Landscape Refurbishment

Make Our Garden Grow - Update!

During the church’s Annual Meeting on February 4, 2024, the Make Our Garden Grow (MOGG) committee announced that they had raised the roughly $200,000 needed to conduct the first phase of the project. While the full project is still estimated to be close to $300,000, the news is significant, because it means that after more than three years of planning the work can begin!

Phase 1 is a crucial component of the project because it is quite literally foundational! When it begins during the quieter summer months, demolition of the old cement walkways and removal of overgrown bushes will precede the work by landscapers who will lay out the underground electrical and irrigation systems, regrade the land to eliminate steps – and install new hardscaping. A water interest will be installed, surrounded by a stone seatwall. The plan will also bring the building into ADA compliance by leveling the walks and improving accessibility by building a ramp to the chapel. The effect will be to create a space that is more functional and more beautiful than before. The memorial garden where cremains of our loved ones are interred is the centerpiece of the project and it will be doubled in size to accommodate many years of continued use.

Next Steps

Of course, being phase 1, this is only the beginning. Once the fundraising is completed, the full project will include three additional phases that cover a lot of ground, such as planting new perennial gardens, digging a well to eliminate the church’s dependance on the town water supply, and renovating the church’s corner signage. The project also calls for the construction of a new pergola for outdoor meeting space. A flyover video was created by the architects to help see what the grounds could look like.

Support the Memorial Garden

Although the work has been laid out in phases, it is understandably best to have as much funded as quickly as possible, to ensure that the work is done smoothly and in a timely fashion. That is why there is a need for continued fundraising. Good Shepherd believes that a reimagined and reinvigorated garden area with beautiful landscaping and a peaceful meeting space benefits everyone who visits the church, and hopes that everyone who is able will support the project.

If you are interested in giving to the Make Our Garden Grow fund, please donate online, or reach out to any of the members of the committee. They can help to explain what the project will entail, as well as your options for donating. Consult your employer to see if they are willing to offer a matched donation.