Hopefully by now you have a basic knowledge of the incredible history of the historic Concord Church. But you may be wondering, "Okay I know what happened back then, but what's happening now"?
Well this blog is to fill you in on our vision for the church building property!
Here is what we are thinking:
El Shaddai's desire is to restore the building to its original state from its historic time. We want it to act as a landmark in the community as a remembrance of our forefathers. With the restoration, we plan to get to work on the landscape. How wonderful would it be to have gardens for our community, walking trails, and many fun summer outdoor activities? So awesome, right? Well there will be more to come with our upcoming plans but for now, we want you all to get a little glimpse of our specific vision for the community gardens.
If any of you have ever been to Hilton Head Island (the most peaceful place on the east coast... well we might be a little biased), maybe you've had the chance to drive to Savannah, Georgia and see the absolutely amazing Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens like we did this past summer. On their website, http://www.coastalgeorgiabg.org, you can see all the varieties of gardens that they have. These pictures below are a few of their pictures from their gardens. Be sure to check their website out!!
We love the ideas of having many different types of gardens like Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens. These are their pictures and obviously just an idea for what we want to do, but we want to give you simply a basis of what is to come.
These are just a few of the kinds of community gardens that we desire to have at the historic Concord building.
1. Water Garden
Most of you know that the historic Concord church is sitting right in front of Mill Creek. We would love to design a garden by the river with beautiful walking trails to bring you at peace during your busy day!
2. Rose Garden
The rose is timeless. Every garden needs a couple of rose bushes!
3. Cottage Garden
We would love to provide a little gazebo that our community can use as a place to eat their lunch, read a book, spend time in prayer, or any way that brings serenity to them. As you sit in the gazebo you can look out into the garden and see some herbaceous perennials!
4. Shade Garden
If you have ever driven by the historic Concord church property, you know that there are lots and lots of trees surrounding it. So why not put those trees to use as a shade garden! Want to be outdoors but it's 90 degrees in July? Fret no more; we've got plenty of trees to give you relief from the sun while still enjoying your day in the gardens!
5. Iris Garden
You can't have a garden without Tennessee's state flower!
6. Garden for all abilities
This is something we loved about the Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens: anyone was able to enjoy it! These raised beds allow people with different physical abilities to be able to plant and help in the gardens (which we eventually want to happen). The pavement also allows a variety of people to be able to easily get around and be involved!
7. Crepe Myrtles
Who in Tennessee doesn't love a few good Crepe Myrtles?
Imagine a crisp spring morning. You arrive at the historic Concord church gardens, wanting to get some peace and quiet before you enter your office where stress lingers in the air. Suddenly, the plants and flowers have life again and you take a deep breath to smell the dew on the ground. As you walk, the trails are lined with brightly colored Crepe Myrtles and you are beginning to feel lighter. You hear the trickle of water and take a walk through the water gardens, suddenly all stress is gone and you are reminded of your childhood when you used to play every afternoon in the river. You are starting to get tired but see that there is a gazebo that you can stop and rest. You realize you have time to read a chapter of your favorite book before you have to leave and take a deep sigh of relief. The sun is now up and you know you have to go to work. But you are grateful for all the trees to shade your walk back to your car so you don't become a sweaty mess. The day has begun and you feel refreshed and ready to tackle any problems. On to work you go!
This is our desire, to have a place of community to get you away from the hustle and bustle of things, to sit in nature and feel your spirit being washed cleaned.
We hope this blog post has helped you see our vision for the historic Concord church property and has made you just as excited as we are.
Stay tuned as we will post more of our future visions for you!