On February 6 A Rocha Ottawa held a winter gathering. The group spent the afternoon cross-country skiing at Gatineau Park and ice skating on Kingsmere Lake. A wonderfully delicious pot-luck supper was enjoyed by 32 people, including 12 children.
After supper Tim and Tracy Lyon shared their experience of urban farming in Kingston, Ontario since 2009. This involves three main activities:
– A vegetable basket program (CSA)
– Hands-on agricultural training
– Participation in the Memorial Centre Farmers’ Market
(a “100% 100km” farmers’ market which the Lyons helped establish in 2012)
Living out their calling to re-connect urban eaters with the earth, Tim and Tracy invite people to farm alongside them, eat living food with them, and find wholeness through nutrition and relationship.
They enfold people into the family of God. They seek to do so by being a bridge between city and agriculture, people and creation, churches and the unchurched. Tim and Tracy love seeing God revealed to them and others in the midst of their work; they delight to be part of the healing that is happening.
They’ve been given gifts of farming, hospitality, friendship, invitation and Biblical story sharing to complete their work. They find themselves praying over their crops and food they prepare, that eyes would be opened as people eat and that they would encounter Jesus. The Lyon’s presentation was informal and there was plenty of comments, questions and reflections throughout the evening from those present.
The next A Rocha Ottawa event is planned for Saturday May 7, 2016. Stay tuned to our events page for details.
A Rocha Ottawa also hopes to have a community garden on the University of Ottawa campus again this year.
To get in touch with A Rocha in Ottawa, please email us.
