Toronto Chinese Mennonite Church looked at its property to dream of how it could recreate the space around the church. It has been a great way to engage with neighbors.

“I feel like God has entrusted us to take care of creation,” said Sandy Yuen, a member of Toronto Chinese Mennonite Church. “Many people care about the environment, and these gardens are a way to build relationships with our neighbors.”

Pollinators are in decline because of loss of habitat, pesticides, climate change and other reasons. Yuen and Ginetta Peters, a local Toronto Beaches resident, collaborated on a pollinator garden with the assistance of a PollinateTO grant from the city of Toronto. They cleaned up the existing garden and purchased soil to create the beds. The David Suzuki Foundation and Project Swallowtail donated many of the pollinator-friendly plants.

“Because we were doing this during COVID, we were limited in how many people could be together, even outside,” Yuen said.

People in the congregation signed up for one-hour time slots over two days of planting. As one family finished, the next would arrive.

Due to social restrictions, the congregation needed to be creative with educational activities. More than 100 households attended an online screening of Flight of the Butterflies, a 2012 documentary. The production company allowed the church to share it in both Mandarin and English for free.

The congregation also has a community garden on its property for neighbors and community groups.

“Because we are in Toronto, many people don’t have access to garden space and fresh produce as readily as those outside the city,” Yuen said. “It has been a great way to engage with our neighbors.”

Each spring the church holds a planting day when everyone comes to plant together in a family-friendly event.

“It’s good to get our hands dirty and really experience God’s providence,” Yuen said. “God provides food for us, and this is a very tangible way to see that. It’s satisfying to plant it, care for it and harvest it. It really connects you with the earth and makes you think about where your food comes from.”