Cape Cod: vegetables, beaches, and immigrants. What a camping trip!

I’ve always heard about Cape Cod as an expensive tourist destination or place to retire. Last week I got to see a different part of the cape.  We visited and volunteered with CapeAbilities farm.  This rather well-known farm employs and trains people with all levels of mental and/or physical disabilities growing food and flowers or making sea salt.  They have locations all over the cape with a farm in Dennis, a Farm to Table Market in Chatham, and a thrift shop in Barnstable.

Ian the greenhouse manager at the central office in Hyannis showed us around and had us seeding some micro greens, and pruning the tomatoes.  Ian broke his neck about five years ago in a terrible accident out west, but you’d never know it since surgery allowed him to walk again. He said it was a miracle he didn’t die, and another miracle that they fixed his vertebra in his neck.  For a short while he was stuck in a wheelchair and realized just how little he could do.  He was drawn to work at CapeAbilities because it allows him to give opportunity for other people who are limited in the work or service they can give.  He can find work for any skill level in the greenhouse.

I was deeply moved by this experience working with Ian, and a girl named Liz who didn’t speak to me and just filled pots with soil the whole time.  I encourage anyone who visits Cape Cod to stop by one of their operations to see how growing food can change people.  They'll even give you a navy blue volunteer shirt!

All the food we eat has fingerprints on it because someone picked it at some point (something I heard from our supervisor Maggie).  It is amazing to think someone’s life was made a little better by having the chance to pick the tomatoes, peppers, and herbs we saw in the greenhouse.  Learn more at www.CapeAbilities.org

 

From left to right Alex, Audrey, Libby, Ian, Kathleen 

We also got to see my new-former pastor Rod and his wife Cathy who have retired on the cape.  He's the one who told me about CapeAbilities and gave us some lunch and dinner one night.  It was a great camping trip, and a wonderful side of food justice to experience.  

After the volunteering we visited some of the beaches and toured around a wind mill and grist mill where they used to grind grains (primarily corn) into flour with renewable energy.  Although the operation to dam up the water behind the grist mill is slightly invasive to natural plant and animal habitat, this was a virtually free, earth-friendly way to harness the energy of nature.  I was grateful to step back into the frame of mind of a slower time when folks knew how close the natural world is to our lives. A time when people knew where most of their food came from. A time when there wasn't internet to set up a last minute camping trip on the cape....

The Cape experiences seasonal poverty when agriculture and tourism die down in the winter. Many people are left without work, and wind up homeless for several of the coldest months.  Until work resumes in the summer they often can't afford rent.  There is a large amount of public assistance on the cape despite it's reputation as somewhere only the wealthiest go to their ornate beautiful beachfront property, or where they retire in a condo.  

In current events, a military base on the cape has been considered to host some of the millions of immigrant children coming across our boarders until they can be reunited with family here or sent home.  It's raised quite the controversy on the cape with much opposition.  Seemingly the ever famous pain in the butt, NIMBY (not in my back yard) mentality has folks trying to chase away people that want to do a lot of good and drop a lot of federal money in the region.  This article explains some of the opposition.  It reminds me of tense moments in local politics at home.

I was deeply  moved hearing Massachusetts Governor Patrick trying to be of help to these many children without a home.  He has quite the moving speech on this video.  It gets pretty good at 6 minutes.  Since he's not up for re-election he said a lot about his faith and God calling us to care for the traveler, orphan, and sojourner in our midst, and reminds us that we will have to answer for our "actions and inaction" one day.  It will be interesting to see how it plays out.  It's pretty evenly split in state government.   

So here I stand in the food justice league bringing you the latest from the cape in my cape.  Even the vacation spots have room for justice, and the cape's off to a great start with CapeAbilities!  

Compost

This is a revised version of a post I submitted to the Presbyterian Hunger Program's blog a few weeks ago about one of my projects starting compost at the church in Burlington.  Read the full thing and the latest in food justice work all over the world here.  It's also a story I shared in my church's newsletter.  Please enjoy some interesting theology and liturgy of compost:

June 9 was a special day for me and compost.  T’was the day I installed a compost bin at my church in Burlington, MA and it happened to be the day I learned what other churches are doing with compost.  I saw an exciting webinar with the Presbyterian Hunger Program (the keepers of this blog) that went rapid fire through 8 awesome food and sustainability projects going on at Presbyterian camps, church basements, roofs, and yards. One of those church yards, "Sacred Greens" at Church of the Pilgrims in Washington, DC provided some liturgy and faith background on compost for me to incorporate into my church’s journey with our new compost bin.  I'd like to share some of my thoughts on compost as well as some from Ashley Goff at Church of the Pilgrims featured in the webinar.  (watch the entire webinar here, Sacred Greens begins around 48min.) 

Our church in Burlington hosts a weekly distribution of Farmer Dave's Community Supported Agriculture (CSA).  Customers pay the farm directly at the beginning of the season and get a weekly "share" of whatever's ready to harvest.  The farm drops it off at the church, and we set it up in the playground.  The parent's let their kids play while we help them identify the veggies and give cooking ideas.  A fun time for all!  

We got the compost bin so brown leaves, carrot tops, thick stems, or other scraps that get left behind from the farm customers don't end up in the landfill.  And we are working to direct more waste from the church kitchen and from members’ homes into the bin. 

Food scraps such as greens and coffee contain high levels of organic matter that generate high levels of methane gas when decomposing in landfills.  Landfills are the third largest source of atmospheric methane—a greenhouse gas over 10 times worse than carbon dioxide ¹.  And food waste is the largest category of waste in our nation’s landfills².  In a small way, throwing the vegetable scraps from the farm share and church events in the trash can, we are contributing to a larger environmental problem. 

Composting can significantly reduce the amount of waste we put in the landfills, reduce the stench of trash cans, and it provides a natural nutritious soil amendment for a vegetable garden, or the church flowers if nothing else.  Consider composting in your own yard, contributing to your neighborhood's compost, or start one at your own church!   It’s a very simple process.  

But why should a church compost? Is there any theological reason for it?  Other than doing justice to our planet, I answer these questions with some help from Ashley Goff of Washington, DC featured in that webinar.  

Sacred Greens’ compost began with a verma-compost bin (worm bin) where church members could bring vegetable scraps that earthworms could transform into vibrant, life-giving soil for the church garden—which supplies some food to their weekly meals program.  Their trash could feed worms that feed some plants that feed hungry people in their community. The trash deemed for disposal and death was rescued, saved and made into new life.  Kind of like how God rescues and saves us from the death of sin, and through Jesus Christ makes for us a new life. 

This church dove more into the theology and liturgy.  They came up with what they called a “God story for the garden” with three parts: 1. Compost is an act of resurrection.  2. Growing is an act of resistance.  3. Eating is an act of remembrance. 

Compost is an act of resurrection?  Hmm?  “Dying with the old to create the new,” Ashley Goff said.  That’s what compost does to plants.  Living things we put in the bin die, rot, and decay to welcome the way for new life.  Ashley likened this to Christ dying on the cross, and being resurrected to new life so our lives become new.  We must die completely from sin, so that God can fill us with new life, His life and his spirit.  I see it as a clever Sunday school lesson or even a sermon illustration, but this church did something I never would have thought with the theology of compost and new life.  They used the compost pile as a communion table.  Yes, you heard me correctly.  Here is the story: 

During a special fall sermon series on food and faith, they had a wheelbarrow of veggie scraps at door, midway decomposed compost in the Baptismal font, and in the front of the sanctuary, the bread and cup sitting on top of a pile of fully composted compost. 

Symbolically this represented the journey of transformation we go through as Christians.  In Christ we are transformed from one thing, perhaps a bunch of scraps, into something better.  At Baptism we know this and we have started to be transformed, but we are only midway there.  Like the partially rotted compost you can still see there is work to be done before our minds and hearts are entirely God’s.  And at communion we are completely transformed, like the compost ready to feed someone else.

Photos used with permission from Ashley Goff, taken by Andrew Satter asatter.com
These images and others are shown on the PHP Webinar mentioned above.

The church sat on the floor around the compost pile and shared communion recognizing the mortality of our bodies we usually only recall on Ash Wednesday; remembering the adamah, the soil that God made into Adam.  The soil and dust we will all return to and shouldn’t distance ourselves from.  The soil that feeds the food we eat, that was once alive and is now dead but full of life.  They also shared the eternity we have through Christ that we will be transformed through him.  God’s love and spirit will become new after death.  Likewise this compost is dead, new, and ready to feed next year’s garden. 

This story of compost at Sacred Greens is featured in the Washington Post and soon to be in the Union Theological Seminary Quarterly Review. 

It’s a little weird, new and different, but it makes sense if you think about it.  Compost can be part of your life, your church’s life, or even your church’s communion.  So let it rot!!! That’s what’s been on my mind since June 9 as I encourage composting at church. Thanks for reading!

Thanks to Ashley Goff for her resources, and Andrew Satter for the images. More of his photos at asatter.com.   

1. EPA (2014). “Overview of Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Methane Emissions.” EPA official website. Retrieved from http://epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/gases/ch4.html
2. EPA (2012). Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling, and Disposal in the United States: Facts and Figures for 2012. Retrieved from http://www.epa.gov/osw/nonhaz/municipal/pubs/2012_msw_fs.pdf

What does the voice of God sound like?

I drive in Boston. It's warming up so not only must I dodge the potholes now exposed after the snowdrifts receded, but also all the bikers, runners, jaywalkers, motorcyclists, and scooters who come out from their hibernation.

Sunday I encountered a new variety of pedestrian.  An older lady on her walker.  Walking down the hill on Cambridge Street in Burlington, she reached a place where the sidewalk ends so she just kept her stride a going alongside all the cars.  I almost didn't see her the way the shadows ran.

When I drove past I thought of my Great Aunt Nancy who has been deceased four years now, and how much my mom would be yelling at her if she was racing the northbound Sunday traffic in the right lane of a main road in the Boston suburbs, Is this woman crazy!?  I then recalled my old Campus pastor from freshman year Kathleen Haines telling a story of picking up a woman walking a stroller with two kids in the street where there was no sidewalk.  Rev Kathleen would pick up people all the time. Then I just decided, "I'm going to offer this woman a ride."

I didn't hear a voice from the clouds like it was Monty Python and the holy grail, or even something crazy like a burning bush.  Just a split second decision to do something about this unsafe unnecesary act while recalling the examples of kindness I'd seen from previous chapters of my life when rides were given.

I turned around and pulled over.   It was awkward, the only place I could stop to wait on her was an intersection where a guy trimming bushes gave me funny looks for just idling there.  And I stayed in my car waiting for her to continue down the busy street to where I was, praying no one hit her while I just sat there.  It's crazy with vehicles, one short mistake and that could be the end.  As she crossed the side street in front of me I asked if she needed a ride somewhere.  She said "you can take me back to my apartment right down the hill here."  I helped her in the passengers seat and folded the walker.  I really felt like I was with Aunt Nancy or going to lunch with someone from Sunnyside assisted living home during my college days.

As we drove down the hill I said, "just tell me where to turn."  She said, "I live in ____ Apartments on Birchcrest street. it's right down the hill here." Still being unfamiliar with the neighborhood, I thought I'd just keep going and wait for her to tell me where to go.  We kept going, she told me she passed this store, and these buildings, and that one, and it's on her side just up here.   At almost 2 miles from where I picked her up I realized--and she realized--she was lost.  We drove back to the town common near where I picked her up to try and maybe ask at the town hall or police station for directions. But it was Sunday so that's all closed.

From what I gathered she got to the town common, a large park and got turned around and was walking down the wrong side street from the park thinking it was hers when I saw her in the road.

Oh Boston.

I drove her to my church and found Steven, the doorman, head of Sanctuary Security.  He told me where her apartments were.  I asked if she wanted to stay for church. She laughed.  I took her home.  She said to say a prayer for her.  The end.

I share that story first of all to say, I';m pretty sure I'll be a nasty mess to take care of when I'm older.  Friends, just shoot me when I get old and daffy.  Just hit me when I make it to the road in my walker.

Image retrieved from http://www.racinggrannies.com/

Second I want to reflect on what may or may not be an experience of calling.

When I passed her I said out loud, "that woman is on a walker in the middle of the road what kind of place is this?" then those thoughts of Rev Kathleen picking up people in Harrisonburg, VA then I just turned around to ask.  No "voice of God" just a memory and the realization I could do something about this thing I saw wasn't right.

When she was in the car I thought it would be just one straightforward task, but I was just as lost as she was.  I don't know my way around Burlington very well.  I looked through my car and didn't have a map.  I had to make a lot of problem solving decisions.  Who do I call, where do I go, who should I ask???  Was I the best person to pick her up?  Thankfully, being Sunday, I had a congregation of long time Massachusetts residents at church to be a living GPS for me.

If I say this was "the spirit moving" like some people from church told me it was, I want to let you know that sometimes we may be pretty confused doing what the spirit wants.  And that's ok, just go along with it.  Sometimes God gives us the heart for something but maybe not a roadmap.  Maybe you'll be confused a lot of the time. The Bible tells us God provides (Philippians 4:19) .  But when it seems like God doesn't provide (you can't find the map) you see that God gives us community, other members of his body to recruit for help.  Other people are such an accessible resource.  Weather in a church, school, or just asking a random guy on the sidewalk for directions, God will give you all the resources you need to help.  Trust that.  God says, "I will never leave you nor forsake you"

If it wasn't the spirit moving...then what do you call the time lining up that I was late leaving the house and hit the right number of red lights so that I saw this lady at the one block where there was no sidewalk and she was in the street.  And I'm not one to pick up people often, it just kind of happened.  I even wanted to stop that day for some groceries on the way, but just felt like I should keep going.  If we don't call it the spirit, what else is there?  please answer that for me in the comments section.

Afterwards I wonder if I hadn't picked her up how far would she have walked along that street before asking for help or realizing it was the wrong street?  Who else would have stopped to pick her up that may have known the city better?  What other driver texting or changing the radio wouldn't see her and hit her?  You can go down the wild road of  scenarios on how the events would have played out otherwise, or how I could have done it better.  But it happened this way and I hope she's in a better place for it.

Is this the work of God? Is this just Alex doing something nice so he can write about it?  Does the motive even matter?  How do you tell the difference between your gut and the holy spirit?
In my attempt to answer these questions I acknowledge I don't have a seminary degree, but here's my best guess.
1. "Follow your gut and follow your heart.  God's in both of them"  My friend Hannah told me that.  2. If it is a voice telling you to show love, grace, and/or compassion it's probably the holy spirit.  Do it. That's my answer. 1 John 4 says it pretty eloquently.
"do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are of God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world.  By this you know the spirit of God; every spirit which confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God and every spirit which does not confess Jesus is not of God.  This is the spirit of antichrist, of which you heard that it was coming and now it is in the world already.  Little children, you are of God and have overcome them; for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world...we are of God.  Whoever knows God listens to us and he who is not of God does not listen to us.  By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

All deep questions I think about in my spare time.  When did you respond to a voice from God? or a gut feeling to do something Godly?