The Upper Columbia Conference is enhancing its outreach ministry by involving the Spokane Valley Adventist Church Community Garden as an official ministry of Adventist Community Services. The purpose of this project is to teach gardening to the community, inspire culinary experimentation, and provide food to those in need. “This is a wonderful opportunity to see how God is working in opening more and more doors,” said Patty Marsh, UCC ACS Director.
The idea of transforming a two-acre plot of vacant land into a community garden was started by Rupert Salmon, a member of the Spokane Valley Church. He and his team started on the project in February of this year by building beds. They are working in partnership with the Latter-day Saints, Catholics, as well as the Mormons in the area.
Community gardens have been a part of ACS ministry for a very long time. Particularly, the Northern CA Conference has been proactively engaged with its opportunity under Dr. Gordon Botting’s leadership. There are approximately 40 churches that have developed community gardens in the NCA Conference. “The Spokane Valley Adventist Church is being a recognizable, tangible, and a visible sign of God’s mission in Spokane,” stated Sung Kwon, NAD ACS Executive Director.