In the midst of a pandemic, the effects of which can leave people feeling isolated and alone, Santa Barbara Seventh-day Adventist Church in California has continued to minister to its church members and neighbors through its community garden.

Though the community garden at Santa Barbara church is not new, there has been an increase in engagement with the garden throughout the pandemic. Many residents of Santa Barbara do not have adequate space for their own gardens, and with the mental and physical health benefits of gardening, the community garden has become a way for people to combat feelings of loneliness and remain connected to one another.

A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published in August 2020 found that 40 percent of the 5,412 U.S. adults surveyed reported struggling with mental health or substance abuse. Symptoms of anxiety disorder and depressive disorder increased in the U.S. during April-June 2020, compared with the same period in 2019.*

“A lot of people miss fellowship with others,” says Shannon Gott, member of Santa Barbara church and coordinator of the community garden. “You see people talking with one another while keeping their distance, being able to be outside and get fresh air and building relationships. It’s been a benefit, especially during COVID-19.”

The idea of a community garden came from Gott, who didn’t have prior experience with gardening herself. 

“I had been thinking for a while that it would be neat to have a garden be the outreach for the community to bridge the gap, create conversation, and share the gospel,”she says.

In the fall of 2018, Gott invited the church and community to a garden workshop hosted by Lynn Hoag, an experienced gardener who is known for using the Ellen G. White planting method to plant fruit trees. This workshop gave way to opening up a garden for church and community members, using space that was previously occupied by a school on the church property.

“To me, the garden was about family and community,” says Riva Robinson, senior pastor of Santa Barbara church. “It was a way of repurposing a school that no longer existed. The school brought kids and family into the community and brought life and joy to the church, so the garden brought back life and joy to the church.”

The garden has also allowed the church to make faith connections. Some members of the community have started taking Bible lessons through the church’s It Is Written Bible study outreach, of which Gott is one of the leaders. 

“Since the coronavirus, our church has done phone Bible studies,” Gott said. “We have a lot of these lessons that go through major pillars of our faith, and community members have joined in. That has been a blessing.”

https://scc.adventist.org/stories/church-garden-builds-community-in-santa-barbara