2 minute read
Grounds Beautification Ministry Keeps Flowers Blooming on Our Parish Campus
Jim Stanker, coordinator of our Grounds Beautification Ministry, is the first one to tell you he knows nothing about flowers. But he also knows the ministry has knowledgeable members who use their time and talents to make sure the garden areas around our church reflect God’s beauty. There are a dozen members who plant and maintain the flowers in the garden plots around the church.
Jim and his wife, Terrie, have been serving in the ministry for about four years. Jim actually became the ministry coordinator in a somewhat roundabout way. As a member of the Facilities Committee, Jim agreed to call parishioners who had signed up for the new Grounds Beautification Ministry when it was being organized.
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“Next thing I know, I’m in charge by default!” Jim says. “There are ladies and guys who volunteer in the group who are Master Gardeners. They don’t mind if I don’t know about flowers, they just ask me to take care of other tasks.”
Jim and Terrie care for the plot in the front of the church, where they plant marigolds.
“We have no regular schedule,” he says. “Everyone does their own thing. Our group doesn’t have meetings, but we kind of divided the church areas where flowers are to be planted, and there are 12 gardens. An individual or a couple will ‘adopt’ a garden. They plant and order the flowers, water them, and take care of the maintenance.”
The ministry members do gather during the year to do a walk-around and decide what needs to be done to the plots, and what flowers worked best in a particular spot.
“It’s sort of a work in progress,” Jim says.
The busiest season is in the spring when John Paul II School holds its annual flower sale. The ministry members decide how many flowers are needed and place an order. The group waits until the danger of snow has passed, then begins planting, usually in May. Other than weeding and watering over the summer, the work eases up until November, when the dead flowers are removed. The plots are turned over and some mulch is worked into the soil.
“We have got some really good members in the ministry,” Jim says. “They are dedicated and do what they say they’re going to do. Several folks have signed on to join and I look forward to having them.”
