MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) - This summer, Grace Lutheran Church members in Murfreesboro have a unique way of growing their faith.

They’ve planted Katie’s Garden and give away the bounty for free to anyone in need. There are peppers, tomatoes, squash, watermelon and a variety of other fruits and vegetables.

“Part of it is to be of benefit to our community, get to know our neighbors, get to be a benefit to our neighbors. … We can get to know our neighbors and be friendly and invite them to church and help them in any way we can,” said the Rev. Al Thoe, assistant pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, 811 E. Clark Blvd.

Grace Lutheran’s garden is named after Katie Luther, wife of church founder, Martin Luther. His larger-than-life personality drew lots of followers. Often Luther would welcome students, relatives and other believers into his home for mealtime.

“They had to figure out how to feed that amount of people,” Thoe explained.

So Katie had a garden, raised cows for meat and had her own brewery.

“She was able to feed all these people. That’s how she provided. So what better person to name the garden after,” Thoe said. “We provide for our extended family and our community through our garden.”

Each Saturday morning starting at 8 a.m., the congregation harvests the bounty and welcomes the community. Anyone in need is welcome to get free produce.

“Right here in our community, there’s a lot of need,” said member and church gardener Mindy Mendicino.

Nearly 34,000 Rutherford Countians are facing hunger, according to FeedingAmerica.org. Statistics from the nonprofit hunger-relief organization show one in seven people in Tennessee struggle with food insecurity.

Many of those who have trouble stretching income aren’t able to buy fresh produce very often.

“When you go into (grocery stores) and you look at the price of a box of Twinkies vs. a dozen apples … what is more expensive? Fresh produce is always more expensive. Eating healthy is more expensive,” Thoe said. “If we’re going to eat well, it’s going to cost more.”

The 2018 poverty report showed 15 percent of Tennesseans are below the poverty line and have trouble funding a healthy diet.

“To promote healthy lifestyle, not just spiritually, but physically, it costs,” Thoe said.

Members have gone above and beyond the garden gate with helping others, too. When someone contacted the church about a terminally ill resident who needed fresh produce but couldn’t afford it, the church stepped up.

“We were able to provide an assortment from our own garden. Then we had volunteer from our team go to the farmers market and stuff that we didn’t grow here in our garden, they bought,” Thoe explained. “There’s a lot of community spirit to help people in need around us.”

Thoe said the garden has also been a benefit to members, not only with helping those in the congregation who might struggle with hunger, but it’s promoted camaraderie.

“Part of it is the stewardship. Part of it is getting people together to work together for a common cause,” Thoe said.

Members have been able to see concrete fruits of their labor from the stewardship, which is encouraging and solidifies their belief in God.

“Anytime you plant something and a harvest, it’s a miracle. It’s only by God’s grace that they grow. But sometimes I’m sometimes surprised at how much work it’s been,” Thoe joked.

This year they’ve grown the garden’s size, too.

“Last year the garden was half the size. But we doubled it when we added the raised beds and you can see it’s still going strong,” said gardener David Mendicino.

The godly gardeners also offer up prayers to those who want to share needs with the group.

“We have prayers from the garden. It’s based on in the hours leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion, when he prayed in the garden,” Thoe explained. “We thought if there was another way we could help in the community and help the people who come get produce … so we’re gathering the prayers from people … and I present those Sunday morning.”

The garden has helped build a bond outside of the church. A social worker reached out for help with a client and a company offered discounted materials.

“Community support has been fantastic the support of the congregation is phenomenal,” Thoe said.

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