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 17