Fruit for the spirit

The same garden spot in Highland Park that has been feeding the body is now feeding the spirit.

The St. Andrews Center community garden, adjacent to the former church that is now an ecumenical cooperative with an outreach to Hispanic children, is now hosting monthly worship services.

"I didn't dream of starting a church service," said the Rev. Michael Feely, executive director of St. Andrews Center. "It just kind of, no pun intended, organically sprung up."

He said food from the community garden feeds its volunteers who have a desire for a healthy diet and those in the area who are struggling to make ends meet.

Laurie Perry Vaughen, a resident of nearby Ferger Place and the center's community garden coordinator, said more than 50 people have worked to cultivate the garden this year.

"Many are experiencing food from a garden for the first time," she said.

The St. Andrews garden was included on a recent tour of community gardens organized by Crabtree Farms, which has been a resource for organizers, Mrs. Vaughen said.

The ecumenical service itself grew out of a conversation between Mr. Feely and Mrs. Vaughen about the spiritual aspects of the garden, which Mrs. Vaughen designed to look like a signature stained glass window on the former United Methodist church.

The window, which can been seen from the garden, has five circles crowning an arch. In the garden, the circles are planted with fragrant flowers and herbs. Inside each are sea shell mosaics which reflect the images of a chalice, a butterfly, fish with nets, a heart and an Easter lily.

The shells were collected both by Mr. Feely on mission trips and by Mrs. Vaughen on environmental trips.

"I wanted it to be a distinct but sacred place," said Mrs. Vaughen, a member of St. Marks United Methodist Church, "not just a big square out in the field. I wanted to enhance the imagination of a garden."

The services, which began in June, are laid-back, approximately 30 minutes long and include live music, poetry, a sharing of concerns and Holy Communion, Mr. Feely said.

A bagpiper offered the music in June and a hammer dulcimer player in July. The next service is unofficially set for Sunday, Aug. 23, at 6 p.m.

Mr. Feely said the services, which he shares in leading with the Rev. Lawrence Clark, a St. Andrews board member, have drawn an interesting mix of people, including garden volunteers, community residents and even passers by. Many haven't been to a church service in years, he said.

"It's designed to be a place for people to come together across every kind of ecumenical line," he said.

The outdoor services will continue "if somebody is finding something in them has meaning," Mr. Feely said.

He said there is no reason they couldn't continue into the winter even if participants have to "gather around seeds in egg cups," he said.