Our church’s Peace Garden, landscaped with volunteer donations of funding and many, many hours of labor by members and Scouts, was officially dedicated May 6 in a brief ceremony between worship services.
Among those present were Carole Gibbs, who conceived the Garden idea as a community spot for rest or meditation (right side of photo against building) and Jim and Ben Jarvis. Gifts to a memorial fund for Martha Jarvis helped to enhance the Garden (Jim is in black next to Carole; Ben is in black at far right).
The dedication was led by Pastor Paul, with singing of hymns as an expression of thankfulness to everyone who made the vision become a reality.
The Garden space was earlier occupied by an old rental house owned by the church, which was demolished in 2006 in preparation for remodeling and adding an elevator. After the house was removed, it was discovered that a huge underground gas storage tank was buried beneath it … and that also had to be removed! Needless to say, this surprise resulted in notable consternation and budget impact.
As I sat down to write this piece, the headlines from Newtown, CT exploded on the news. You know what they are. We are left in shock and grief…