We have studied Swahili, tasted food from Spain, and learned about the likes of Big Ben and Buckingham Palace. Now, it’s time to bring the campers home to their own city and see what is growing in Detroit. Besides new housing and new stadiums, there are new gardens around the city that have a life of their own. Our campers will learn more about how blight in neighborhoods is being replace by community gardens, servicing a unique position in the rebirth of  Detroit.

We will be growing vegetables that we know and learning about new ones (Has anyone ever heard of Romanesco? Looks like a cross between cauliflower and broccoli*) We will be mastering the art of juices and reading stories about farms and urban farming. Special appearances by members of Christ Church Detroit who have grown up on the farm will give us first hand accounts of their farm experiences, along with three different story tellers, a magician and a horse-drawn wagon ride around Detroit!

The mission of Christ Church Detroit is “To be a Beacon of Hope in the City of Detroit”. From our visioning workshops and discernment process in 2010-11, we learned that we must combine our talents and passions and do what we as a congregation are called to do. I hope to do my part as director of this endeavor and I couldn’t do it without the volunteers.

Romanesco Broccoli