By Dr. Alyssa Fisher, Cal-Pac Director of Communications
A pre-opening consecration was held on Monday, November 24 at the garden in Los Angeles. The farm, on the former site of Epworth Methodist Church, started as an Eagle Scout project to provide a green space and small farm in conjunction with the Epworth Apartments, which opened in 2012. Sandee Furuta, Associate Director of Resourcing and Property for the Cal-Pac Conference, shared that “it’s amazing that what started as a housing project for emancipated youth is now an oasis in this food desert.”
The farm’s project manager, Rev. Dr. Jennifer Oliver, shared that “Epworth Farm matters because access to fresh and nutritious food shouldn’t be a privilege; it is a basic need for our community’s well-being.” She emphasized that the farm isn’t just about the food it produces, but will serve as an educational space, involving the youth and other neighbors who live nearby in learning how to grow and tend to the garden. She hopes that the farm becomes a model for churches who have underutilized space, and “that Epworth becomes a place where people feel connected: to one another, to the land, and to the work of caring for God’s creation.” Rev. Oliver is appointed to Inglewood First UMC as Co-Pastor and Holman UMC as Associate Pastor.
The brief consecration service included words from Rev. Oliver, Rev. Gary Bernard Williams, Pastor, Saint Mark UMC of LA, West District Superintendent Saia Tu’itahi, Bishop Swenson, and Bishop Escobedo-Frank. During her prayer, Bishop Swenson gave thanks for the previous congregation’s history, and celebrated a new beginning, asking God to “guide us through the past, through today, and into the future.”
Epworth Farm LA’s 9,500 square foot is operated by Saint Mark United Methodist Church. Epworth Farm’s mission is to increase the awareness and involvement in urban agriculture, promoting a culture of food sovereignty that will mitigate the burden of food insecurity in Black and Brown neighborhoods; to decrease the incidence of diet related diseases in the South Los Angeles by increasing the consumption of fruits in vegetables in participant households; and to foster connections and relationships within the local food system. Epworth Farm will include a functional farm with a farmstand that will operate twice per month, educational workshops in gardening, health, and wellness for community members, and offer field trips and volunteer opportunities for community schools, organizations, and surrounding neighbors. They also hope to host worship gatherings on the farm.
As Bishop Escobedo-Frank prayed over the farm and participated in planting trees, she shared that “this garden represents ending spiritual and physical hunger in tangible ways. I hope that this will serve as an example of what’s possible. I’m grateful to all that led in many ways to make this happen.”
You can find out more and donate to support the continued ministry of Epworth Farm LA at this link.
