Cathedral Garden Project
CATHEDRAL NEWSLETTER 20 July 2023
Friends in Christ, at the start of Genesis recently, we saw God reveal the goodness of the greenness of the world he made, if I can put it like that.
Then God said, Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds. And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. [Genesis 1:11-12]
Indeed, it was apparently God's habit to "walk" in the Garden with Adam and Eve, in the "coolness of the day" (Gen 3:8), until they broke fellowship by their distrust and disoberdience.
At the end of the Bible, when the Lord Jesus returns to be with his people forever, and has removed the curse of sin, we see a city... but with some garden-like features! ...A river of the water of life, and a tree of life bearing fruit all year long, and with healing properties (Revelation 22:1-3).
We should not romanticise or divinise our own green spaces now. We are no closer to God in a garden than we are in a beautiful cathedral. As Jesus himself said, we worhsip in spirit and truth, rather than in any paticular geography. And Jesus himself is the way, the truth and the life. (See John 4:23-25, 14:6).
But God has given us bodies and set is in the physical world. So it's no surprise many of us love our gardens.
This brings me to a matter of great but practical importance: the building of our Cathedral Community Garden.
For over two decades, the south east corner of the Cathedal grounds has sat behind hoardings as a vacant building and junk site. This must change!
Under the leadership of our previous Dean, Archbishop Kanishka, and by the dedicated guidance of Dr Jen George of Com Corp, we have a great design that reflects extensive community consultation. By pro bono donation several hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of time and expertise from consulting, planning, design and building professionals, we have the DA. We are now seeking quotes for the work.
This green space will be open for use by the community across much of the week, in our historic civic precinct. It will be a rare, deep-soil garden with mature trees bringing nature back to the Sydney CBD.
It will be a place of meeting and resting, of story-telling and hospitality. And it will be an excellent learning space for the school children of our neighbouring Gawura and Cathedral Schools.
Crucially, it will extend our ministry space ... for congregational BarBQs and Sunday School activities, through to ESL classes and special events. Importantly, it can host the community chaplaincy "street chapel" we are planning to serve the maringalised. Some who might not enter our building will feel safe in the garden outdoors.
What is needed to get it built?
Over the next few months we need to raise $600,000 towards the development of the garden.
One initiative is a high-end fundraising dinner for invited guests with the Archbishop on Wednesday 27th September. To make it happen, we need significant numbers of people to contribute their skills. Do you or people you know have: floristry skills, venue presentation experience, high end catering experience, decorating materials which could be used for our garden theme? Join a team which will transform Bishop Barker Hall into a reception venue! Karyn Grant would love to hear from you!
We also need to fill a hundred seats with people who could if persuaded by the vision give a couple of thousand dollars or more. Would you like to be invited yourself? Could you suggest the names of people who care for our city's greenspace and heritage or Cathedral outreach who might help if asked. Contact me for a confidential discussion.
Lastly, we'll be running some more "retail fund-raising"... Keep your eyes out for the chance to sponsor the purchase of some pavers, or a garden seating, or one of the wonderful array of plants chosen for their local suitability.
And of course, more details about making a straight-forward donation will be coming soon.
Warmly in Christ,
Sandy Grant
Dean of Sydney