Open Gardens

It has been wonderful seeing Prayer Walks happening across Christ our Hope. Prayer Walking is such an important way of seeing a community the way that God sees it; of having our eyes (and ears!) open to where there is joy, where there is struggle, where there is beauty and where there is brokenness. Prayer walking is so important because in order to really bless our communities and translate the good news of Jesus into a language that makes sense, we need to know the places where we are, and we need to imagine what Jesus revealed in those places might look like. During the summer holidays at Christ Church the love of Jesus is revealed to the local community in our garden! One of the greatest needs for families in the long six weeks of summer is free, fun activities; one of the greatest gifts that we have as a church is our beautiful green space. Two years ago we decided to match these two things up and try something very simple: opening up the garden for families to come and use. And so, with the help of some additional funding to provide a hot lunchtime meal, partnership from the brilliant Triple C, and a few friendly faces willing to welcome and say hello, we opened up the garden gates for three Wednesday lunchtimes in the summer holidays. The results were astonishing. In 2022, at our first Open Gardens, we had 100 people. At the second, we had 150. At the third, it rained, but BY NIC FINDLAY Open Gardens we still had 75. Last year, our busiest day saw 109 children and 93 adults enjoy playing in the garden. Three years in, we have found that the real joy of Open Gardens has been in its simplicity. It isn’t a big, showy event. People don’t come expecting entertaining; they come for the space, and they come because they know they will be made to feel welcome. It has been our absolute joy at Christ Church to see the garden full of life, and full of families encountering something of the love of God through friendship, a free meal and a safe space to play. Each parish within Christ our Hope is very different: the needs of our communities are different and the gifts of each of our churches are different. This summer, let’s be creative in trying to match them up!