
On any Saturday morning, a simple sign advertising free produce sits near the road dividing Lee County from its more prosperous neighbor Moore County. A large black arrow points down the circular drive of Center United Methodist Church leading to picnic tables lined with white bins filled with freshly harvested produce free for the taking.
With more than 11,000 Lee County residents suffering from food insecurity, the church’s Selah Community Garden fills a critical role.
“More than 50 percent of the people who stop by our stand are food insecure,” explained Sam Robinson, the church garden director. “We identified this as a community need we could better serve while participating in the NC Rural Center’s Connect Church program in 2018.”
The garden was already an ongoing church program, but the training from the Connect Church Program led to the expansion of the program and encouraged larger community investment. That includes the support of Resourceful Communities, a program of The Conservation Fund that helps community groups, faith-based organizations, small towns and resource providers address the triple bottom line: environmental stewardship, social justice and sustainable economic development.
“When our former pastor started the garden, it had very small plots,” Robinson said. “Going through the Connect program enabled us to have the resources we needed in order to build the garden into a bigger entity. They gave us a standard operating procedure of how to reach neighbors and what questions to ask to be more mindful of what our community actually needed.”
Saturday mornings start in the two-acre garden behind the church. Members of the community, not just the church, can be seen bent over various patches of green picking an assortment of veggies filling bin after bin. The harvest is then transported to the picnic tables.
“I really enjoy working in the garden. It’s special helping people in need,” said Shara Bunker, a member of a local Baptist church. “There’s a lot of people coming by who have a real need for the food the garden vegetables provide. It has just been a blessing to help out.”
This is the first year of using the picnic shelter. Previously the vegetables were placed near the road in front of the church.
“The roadside location gave us more visibility, but for safety purposes we decided to move to the picnic shelter,” Robinson said. “Since the move, people are more prone to sit down and chat, ask questions, or just drink coffee with us. They become like family.”
Pastor Thearon Willis feels the program has succeeded in reaching a part of the community that is often overlooked by others.
“I am so happy to see our church is serving our community through our garden,” he said. “Engaging our neighbors is our mission statement on the front of our bulletin. ‘Engaging our neighbors with the love of Jesus Christ for the betterment of life.’ So for this church to be able to do that, to live into that, to be able to reach out, is just an awesome thing.”






According to Robinson, it was the Connect Church Program that provided a step-by-step approach for success.
“They make you aware of facts we tend to close off. That’s human nature. We close ourselves off from things that aren’t necessarily pleasant. They teach you to open yourself up to those things and be able to address them with your neighbors. You’ve got to ask, and then you’ve got to be responsive. That process was all part of Connect Church.”
Sitting on one of the picnic tables enjoying a cup of coffee, Cynthia Robinson says working in the garden is all about fellowship.
“Those who come by enjoy the fresh vegetables. They have become our friends,” she said. “They ask us to pray for them. It’s just so much love.”
This year, the garden has produced more than 3,000 pounds of produce and served more than 500 visitors. But the church is determined not to stop there. Future initiatives include building a year round greenhouse and expansion of the garden area.
In addition, it has joined other garden managers across Lee County to discuss resource-sharing and logistical planning, underscoring the church’s dedication to enhancing its outreach efforts.
“The church used to mean community,” said Pastor Willis. “Engaging with our neighbors, whoever they are. That is what the garden does. It engages. Neighbors come and they socialize. We’re engaging them through food and conversation; and you never know where a conversation will lead. We open our doors and invite them in.”