Second Church of Plymouth Leaves No Stone Unturned During Lenten Season
Members Build Prayer Garden for the Community
 Members of the Sanctuary Support Committee for The Second Church of Plymouth United Church of Christ Congregational spent the season of Lent focusing on the many different ways of praying -- and one idea in particular blossomed into an outreach project. The members of the committee along with the pastor, Reverend Judy Medeiros, created an outdoor prayer garden and opened it to the public.
The church building is used by quite a few community groups, such as the scouts and Alcoholics Anonymous, so the members wanted the rock garden to be available to the wider community when access to the sanctuary was not possible.
"In these difficult economic times many people are seeking the comfort and solace of quiet prayer or meditation," said Karen Cook, a representative of the Sanctuary Support Committee. "Knowing that there are people who are sometimes unable or reluctant to attend formal religious services, we wanted to find a way to encourage our neighbors to enjoy a moment of peace."
The Sanctuary Support Committee is a very creative group, and many of them like to do floral arranging and design, so the idea of creating a prayer garden came naturally. The team invited another member of the congregation, Laura Goodwin, who loves planning outdoor garden spaces, to present some ideas and before long her vision was brought to reality.
The 20' x 20' space that was donated by a church family many years ago was a perfect setting. Materials were donated by both the pastor and the members of the committee. Because they were working within a very limited budget, they pulled together items from their own home gardens and craft supplies. However, they did purchase two strings of outdoor solar lights, which cost about $30 per string. Because Second Church is located just one mile from the ocean, heaps of stones were collected from the local beaches.
The church sent notices to the local newspapers and their invitation to the community was published in two papers. All those who visit are invited to write a thought or prayer on a stone and leave it on the altar, and to rest and reflect.
The garden is a blooming success.
"The most positive feedback we received," said Medeiros," is the number of prayer rocks still being created and left in our garden."
The Rev. Ms. Judith Medeiros can be reached at the church office at (508) 224-7220 or secondchurchplymouth@verizon.net.
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