Jon: I feel particularly blessed to live in Southern Ontario. We delight in the blueberries and strawberries of spring, the beans and tomatoes of summer, and the apples, squash, and corn of autumn. We pray for our farmers and thank God for their good work which sustains life.
All of creation glorifies God’s name who invites us to participate in His creation. I’m moved by the prayers for the preparation of the altar for celebrating the Lord’s Supper from the book of Common Worship, Church of England:
Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation: through your goodness we have this bread to set before you, which earth has given and human hands have made. It will become for us the bread of life. Blessed be God for ever.
God is active in our lives and environment, calling us to participate in His life-giving creation. I cannot imagine a more meaningful way of life than heeding God’s call to bear fruit in the Kingdom of God. We bear fruit in this life, and in life eternal through Christ.
Now it’s time for me to get back down to Earth! Let’s talk more about God’s creation, especially apples, beans, squash, and blueberries. Did you know that all of these rely on pollinators for their growth? In fact, 70% of the global food supply relies on pollinators such as flies, beetles, butterflies, bats, hummingbirds, and, of course, bees!
What can we do to help our pollinating pals?
To answer, I’m handing this over to Bonita Slunder of the Friends of St. John’s, Prescott, and co-founder of our Greater Glory Garden.
Bonita: We know: Always Avoid Alliteration…But, how can we help it when we have 4 B’s, 3 G’s, and 2 P’s to unpack! Please, let me explain. The Greater Glory Garden is a community endeavour spearheaded by the Friends of St. John’s. Using a grant from the Government of Canada’s Community Services Recovery Fund administered locally by Leeds & Grenville United Way and a team of dedicated volunteers from our congregation, we have converted an empty space behind the church and turned it into a heavenly haven where we come together to help combat household food insecurity while enjoying the great outdoors. Our garden has reserved four Big, Beautiful raised Beds for the Bees as part of our Pollinator Project currently being developed for the 2024 season.
In 2022, according to the Ontario Beekeepers Association, beekeepers across the province reported devastating losses of up to 90% of their colonies due to the varroa mite, climate change, habitat loss, and pesticides.
So, what can we do to help the bees?
Inspired by St. Francis of Assisi, “Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.”
This winter, we’re busy preparing for spring. We will plant flowers that the bees love and perhaps even get our own hive so they can flourish closer to home. The University of Guelph Honey Bee Research Centre offers a plethora of information, courses, advice and a fantastic brochure called ‘Creating a Bee Friendly Garden.’ The Greater Glory Garden Club plans to follow this easy advice and welcomes ALL from our community and diocese to come join us as we grow together; helping the bees thus helping ourselves, sharing space and friendship and the beauty of Mother Nature and the Glory of God.
We’re hoping that you, your church, or cemetery would like to start your own Pollinator Project. Please contact us at the Friends of St. John’s Web site: https://fosj2021.com/
Resources and links to learn more:
University of Guelph Honey Bee Research Centre
Ontario Beekeepers Association
https://www.ontariobee.com/
Stewardship Reflections with the Ven. Wayne Varley