Grounds for hope
"We believe that the church exists for the world and not for itself; therefore, its own buildings and programs are to be used for the actual life, service, and witness to the world of God’s grace and love.”
Imagine walking around the church grounds and seeing:
…a picnic pavilion…
...a forest of fruit trees…
...an amphitheater…
...a green burial ground…
…a profitable farm…
...affordable housing…
…a community garden…
...a semi-permeable parking lot…
These are just some of the ideas for grounds use that have been raised over the past few years. During that time, we’ve also built a beautiful new playground, we’ve added, maintained, and replaced picnic tables, added neighborhood composting, a pollinator garden, a bioretention basin, and new tree plantings. With so many wonderful ideas and possibilities, how do we make wise decisions now and in the future?
Research and queries within church networks led us to three possible candidates for this work, all of whom specialize in working with churches. Over the course of multiple conversations, proposals, and revisions, Session conversations with two potential consulting groups, and a called meeting to discern next steps, the Session landed with Proximity Project, Inc to take the lead.
Proximity Project (https://www.proximityprojectinc.com/) works “to empower churches to discover missionally-aligned ways to steward their property to contribute to the common good of their neighborhood.” Sara Joy Proppe is the founder, and in addition to extensive experience, she brings her passion “about equipping churches to be the hands and feet of Jesus in their neighborhoods through faithful
and creative property stewardship.”
Sara Joy’s proposal brings in the expertise of Cite Design
(https://www.cite-design.com/), a landscape architecture firm based in
Richmond. Cite Design has worked with many churches in this kind of
work, and one of their team members is a Harrisonburg native!
Next Steps
On Thursday, March 12, the Grounds for Hope Task Force met with Cite Design and Proximity Project to receive the first draft of a concept plan for the church property. The team is pleased with how well they incorporated our feedback from the placemaking draft, and now we want to hear from you again.
The Grounds for Hope team encourages all members to take some time and look at the Concept Draft in the Commons or view the document posted below, and fill out a feedback form or offer feedback on the online form.
We will have one more Zoom meeting for feedback on Wednesday, April 15, at 4 pm .
At 3pm on Sunday, April 19, we will have one final opportunity to gather in person to share thoughts and ask questions before we send feedback to the design team. Sunday, April 12, from 12-2 pm, we are inviting neighbors and other community members to drop in and look at the plans and offer their feedback. Members of the Trinity community who are not able to attend the Trinity sessions may come and listen in that afternoon.
