots and sold t-shirts with “Compton Organic Community Garden” on them. The garden was spoken over, prayed over, and dedicated by a host of special guests who had invested financially, spiritually, and physically in the process (including our new mayor!).  It was a day full of joy and excitement and triumph.

As we were finishing the last of the cleanup, Betty (name changed) approached me. Betty is a woman who lives next door to the garden. In the city, those who have had life the roughest wear that truth visibly all over themselves. I don’t know many specifics about Betty’s life, but it’s clear she’s one of those folks. In that moment, though, Betty came with a huge grin on her face, tears in her eyes, and a request.

Could she become a volunteer? Could she water the garden boxes of those who couldn’t get there every day? Could she clean up around the garden? Could she keep an eye on the place and chase off any vandals? She was offering to help in any way she could -- she was just desperate to be a part of it all.

“You all have such a beautiful aura about you -- and it’s over this whole place! Every since you’ve been working in here -- and seeing all this happen...well, I’m out there, doing a lot of bad things. But in here -- this place -- it makes me believe that maybe I can get back to being the old Betty once again.”

It didn’t take long before Betty’s tears had become my own. We stood for a few minutes, her talking about her life and me sharing about mine. I told her that the hope she was describing had, in turn, filled my own heart with hope. That that’s how it is with God -- He uses us to bless each other, no one person being more important or “better” in His Kingdom, but all of us learning from and needing each other. This was the beauty she was sensing in all of us.

Since that conversation, I have spent a lot of time thinking about Betty and how she sees the garden. Located in a place that is arguably one of the ugliest, most crowded and run-down parts of our city, the garden is becoming a place of beauty and life. And for people who see little other than their local surroundings day after day after day, beauty brings hope.

I am thankful for Jesus and His simple spirituality -- boiling it down to much more basic concepts than I want to create in my privileged American mind. I am thankful for what He knows about the people He has created, the needs that they have, and the places where He can best meet them. I’m especially thankful that, in spite of my ignorance, He lets me be a part of His meeting them. After all, those connections are the places where beauty, life, and hope shine brightest in my own life.

I look for Betty every time I visit the garden now. Inevitably, if she’s there, we end up having a spiritual conversation along similar lines to the one we had that day. She usually has a story to tell me about something that’s happened at the garden, and God will give me another chance to tell her how much He loves her. We shed a few tears, we hug, and I leave with a very full heart -- filled with the fullness of the love God has for this woman, and with the generosity she has to share her life with me. 

-Tonya Herman
Metro CDC

I love downtown LA. I don't get there very often anymore.

 But during our first few years here our Director and I developed an extensive walking tour to take mission groups through.

Tomorrow I get to do it again!

Check it out.

Craigslist opens door to ministry

Who would ever guess that God would use Craigslist to create a new ministry opportunity.

That is exactly what He did through an ad offering free use of an over grown vacant lot, as long as it was used for organic gardening. Our team had talked about gardening but never dreamed that we would have a free space or the knowledge. God has also taken care of that also! 

Our pastor’s wife happens to be a Master Gardener and is getting her PhD in Urban Organic Community Gardening. She needed a location for a garden so we are partnering together.

Our vision for the garden is threefold, to help create jobs for young adults, to promote health in our community and to create a positive place that draws people together and to the Lord.

Prayers at the Garden

With just one clean up day we have seen a positive response from the community. Several men who lived nearby were so excited to see something good happening that they stepped in and helped with the clean up.  We also met Dr. Mel. She and her husband have a church next door with a strong children’s ministry. She had actually been praying about growing vegetables. She has offered to partner with us, share her facilities and get her youth involved.

We also met some of the local prostitutes. The lot is located on Long Beach Blvd, which is a main street in Compton and is where the  prostitutes “work.”  We have long had a burden to reach out to them but we have never found a way to build relationships. However, as we cleaned up they came over to see what was going on.  One woman named Tina said ,“I work on that corner across the street and I’m so glad you guys are cleaning up this raggedy lot.  What are you guys going to do with it?”  We stood there and I (Bob) painted a verbal picture of the community garden we are trying to create.  Tina talked for the next 10 minutes about how she was from the south and she used to help her grandmother plant her garden in the country. “Most kids don't like to eat their vegetables but not me.  When you grow them yourself, that’s what you want to eat.”  When we let her know that this was a community garden and she would be more than welcome to plant her vegetables here she almost cried.  “You mean I can use this like everyone else and you’d let me grow food too?”  

Everyone is welcome at the garden, especially Tina.  We pray it will be a place where the community  comes together and creates something positive. We believe that as this interaction happens the garden will be a place where gospel conversations occur and lives will be transformed.

-Bob

A Health Food Desert

Compton is a health food desert. We have plenty of fast food chains but options for healthy food are scarce. Adult obesity rates are 51 percent higher for African Americans than whites, and 21 percent higher for Latinos, which are the primary residents of our city. In fact, Compton has the highest percentage of adult obesity in all of LA County (39%). We, like hundreds of neighborhoods across the country, find that nutritious, affordable, and high quality food is out of reach. Chrystal and Teresa, both twenty-four year old single mothers, are perfect examples of the difficulties in Compton. Chrystal was recently diagnosed with a fatty liver condition, and Teresa experienced a heart attack. Both have horrible diets and struggle with weight issues. Chrystal told us, “The doctor says I need to eat better and lose weight, but I don't know how.” This, unfortunately, is typical.

As part of our Business as Mission strategy this community organic garden will provide much needed jobs and and education that will impact our community health. We will hire a number of local young adults that have completed our Leadership Development classes and are being mentored by caring, trained mentors. We will sell the fruits and vegetables directly from the garden but also lease some garden beds to community residents for their own usage.


Additional facts:

• Nationally, low-income zip codes have 30 percent more convenience stores 
(which tend to lack healthy items) than middle-income zip codes.

• The typical diet of our youth and young adults are purchased from 
convenience stores (often soda and Hot Cheetos).

• Through a simple community garden we can help touch hundreds 
of peoples lives through healthy food, education and employment.

“I have never done anything like that before”

Recently, Jesse went with me to go fishing (Craig) but would never participate in our small City Church of Compton with his kids. That was six months ago and now Jesse attends regularly with his whole family.  Recently at our Easter outreach event the entire family participated.

In anticipation of that Glorious day, many of us gathered together and planned to go into the surrounding neighborhood streets and pass out flyers of invitation for Easter. As we were walking down the street I noticed burnout skid marks at one intersection and asked Jesse if he had ever done anything like that before. The answer I got was amazing. He had not been looking at the skid marks that I saw.  Instead, he said, “No, I have never left my house to pass out flyers for a church before today!” There was a joy in his voice as he spoke.

Easter came and Jesse volunteered to welcome people onto our church campus. He and his family are now attending our mid-week gatherings and Sunday services regularly.

Jesse welcoming people at the Easter service.

“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Mt 19:26b)

-Craig 

The Newest Endeavor: A Community Organic Garden

We have begun a partnership to create a community organic garden here in Compton. This projects will allow us to create a few jobs for young adults as well as promote health in our community – both we are really excited about!

This was one of those “God working” unplanned things that He has directed us into! He open amazing doors through:

• We answered a Craigslist ad to use an overgrown-vacant lot for free, as long as it becomes an organic garden.

• One of our team member’s pastor's wife happens to be getting a PhD degree in church leadership with a focus on community gardening!  She needs to create a community garden and is now our main partner!

• This idea fits into our plans to create jobs via local micro businesses.

• We hosted our first work day to clean-up the lot and had very positive reception from the community. We even met some potential community board members!

• A church next to the lot has a strong children's ministry and a director who’s very community development-minded. She’s been praying about growing her own vegetables. She’s offered to partner with us, share her facilities, and get her youth involved!

The vacant lot before the transformation began!

Bob giving guidance to garden volunteers on the initial workday.

Stay tuned for more details and stories soon!

-Mike

Micro Business #2 in the Works

Soon, this ugly 9000 sq. ft. vacant lot bill be a beautiful Organic Garden! 

This small micro business is a partnership with a local vacant lot owner and a partner church. The pastors wife of this church is working on her doctorate of community gardening! We will work together to provide quality fruit and vegetables to our community while providing a few small jobs. 

Please pray that we can launch on the appropriate time schedule and that all details will fall into place.

We will keep you posted!