One of my passions outside of birth and parenting is landscaping. Having designed and lanscaped three residential yards I have offered to put a proposal together for a landscape design of our church's 10 acres. I have thought a lot about this because they have this absolutely incredible new building which stands proudly above... well not too much but gravel parking, grass and backdropped with naturalized trees left to overgrow the old cemetary.
I am excited about the rich history of our church, its longetivity in the community of over 120 years and its amazing recovery from when it was slated for closure nearly 30 years ago. A new pastor, fresh out of the seminary, was sent here to "put the affairs in order" and instead grew that tiny church to where it is today... a solid cornerstone in the faith community here. I want to build on that rich history and see it grow to even greater heights!
In seeing that vision and growing from within with our Healthy Family Ministry, I am working towards an improved outward appearance, including family support structures like a family centered patio/picnic area adjacent to a new playground and sand volleyball court (I will be seeking further input from the congregation), all overlooking a nature area complete with pond (already existing, just needing some work to make it wonderous).
The playground idea itself is soo exciting, based on Noah's Ark, it will feature a large ark half buried in the hillside and surrounded with three play areas, one for preschoolers (including water, sand and gardening play), one for grade school (ensuring enough gross motor simulus while allowing interaction with others on a smaller scale through a tiered "fort") and one for older youth (climbing wall, grind rails and having part of the nature path wide enough to be dirtbike-friendly with hills and ramps while allowing others to walk unimpeded). Can you tell I have been studying what kids want in a "playscape"? I want to address their needs beyond a steel or plastic wood structure that dominates today's playgrounds and are not well used because of their limitations. I will continue to learn about this, especially what our member youth want, in the near future.
I also am focused on all areas being handicap accessible with an ample parking lot and beautiful signage (something that I found lacking when I was in search of Immanuel last October) surrounded by trees and shrubs... all low maintenance for ease of upkeep... I cannot wait to put it all together! My preliminary drawings are on paper, now I have to flesh out the details, the costs and a proposal that will have everyone as excited as I am about our church facility!
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