Working with Fields of Faith was a great opportunity for our new church. The times we spent as a team working in the fields harvesting, pulling weeds, and planting were great times of bonding and working together toward a common purpose.
An even greater impact for our church was the opportunity to distribute fresh produce to friends and neighbors throughout the Iowa City area. One of our families was able to build relationships with their neighbors through weekly distributing fresh produce, including a family with ten children. Others in our church were able to build relationships with their neighbors or co-workers or fellow students on campus through the produce.
Fields of Faith provided our church with great opportunities to strengthen relationships within our team and to makes connections with neighbors and people in need in our community.
Just as we began to ask the question of where we would find enough food to fulfill the needs of our community through our “All Things Common” pantry ministry, God connected us to Fields of Faith. Just like the 5 loaves and 2 fish, each week as we thanked God for his provision the baskets seemed to overflow!
We were able to feed hungry mothers and children, take groceries to neighbors who had no idea where their next meal would come from, offer God’s good provision to widows, to those recovering from major illness, for families, and to our whole neighborhood through a community produce stand. Each week our neighbors would come to the church looking forward to fresh produce to stretch their grocery budgets and were invited to taste and see that the Lord is good.
Not only that, but teens were also taught life skills as they learned to preserve the summer harvest in our teen internship program, and our community meals thrived with healthy farm fresh veggies. We thank God for his abundant provision through the work and generosity of Fields of Faith.
I know how our tomatoes look because I have distributed them so much. I also know that the excess goes to the food pantry. That produce has been a real blessing to the students who use a student food pantry here in Iowa City – I know, because I have been there.
Two weeks ago, I was there with a friend when someone who had come to pick up food recognized my friend at the entrance and asked for an opportunity to be invited to church – to know more about Jesus. He has now been connected to someone at one of the churches that partner with Fields of Faith.
The vegetables helped so many people this year, with costs up. So many people thanked us, and thanked you, for such a beautiful, blessed farm. One lady even said it was a God-send – it helped them get through a few days.
May our Lord continue blessing you and all who helped this year!
