Katie's Garden Planting Seeds For Butler Community
	Mission Statement: Katie’s Garden is a community-oriented garden and ministry based at Trinity Lutheran Church that provides nutritious food for members of the community in ways that seek-long-term solutions to social problems related to poverty, hunger, and nutrition.
Katie’s Garden at Trinity Katie’s Garden, a joint ministry between Trinity Lutheran and other churches, organizations and individuals and is vital to the community of Butler. It carries out Jesus’ command to “feed my sheep.” (John 21:17). There will always be hungry mouths to feed, but let us not forget the old saying. “Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and feed him for a life time.” The main goal of the garden is to grow nutritious food for donation to the local food pantry, Katie’s Kitchen, but the garden is also a terrific environment for fellowship ,exercise and learning. Katie’s Garden was dedicated in the fall of 2005. Volunteers of the Butler area donate their time and talent to grow fruit and vegetables. The first harvest is expected during the summer and fall of 2006 and will include; tomatoes, peppers, greens, carrots, beans, squash, and flowers. The gardeners have also planted and cared for a number of apple trees, which not only supply fresh fruit, but provide shade and beautify the area. Visitors are welcome. The garden is located next to the Trinity Lutheran Church located on the intersection of RT 308 and Hendricks Road near the Clearview Mall.	Ways that You can become involved: Volunteer: Volunteers are always needed. You don't have to know anything about gardening - we will teach you. You will enjoy the companionship of other gardeners, get good exercise, and help to feed people in need. Donations: Monetary and other kinds of donations are always appreciated to acquire plants, seeds, and supplies for the garden. Donations can be given in honor of a loved one. For more information on how you or your organization can help with Katie’s Garden, please call the church office at 724-287-1977 or send an e-mail to trinity@trinityalive.com.	Vision This vision of Katie’s Garden is to use God’s gifts for a ministry of stewardship that reaches out to the community. Katie’ Garden at Trinity not only provides a variety of fresh vegetables and fruit to Kate’s Kitchen and others, but it calls upon all members of the community to give of their time and talent. Katie’s garden, serves as a center piece for other ministry’s including: -Educating people on good nutrition -Encouraging others to grow their own food and eat fresh fruits and vegetables -Forming a network of growers and gardeners for the purpose of feeding the hungry -Educating others and ourselves on caring for God’s creation.
Origins Of Katie's Garden After Martin Luther married a run away nun by the name of Katharina “Katie” Von Bora in 1526, the new couple moved into the old Augustinian monastery in Wittenberg, Germany. Luther himself made a very small salary teaching at the University and was notoriously bad at managing his own money, let alone a household. Despite their difficulty in making ends meet, Luther would often have hordes of visitors in the run-down monastery, expecting Katie to house and feed them. Katie’s response was to transform every last inch of the monastery grounds into a garden. Soon, the garden had grown into a small farming operation and included an orchard, fish pond and brewery. Luther dubbed her, “The Morning Star of Wittenberg:. Katie became famous for her brewery, garden and kitchen, which would feed up to a 100 hungry visitor each day. With her bare hands, Katie turned a run-down monastery and gardens into perhaps the first community garden- a bountiful project that fed hundreds of people each week with still much left over going to the poor or to the market