Sabbath Gardening Renews Community in Urgent Times

Gardening done with a Sabbath spirit cultivates patience, humility and hope for the future.

Published on Feb. 12, 2026

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In Sarasota, Florida, the Covenant Mennonite Fellowship planted a Sabbath garden, carefully tending to the soil, spacing and depth of the seedlings. This practice of slow, attentive gardening reflects a Sabbath spirit that refuses panic and instead grounds the community in patience, humility and hope for the future they cannot fully control.

Why it matters

As the world faces urgent social and political challenges, the article argues that Sabbath practices like gardening can renew people, build community, and prepare them for an uncertain future. Rather than constantly responding to crises, Sabbath gardening teaches attentiveness, trust in God's work, and acceptance of outcomes beyond our control.

The details

The author describes planting the Sabbath garden at Covenant Mennonite Fellowship, where they carefully noted details like depth, spacing, and soil texture, knowing they would return in the coming weeks to observe the results. This practice of attentive, unhurried gardening reflects the parable of the sower in Mark 4, where the outcome depends on the soil, not just the intention. The author argues that in our current urgent times, this kind of Sabbath gardening grounds the community, builds resilience, and prepares them for an unknowable future.

  • This past Sunday, the Covenant Mennonite Fellowship planted their Sabbath garden.
  • In the coming weeks, the community will return to observe how the seedlings have grown.

The players

Covenant Mennonite Fellowship

A Mennonite church community in Sarasota, Florida that planted a Sabbath garden.

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What they’re saying

“Gardening done in a Sabbath spirit renews us, builds community and quietly prepares for a future we cannot control.”

— Andrew Hudson, Author (anabaptistworld.org)

What’s next

The community plans to continue tending the Sabbath garden in the coming weeks, observing how the seedlings grow and unfold over time.

The takeaway

In an era of constant crisis and urgency, the practice of Sabbath gardening can ground a community in patience, humility, and hope for the future. By tending the land with care and attention, the Covenant Mennonite Fellowship is finding renewal and preparing for an uncertain tomorrow.