The Disciple Garden

(check out picture updates of the development)

The Disciple Garden is an extension of the life of our church. It sits on 32 acres (3200 & 3201 N 10th Street) in the heart of our city. It is a place for us to reconnect with the Creator’s intention that we as humans live in a garden paradise. It is a place of life-changing education, where we are learning how to love the Creator and his creation. It is a space that is teaching us how to be the disciples of Jesus in an immersive and hands-on way. It is a sort of “seminary” for us and any who want to walk alongside us. The Disciple Garden is a place where we retreat for Sabbath and rest. It is a place where we deeply connect to the Creator’s creation, embody hospitable compassion, and live in communion with each other.

The Creator’s creation started with a garden as he created our beautiful world and dwelled within “The Garden of Eden” (Gen 2:8). But we humans destroyed this garden by refusing to produce the good fruit of justice, mercy, and love (Isa 5:1-7; Luke 20:9-18). The Creator then began his new creation when Jesus was buried in a garden (John 19:41) and then was seen by Mary as a gardener after he was raised from the dead (John 20:11-16). Jesus’s new garden creation is about bringing new life and healing to all creation by fundamentally changing the way we think and live. This is done by becoming disciples (students and apprentices) of the Way of Jesus—leaving behind the madness of the Civilization’s ways and entering into a new life of obedience to Jesus’s teachings (Matt 28:16-20).

●  Creation:
Because his creation displays the very character of the Creator (Rom 1:19-20), the Disciple Garden is a place to connect people to the Creator’s truth that is proclaimed by his creation day and night (Psalm 19:1-2). We are caretakers of this green space, using it as a place for escaping the endless concrete of the city and finding a quiet space for rest, prayer, learning, and reflection. The Disciple Garden is a place to learn from the birds, flowers, and trees (Matthew 6:25-34, Luke 21:29-31) and partake of the bounty of orchards, gardens, and animals (Psalm 65:11-13). This involves living in sustainable and environmentally friendly ways while we cultivate a “food forest” in the midst of a “food desert.” We are using this space to demonstrate our faith in the Creator as we practice living in harmony with his creation and relying on his daily provision.
foodforest
●  Compassion:
The message of the Creator’s Compassion is central to the Disciple Garden. We are compassionately walking alongside our neighbors in mutual learning and love as we practice relationship building, hospitality, and education. The Disciple Garden is a place where our neighbors can come to be listened to, loved, and cared for. The Disciple Garden is a place for the broken and hurting to receive the compassion of the Creator’s forgiveness (Matthew 9:13). The Disciple Garden is a place where the weary crowds of our city can find the Creator’s love, healing, and rest through times of Sabbath and retreat (Matthew 9:36, 11:28-29, 14:14). The Disciple Garden is a place for the hungry to come and receive bread for both body and soul (Matthew 15:32).
●  Communion:
The Creator’s Communion with all of us is the foundation of the Disciple Garden. The Disciple Garden includes permanent residences for some members of St Luke’s as well as spaces for retreat and hospitality. The Disciple Garden is focused on helping our church become a “new monastic” communion of disciples that stops worldly pursuits while being devoted to Jesus’s teachings, a common-life, sharing of food, and prayer (Acts 2:42). The Disciple Garden is a place to daily worship and listen to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Romans 12:1-2). The Disciple Garden is a place for learning how to share all our time and resources with the Creator and each other (Acts 2:42-47, 4:32-35). The Disciple Garden is a place for laughing together, crying together, and carrying each other’s burdens (Romans 12:15, Galatians 6:2). The Disciple Garden is a place for inviting people into the lifelong journey of Baptism (Matthew 28:19-20).

How can you participate?

    • Pray for the heavenly Father’s guidance and provision.
    • Give a donation.
    • Spread the word of this project and encourage others to support it.

Two Ways to Donate…

Check

        • You may opt to either send a check by mail or you may direct your bank to send the check via online bill pay to the address listed below.
        • St Luke’s Lutheran Church
          722 Reynolds Ave
          Kansas City, KS 66101

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