Re-Dedication of the Peace Garden

In 1995, the church formed a Peacemaking Committee, tasked with the goal to “Sow Seeds Of Peace”...within one’s self, one’s family, community, country and throughout the earth. The Frankarts,  Kutz’s, Thomas’s, Mary Jane Tygard, Kackie Barnhart, and other members of that committee gave great thought to this goal, ultimately planning, planting and cultivating a lovely Peace Garden on the church campus. A Peace Pole, the Garden’s central symbol, proclaims “May Peace Prevail on Earth” in English, Zulu, Vietnamese and Bosnian (representing refugees of conflict this church has aided). Encircled by shrubs and flowers of biblical significance, member-constructed benches were added for restful seating and contemplative reflection. Dedicated in June 1998, the Garden was nurtured over the years by a group of devoted church members. 

Time passed, and in 2016, because of environmental and maintenance concerns, the Earth Care Team submitted a renovation plan more attuned to current conditions. Several Team members provided financing, gained approval, and in April 2018, completed the project. In September of that year, two decades after the Peace Garden’s initial unveiling, the congregation gathered again, along with Jim and Judy Frankart, two of its original advocates, as Pastors Wahlig and Anabe conducted a re-dedication ceremony. In this tranquil space, inspired by words of hope and praise, church members were reminded once more of their role as advocates for peace in an increasingly unsettled world.