'Seeking a New Creation' in the Heart of Atlanta

Did you know within earshot of the traffic hum of 1-20, right in the middle of the city of Atlanta, is a nine-acre farm, complete with crops, sheep, chickens, goats, and even an emu? It’s a volunteer-run, faith-centered, working farm, and using the garden at Eden as a guide, those who tend it are modeling the deliberate and careful “tilling and keeping” of Creation on a daily basis.Berea Mennonite Church in East Atlanta, is led by Pastoral Elder John Wierwille, a former Greenpeace organizer and legal advocate. Together with farmer Erin Cescutti, community volunteers, church members, and interns, Weirwille runs the church and its farm, Oakleaf Mennonite Farm. On a yearly budget of less $50K, they grow a myriad of foods (strawberries, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, etc.), raise free-range animals, and have built barns using reclaimed materials to store equipment, and eventually, house even more resident interns.Wierwille is a visionary for both the church and farm: His background in law, construction, politics and ministry give him the tools he needs to carry out the mission of the “Mennonite Church Community Farm in the City.”It may seem like a case of identity crisis—is it a church or a farm?—but the members of Berea recognize themselves as people rooted in faith with a Creation-focused mission. “We’re a church with a farm,” says Wierwille. “Plain and simple.”Their blog expands: “In terms of Genesis, there is no more reverent, biblical, or visionary calling for a church than to be witnessing to the coming Reign of God by aspiring to the perfect Creation of God—the farm at Eden.” Deeply committed to responsible, sustainable living, Berea Mennonite Church has partnered with GIPL in the past, undergoing an energy audit and receiving a matching grant in November 2010 through the Power Wise program. The congregation also received recognition from national Interfaith Power and Light for their excellence in Grounds and Water Conservation in 2011.The farm shares its abundance with the neighborhood, and believes strongly in community living and the caring for neighbor as oneself. “The more we share our resources, the stronger we get,” says Wierwille.“Four and a half years ago, this land was overgrown weeds and had no irrigation,” says Wierwille. Now, the land is thriving, and construction projects abound. Wierwille says his plans for the church and farm extend well beyond what’s visibly in process on site. The church's buildings are already host to a Spanish-immersion preschool and landing place for rotating Americorps members, among other things. “We have plans for a worship space among the blueberry patch,” he says. “And we’d like to some day be ‘off the grid’ in part by using gray water for irrigation and animal watering.” He also hopes one day to create a traditional roadside market in front of the church, build a dairy, and find new partnerships with organizations and individuals whose gifts can enrich the farm’s mission.“Our first responsibility is to take care of the earth, and the church needs more people saying that,” says Wierwille. “We teach people to practice praying by getting on their knees. But kneeling to toil in the dirt together—that work is also prayer.”__________________________________________________________________________________________________________To learn more about Berea Mennonite Church/Oakleaf Mennonite Farm, visit the Oakleaf Mennonite Farm blog.Inspired to 'ground' your congregation in gardening? Our Dirt Wise: A Gardening Guide for Congregations is just the curriculum to teach you gardening skills and sustainable food practices for your own Eden.