Here are the plans for year one of the community garden – that’s this year: (brown = raised beds)

Year two will look something like this, i.e., there will be more raised beds:

If you are interested in getting involved, please contact the church office (780.433.1604). There will be a work bee coming up in May to build the raised beds. We will also be looking for plants and seeds.

Here are the plans and concept drawings for the front of the church – where junipers are currently growing. These plans will be implemented mostly next year, with some hardscaping happening this year. How much we get accomplished this year already depends on the amount of help we get. So again, I invite you to get involved!

East end (close to glass doors):


West end (by Luther Centre doors):

Where do the eggs come from? In my tradition, it is the Easter bunny who brings (and makes?) them. But of course, most eggs – perhaps even the Easter eggs? – are produced by chickens. And where are the chickens? Many of them subsist in endless rows of tiny wire cages, wings and even beaks clipped, perhaps medicated against the diseases which tend to be a problem in these operations. That is how we get our cheap eggs in the supermarket. A smaller percentage get to go outside during the day and forage on fenced-in pastures of various sizes. These are the free range chickens. In German, they are called “glückliche Hühner” – happy chickens. I cannot bring myself to buy eggs that were not laid by happy chickens, even though they are substantially more expensive.

Some people here in Edmonton have gone further: They keep their own backyard chickens (see River City Chickens Collective). It seems like a no-brainer: You get fresh eggs from happy chickens, bug control, and manure for your garden. Plus they are entertaining to watch and kids love them. There is just one problem: The city does not allow chickens. Last week one urban chicken keeper got busted: She was fined $500 and asked to remove the birds. Why are chickens not allowed? A city official quoted in the Edmonton Journal cited noise and disease concerns. I’ll let you decide whether these concerns are any worse for chickens than for dogs or pigeons – both allowed by the city. Personally, I think there is no reason why the city should not allow up to, say, 6 hens per yard. Ironically, Edmonton has been hiding behind its city-wide food and agriculture strategy: No changes will be made to the bylaws until that strategy is developed.

Perhaps this Easter we can be more mindful of where our Easter and other eggs come from. To me, this is part of believing in God who made and redeemed this earth, including the chickens. Perhaps you will decide more carefully what kinds of eggs you buy. Perhaps you will write to your councillor about the silly chicken bylaw. Or perhaps you will even engage in an act of civil disobedience and make a home for a few chickens in your back yard.

My thoughts contrast sharply with how the weather has been presented in the media. Sunny, dry, warm days were welcomed by announcers as “nice” or “beautiful” while cold and snow are bothersome, causing traffic troubles and overall inconvenience to us humans. Also, there has been no hint that maybe, maybe this unusually mild winter could be a sign of things to come as our globe is warming. The announcers are pandering to what they perceive to be the dominant sentiments of their audience – Edmontonians – and unfortunately climate-conscious people, gardeners, friends of trees and other plants, do not seem to be among them. I feel silenced, ignored. And I feel our fellow humble creatures of flora are also ignored.

Well, I am standing up for us in this post. Hooray to snow, hail, rain – we need it. The plants love it. Thank you, God, for this snowfall, and send us more!

This morning I received an email from my national bishop, addressed to the minister of the environment. To me it’s a voice in the wilderness speaking for the voiceless creation threatened by human greed and speaking for the many people who have become speechless in the face of callous destruction. “Thank you, Lord, for the voice in the wilderness.”

Here is Bishop Susan’s letter:

The Honourable Peter Kent Minister of the Environment
December 14, 2011

Dear Minister Kent:

On behalf of the members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC), I am writing to express my disappointment and concern that your government has decided to withdraw Canada from participating in the Kyoto Protocol.

Climate change is very real. It is urgent that we reduce green house gas emissions in order to limit the effects of climate change. At the 2009 ELCIC National Convention, our delegates affirmed, “that global warming is the greatest threat to life on earth–that entire populations and ecosystems are threatened by devastating impacts such as drought, heat waves, fires, floods, storms and rising sea levels.” They also affirmed “that, as scientists have warned the United Nations, only urgent action can avert uncontrollable, runaway climate-change.”

Our planet needs urgent action from the Canadian Government. The ELCIC urges the Government of Canada to set a national target to cut greenhouse gas emissions at least 25 per cent from 1990 levels by 2020. We urge the government to implement an effective national plan to reach this target and help developing countries to reduce their emissions and adapt to climate change. And we urge you to work with other nations to adopt bold and strengthened protocols that will empower nations to work together to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Each person on this planet needs to do their part in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Those of us who have enjoyed the wealth and privilege of industrialization have a particular obligation to find more earth-friendly ways to live our lives. Members of ELCIC congregations are encouraged to reduce their own carbon emissions by 25 percent, and to support a national plan that helps reduce emissions.

In stepping back from the Kyoto Protocol, the Government of Canada appears to be failing to take responsibility for the action that Canadians need to take in order to reduce the threat of global warming. By setting targets and creating a national plan, the government offers leadership that empowers individuals, families, businesses, organizations and public institutions all to do their part in caring for the environment and the global human community. On behalf of the members of the ELCIC, I urge you to work together with leaders from around the world to set national targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 25 percent from 1990 levels by 2020, and to develop and implement a plan that will help Canada reach these goals.

Yours in Christ,
The Rev. Susan C. Johnson
National Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada