David CL Bauer, editor

Dec 5, 2022

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The Berea Ag 4-H club used a $500 grant to spruce up and replace landscaping at Berea Christian Church.

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Jet Walker, treasurer of Berea Ag 4-H, and Berea Christian Church members Ron and Deb Petefish accept a check from Farm Credit Illinois.

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Members of the Berea Ag 4-H club have used a Farm Credit Illinois grant to improve the lives of others.

The club was chosen to receive a $500 grant as one of 50 4-H and FFA groups selected by Farm Credit Illinois. The money was provided so groups could make their communities better places to live.

Berea Ag 4-H decided to improve the landscaping at Berea Christian Church, where it meets, according to club reporter Waylon Armstrong.

A tractor was used to remove old bushes and grasses and low shrubs were planted and mulched. Plants that require less maintenance were added after discussing the project with church members.

“We were glad to be chosen as one of the grant winners to help the church update the landscape,” Armstrong said.

David CL Bauer is editor and publisher. He has been editor since May 2009 and added publisher responsibilities in February 2016. The Cincinnati native has worked as an editor for newspapers in Florida, Ohio and Kentucky and as a former adjunct instructor of journalism at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky. He has also worked at radio stations in Ohio as a news director and a disc jockey. He has won a number of national and state awards for his reporting and editing.

Your church’s landscaping can offer a welcoming entrance into your church. Additionally, a few landscaping techniques can help you save energy by using native plants and planting trees that provide shade for your building. Here are some landscaping tips to help beautify your church property and entice more people to join your congregation.

1. Use a Year-Round Strategy

Pastors should remember they want the church grounds to look appealing all year round. You’ll want to plant bushes, trees and flowers that bloom throughout the year rather than all at once during one season.

Look for perennials that come back every year so you aren’t forking out money for plants every season and integrate annuals into your landscaping to boost the yard’s appearance. Your primary goal should be to provide fall foliage, blooms through the summer and a good foundation and structure through winter.

You can create layers within your garden or flower bed for an aesthetically pleasing topography all year round. Simply plant your flowers and shrubs in parallel rows for the most desired effect. You’ll want to research and find the best plants for your region and climate since plants fare differently in distinct areas. Then, you’ll want to create a staggered strategy so you will have beautiful landscaping through all seasons.

2. Integrate hardscape features

Hardscape features like fences, stone walls, gazebos, stone steps or fountains can add a unique element to your landscape and provide structure in the winter. Gazebos and wooden arbors can provide shade for your church community so they can enjoy outdoor activities. Stone water fountains can create a calm and serene environment for praying and quiet worship.

Walls and fences can frame the church property and are an excellent way to let your congregation know where the property line ends. If you’re considering hiring a landscaper, check if they are insured and have outstanding credentials. If you want to install outdoor lighting to your landscape, ensure they have the electrical work experience before you hire them.

Pastors can reduce their spending on equipment for adding hardscapes by renting versatile equipment like a skid steer. Skid steers have various attachments you can use for different projects. So, while installing hardscape features, you can mix cement, grind tree stumps and dig a trench with one piece of equipment rather than renting separate machines for each task. Additionally, you can install hardscape features while you are planning your garden and get the most use of the equipment while you have rented it.

3. Incorporate Texture

Ensure you incorporate forms of texture into your landscaping plan. Doing so can emphasize your other plants and supply ground coverage for areas lacking something. Foliage can also add diversity to your church property and enhance your existing plants and structures.

Mixing plant textures can add variety and break up the monotony in your property’s flower bed, garden or overall aesthetic. Texture typically refers to how plants look next to one another in your garden rather than how they feel.

Add some dimension to your church with different flowers and textural interests. Plants like elephant ears are big and create coarse texture, so you would want to match them with something with a more refined texture, like ornamental grass.

What Are the Benefits of a Church Garden?

Providing a garden for your church has myriad benefits. Gardens can help visitors connect with the church and unite the congregation by offering tasks for volunteers. They can be an essential part of learning for children in Bible study and help them connect with stories in the Bible. A garden can also boost your community outreach program efforts within your church.

Incorporating a community garden into your landscape might be an excellent opportunity for public relations and inviting people to hear the gospel. You can donate the food from your church garden to local charities or food drives to help the needy. A garden project can build a stronger community within your church and merge generations for a good cause.

Enhance Your Church Property

With the right landscaping tips, you can reflect the worship inside the church and welcome new visitors to your congregation. Make the most of the equipment you rent and ask volunteers to plant flowers and a community garden during service. You might be surprised how many church members would love to help.

The four-bedroom home comes with an updated look in the gourmet kitchen. A stairway with glass and exposed brick adds some vintage character to the home, while the lower level has its own living space with a bedroom, bathroom, kitchenette and separate entrance. Outside, the fenced backyard offers a deck, stone path, shed and landscaping.

Check out more photos in the listing below.

• Address: 7126 Roosevelt Avenue, Falls Church, VA
• Price: $650000
• Square feet: 1625
• Bedrooms: 4
• Bathrooms: 2
• Listing Description: Fully renovated 4BR 2BA modern Cape Cod on a large corner lot. Gourmet kitchen with stainless steel appliances, gas cooking, quartz counters, hip concrete breakfast bar, pendant lights, ceiling fans, and hardwood floors. Main level features two bedrooms, one with an added French door presenting to the living room adding versatility to be used as a bedroom or extension of the living area. Main level is completed with an enclosed front porch mudroom. Two bedrooms upstairs with stylish stairway with glass and exposed brick. Finished lower level with a living area, a separate room with closet, a full bathroom, kitchenette and separate walk up entrance. Large corner lot with a flat fully fenced backyard featuring a deck, stone path, shed, and landscaping!

Listed by: Jason Upp, Century 21 New Millennium

For more information click here. See more photos of the listing below, courtesy of Century 21 New Millennium:

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Listed by: Jason Upp, Century 21 New Millennium Listed by: Jason Upp, Century 21 New Millennium Listed by: Jason Upp, Century 21 New Millennium Listed by: Jason Upp, Century 21 New Millennium Listed by: Jason Upp, Century 21 New Millennium Listed by: Jason Upp, Century 21 New Millennium Listed by: Jason Upp, Century 21 New Millennium Listed by: Jason Upp, Century 21 New Millennium Listed by: Jason Upp, Century 21 New Millennium