Apocalypse? with Rev. Louis Tillman, pt. 2
Rev. Louis Tillman is an outstanding young leader in America today. He currently pastors the oldest African American Lutheran Church in North America and serves all over the mid-Atlantic as pastor, military chaplain, counselor and medical relief provider. In this episode we discuss how his 30+ community garden projects have been transformative both in and out of the church.
Ideas discussed
- How has community gardening been transformative?
- Tell us about working with recently-released incarcerated people
Key quotes
(On ecojustice)... These issues affect us more than other people.
It took a while for church folk to get the therapeutic value of gardening.
They wanted to build fences.
You want to have the trust of your community.
Whatever the penitentiary wants to say, whatever the legal system wants to say, whatever society wants to say, we are still strong, beautiful and gifted children of God, who happen to be Black.
The gardens gave them a deeper feeling, a deeper presence of God.
But, yes -- it's definitely therapeutic. These are just individuals who wanted to contribute to God's creation. They learned skills and the effects of those skills and they were able to see what God could do, and has done, in their lives.
(The church) realized, "this isn't for us, this is for a greater purpose: the common good."
What does it mean to be a steward?
Success is doing it for a greater purpose.
This episode is hosted by Chris Searles, exec. editor, AllCreation.org.
Listen to part 1: https://share.transistor.fm/s/ac361170
Listen to part 3: https://share.transistor.fm/s/d0eb3244