Global church attendance has dropped dramatically over the past few years. The pandemic had a considerable impact, of course. Still, when congregations returned to in-person services, many people did not return. Some surveys suggest attendance throughout the U.S. has dropped by up to 60%. Like most churches, The Garden has seen declining engagement, and we are open to ways to reverse that trend.

This month, we have several opportunities for engagement beyond regular Sunday Services. For the Lenten season, which began March 2, we have partnered with Union Chapel to offer Lenten devotional programs (Beauty of Lent and Ignite) you can participate in from home; a fun evening of painting inspired by the works of Van Gogh; a movie night; a stimulating conversation with a docent from The Lume; and a moving Good Friday performance featuring contemporary music (performed live by The Good Earth Band and Garden vocalists) from artists like Sting, Simple Minds, and Linkin Park. In addition, we've begun the final phase of our grant-funded Engaging Young Adults (EYA) program: The Generation Project: Call Me By My Name. We're meeting Monday evenings through March 28 for stimulating conversations on a range of challenging topics. Local playwright Paige Scott will write a new play inspired by these conversations that we will stage for public presentation at the end of April.

The Garden continues to seek ways to build and engage a community of faith outside the norms of traditional church programming, emphasizing inclusion, open-mindedness, creativity, and hope. As a reconciling ministry, we seek to bring loving change from within the UMC and expand our faith community to reach new demographics. "Many Paths, One Purpose" means we honor everyone exactly where they are. We don't seek to change you, and we don't need you to change your theology. While The Garden's foundation is Christian, we celebrate how God speaks to us not only through Christianity but also through other faiths and even through those who do not identify as religious. We're committed to serving YOU. It is our purpose, our privilege, and our joy.