By bringing God, Bible study and gardening together, Hazelnut Community Farm in East Bristol is pioneering an innovative approach to living out the Christian faith that reaches their neighbourhood with the gospel while combating the climate crisis.
Located in the grounds of St Anne’s Church, the farm is both a Christian community and a community garden, a space for outdoor worship and a thriving vegetable plot.
Founder of the farm, John White was inspired to start the project several years ago after visiting Melrose Abbey in the Scottish Borders. Melrose Abbey was Scotland’s first Cistercian monastery and White was intrigued by its history of growing food and “around the clock worship”.
“It just felt like, this is what the church should look like today,” he said.
Engaging with today's climate crisis
At the same time, White was concerned with the growing climate emergency and how climate activism could be integrated into church life. “A lot of churches don’t really know how to engage with the climate emergency,” he said.
Collaborating with St Anne’s, Hazelnut Community Farm grows vegetables on the church land, giving half of it away, and also hosts times of prayer, Bible study, worship, and even communion in the garden.
One of the benefits of this format is having a space that feels less intimidating than a church building to unchurched people, White explained, noting that the informal setting creates an environment where open discussion is encouraged.
A year ago, the Hazelnut Community Network was formed to encourage other churches to start similar projects on their own land. So far, 20 churches have signed up, and the network even has some international interest.
“It doesn’t take a million pounds to start a new worshipping community,” White said, noting that community gardens are a way for many churches to reach their community with a resource they already have.
Through the network, churches are provided with resources and training to help them get started. These resources combine both gospel and environmental concepts, for instance demonstrating through an upcycling activity how Jesus can make a “new creation” from our rubbish.
“I think there’s a worry that we’re going to end up worshipping nature,” said White, addressing the hesitations some churches may have regarding incorporating more of an eco focus into their community life. “That’s not been our experience at all. It always points us back to God.”
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