By Lloyd Mackey

AT Saanich Community Church (SCC), they affectionately call it the ‘Back 40 project.’

The Mennonite Brethren congregation has a fair amount of property downslope from its building. Like many Mennonite churches, it has a number of congregants who grew up on farms or had parents who did.

This spring, they cleared out raspberry bushes, put up a fence to keep deer out, and set up a greenhouse and irrigation system.

BCCN  spoke with Alison Eagle, mother of two and wife of SCC lead pastor, David Eagle. She said they hope, after paying expenses, to make the produce available to people who otherwise would not be able to afford it, through the local Mustard Seed food bank. Also, they would like, as much as possible, to make the project organic.

Alison has made SCC her spiritual home virtually since birth; she also  has experience with A Rocha Canada, the Christian environmental group based in Surrey.

She comes by her interest from her parents, as well. Her father, Robert, was featured recently in several newspapers, including the Times-Colonist , for his success at growing oranges, kiwi and other fruit produce.

David said the garden has helped build community within the congregation.

Further, it has attracted the attention of neighbours and friends of church attenders – who have then shown interest in talking about creation, sustainability and a Christian vested interest in caring for the resources God has given.

It does not take long, from there, to introduce them to spiritual values behind the common Christian themes of creation, redemption and reconciliation, David said.

One person, a woman in her 40s, found herself planting a seed for the first time in her life, recalls Allison Duncan, another avid participant.

Other suburban neighbours are not quite sure how to approach the harvesting of rhubarb – an experience that might have been strictly routine to a Mennonite familiar with farm life.

Continue article >>

Alison pointed out some pertinent research about peoples’ shopping habits, done by an organization called Life Cycles.  

It “tells us that middle income people who are shopping for food go around the perimeter of the store, checking produce, dairy and other unprocessed or non-canned goods.

“The majority of low income people head for the middle of the store, looking for processed, frozen and ‘pre-made’ food.”

The idea of getting fresh produce to people who use food banks is not only to supplement their food sources, she said, but, more significantly, to introduce them to non-processed items that otherwise they would miss out on.

Alison has a degree in international agricultural development from the University of California at Davis, a background that particularly grows out of her earlier studies in soil science.  And Duncan heads next fall to the University of Guelph, Canada’s premier agricultural university.

They both see the value in Christians who have a “close to the earth” background being able to give input on a range of agricultural and gardening issues.

Particularly, the question of moving produce back and forth over long distances – thus using precious oil-based resources for transport – needs some consideration.

Yes, Alison points out, “we can get cheap carrots from China. But that means we cannot support local farmers who grow carrots. The import of our decisions affects many issues.”

No mention of the Back 40 project would be complete without reference to the work of church member and high school biology teacher Burl Jantzen.

In an MB Herald, article, he stated that, on the Island,  “Garry oak ecosystems are threatened by urban development and invasive, non-native plants. So, I work to restore.”

At SCC, he recounted, “we built a fence, spread mulch, and created a native plant garden. As native shrubs and perennials are added and the garden matures, the site is being redeemed.”

This garden, he concluded, is “a reminder of the Master Gardener’s work in restoring vitality and beauty to the degraded landscape of our lives.”  

June 2007