Yo howdy All Yall – it is a beautiful day!
One of the demonstrations that I love of our being church is that we nourish people – welcoming strangers
to share at our table and experience our Austin Urban Sanctuary.
Our presence downtown creates opportunities to meet people visiting our community; those engaged
with our civic process of governing, commerce, and our judicial system, those seeking safe harbor for
worship; and to connect with those living on our streets finding us to be safe harbor.
Street living is hard, and whether mental illness was present before homelessness or developed and/or
intensified as a result of the brutal cruelties of street life – sometimes folks just need to be recognized as
human, to see a smile directed towards them, to be among other humans without fear of theft, violence,
or the indignity of ridicule.
This means we need to be aware and to be without fear ourselves – remembering the gentle
understanding that what may seem to be the most simple and dramatically obvious things, are often
challenges of great difficulty for others.
The heat is still on, although one late afternoon a couple weeks ago the sky melted and our Gardens of
AUS (Austin’s Urban Sanctuary) received the blessings of a ten-minute rain.
Our harvest so far this year has been diminished by the heat, although we are still delivering handfuls of
beans, Brussels sprouts, chard, herbs, and okra. Fruit has not yet set on the eggplants or pumpkins – lots of
flowers, just too hot. Too hot.
The watermelon and cantaloupe are surprisingly productive. A goal was for our garden to produce more
poundage this year over last, and we may yet exceed this goal – although nutritionally, a pound of kale or
beans is much more worthwhile that several pounds of melon (but maybe it’s more fun to eat
watermelon!).
Our neighbors and passersby are still enjoying nibbles and random blooms, and some waves of color in
native plants. Individual specimens of varied types of leaf and flower are tucked in all over to surprise; the
plants that typically bloom in the Autumn are still alive – heavy wilting but alive. Resilient life also grows in
cracks.
Gardening is simply a matter of accepting God’s abundant Grace.
Central Christian Church, Austin’s Urban Sanctuary demonstrates our thankfulness by nurturing and sharing –
with our gardens, with our place, through our worship, at our table – in the spirit of Jesus Christ, with Love.
Y’all – come on down some twilight time and sit atop our San Antonio Street hillside and experience the
peacefulness of butterflies on blooms and birds singing; and share a howdy wave with people passing by.
Be well, be safe, know joy.
Phil