Virginia Episcopalian Magazine Fall 2012 Issue | Page 19

Mustard Seed Improves Buildings
Several Mustard Seed Grants are helping
provide structural updates to churches in
the Diocese so they can better meet the
needs of their community.

St. Mark’s, Richmond already serves
many through its parish hall, which lacks
air conditioning. During the summer,
attendance in programs drops when it
is too hot. With a $10,000 Mustard Seed
Grant, they will purchase and install air
conditioning, which will enhance and extend
services to the homeless and working
poor. St. Mark’s goal is to become the first
“cooling center” west of North Belvidere
Street. The lack of such a center “implies
that there is no poverty west, up in the Fan
and Museum District. But it is not true,"

said Malinda Collier, director of Christian
Education at St. Marks. “St. Mark’s knows
these folks exist and we have programs to
support them.” Homeless and the working
poor can be greeted with a smile and come
have a seat. “It is important to be seen and
known and welcomed. And to know the
doors of the church are open,” said Collier.

As the 11th oldest colonial church in
the commonwealth, Vauter’s, Loretto is in
need of some updates. Their parish hall,
kitchen and bathrooms are close to 50
years old. The church’s Episcopal Church
Women group is providing funds for the
renovation to the parish hall and kitchen,
but the bathrooms were not included. After
a couple of catastrophes with toilets and

plumbing, the Rev. Candine Johnson was
determined to find funding to renovate the
bathrooms alongside the other renovations.
“I happened to be reading the [Virginia
Episcopalian] and saw about Mustard Seed
Grants, so I decided to apply,” Johnson
remembers. “I cried when I received the
letter saying we got the grant. It is just a
gift. It was one of those Holy Spirit moments
where I didn’t know where the money was
going to come from but I knew God would
provide.” The $5,000 Mustard Seed Grant
will allow for the installation of handicap
ramps, painting and a shower. “It is more
than just a bathroom. It means Vauter’s is
coming back to life,” said Johnson. t

garden to feed the hungry but also to
feed people spiritually in the process.
The congregation set aside part of
their land for a garden as a way to
engage the local community. The
garden proved to be a no-cost way
for members of the community to
have a garden space, interact with
one another, and work together on
communal garden plots to grow
squash, tomatoes, corn, cucumbers
and herbs for the local food banks. In
the first year, Christ the King donated a
couple hundred pounds of food. With
their $3,000 Mustard Seed Grant, the

congregation will purchase a larger
water tank, wood chips for pathways, a
weed barrier and a shade structure.

The congregation hopes that
the garden’s close proximity to the
outdoor altar and the Stations of
the Cross will cause some to pause
and reflect. “The garden has allowed
fellowship,” said Andy Harbick, leader
of the ministry. “I have met people
from the community who I wouldn’t
have met otherwise.” And he has
seen some of the gardeners attend
services. “The garden is not all about
the magnitude but also the emotional

appeal about how engaged people are
and seeing them show their support.”

Food ministry is not only about
growing food in a community, but
also about spreading healthy food to
those in need. Calvary, Front Royal has
recognized that a large percentage of
children in Warren County are eligible
for the free or reduced lunch program.
To help alleviate food insecurity
for children during the weekends,
congregation members adopted the
Backpack Buddies Program.

A volunteer harvests the crop at All Souls',
Mechanicsville’s garden plot.

continued on page 18

Christ the King, Harrisonburg will use their Mustard Seed Grant to purchase a water tank,
wood chips, a weed barrier and a shade structure.

Fall 2012 / Virginia Episcopalian

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