Spirituality
www.GilbertSunNews.com
37
May 2015
Wonderful Mercy Church turned a dirt lot into a prayer garden as a gift to the community. The garden is free to use and church membership is not a requirement. GSN photo by Tim Sealy
Prayer Garden is centerpiece of Wonderful Mercy
The garden’s other remarkable piece is Since its fall opening, the Prayer Garden an 8,700-pound rock that was placed with at Wonderful Mercy Church has become a crane. The two features together proa source of serenity and support for the vide peace and serenity, except for the congregation and comoccasional road munity as a whole. noise. The garden Associate Pastor Bob is open to folks of Blayter wouldn’t have any denomination, it any other way. and marks an era “People pray out of change for the here all the time,” he church said. “We’ve had baby “Once the vines dedications, wedding grow, it’ll look renewals. It’s open 24-7 more garden-y,” and there’s no charge. Blayter said with a There’s no offering resmile. “We have a quired. It’s a gift to the new sign, too. It’s community. We want Wonderful Mercy people to come and with the big W.” enjoy their time here.” Wonderful Located in a former Mercy boasts dirt lot, the garden was a 250-member one of the church’s congregation, longtime goals. It, too, although services leaves just enough hover around the space to allow for a 180 mark. Blaynew building, should ter, who is one the congregation outof three pastors, grow the church. is planning on “We felt God speakretiring the end ing to us,” Blayter said Associate pastor Bob Blayter was able to see of May. He has Wonderful Mercy Church’s prayer garden to about the beginnings one wish for the fruition before his retirement at the end of of the garden. “One church goers. May. GSN photo by Tim Sealy of the projects we “I hope the wanted to do was a prayer garden.” ultimate goal is we all come to love The congregation was able to raise Jesus,” Blayter said. “That’s the endgame enough money so that the church was for us. With that, I hope that they feel able to create it debt free. loved, that they feel important. Everyone “We also had a wonderful contractor matters. who threw in a lot of freebies,” he said. “For us, pleasing god is the most impor“There are two central features. There’s tant, and loving and pleasing each other is the Scripture wall. We took Scriptures next. We’re really strong on love and carthat people submitted, we voted on them ing. Jesus said the two great commandand had an architect artistically make ments are love God and love one another. this.” Hopefully we’re doing that.” BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI
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