St. Stephen Evangelical Lutheran Church Expands Community Garden with ELCA World Hunger Support

Pat Harper recalls saying these fateful words to her pastor 17 years ago. She had just moved back to the South Side of Chicago, where she had grown up. For over 35 years, Harper had lived in Evanston, a suburb just north of the city. But when she retired, she said, “my calling was to go back to the neighborhood I knew.” After Harper relocated, she got involved at St. Stephen Evangelical Lutheran Church, an ELCA congregation serving the Chicago’s Chatham neighborhood.

Though Harper had gardened in her own backyard before, she didn’t have any formal agricultural training. She had spent her professional career in healthcare. Still, when she saw the big plot of land outside St. Stephen, she was inspired. It was clear to her that the land should be filled with produce for the community. Her pastor agreed, and their garden ministry has not stopped growing since then.

These days, the St. Stephen’s garden includes 1,000 square feet of growing space as well as a butterfly garden, handwashing stations, running water and electricity. A few years ago, St. Stephen partnered with ELCA World Hunger, jump-starting several long-term improvement projects to make the garden more sustainable. The St. Stephen community built a new fence, a greenhouse to extend the growing season, a new beehive area and custom steel planting beds. The partnership also helped provide stipends for teens, new citizens and others to work in the garden, helping people get started in the workforce or get back on their feet after a setback.

As the garden helps feed individuals, it nourishes the community. The initiative reflects the ELCA’s commitment to addressing hunger through practical action and partnership. The garden serves as a tangible expression of the church’s mission to care for the neighbor, aligning with Micah 6:8, which calls for doing justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God.

The garden has become a focal point for community engagement, offering educational opportunities and fostering a sense of shared responsibility. Children participate in Community Awareness Day events, learning about sustainability and food security. Such activities highlight the importance of collective action in addressing global challenges, echoing the World Food Day theme of “Innovate today. Nourish tomorrow.”

Through its partnership with ELCA World Hunger, St. Stephen’s garden exemplifies how local efforts can contribute to broader humanitarian goals. The church’s initiative underscores the value of integrating faith with action, as described in Romans 12:18, which encourages believers to live in harmony and seek peace with all. The garden stands as a testament to the power of community-driven solutions in the pursuit of justice and care for the vulnerable.

Source: Read the original report