Drew’s Theological School has a special program that has been around for many years, but that you may not know about. The Theo School community garden is a program on campus that is dedicated to social and environmental justice. The garden also provides students with a green space where they can go to reflect on life, ground themselves and get close to nature, regardless of their religious background or connection to the Theological School.
The Theo garden is located between the Madison House and the Carriage House. As stated on their Facebook page, they “hope to foster engagement and practical application of environmental ethics beyond everything that we’re learning in our classroom context.” They do this in many ways, including volunteer programs where students can work in the garden, food sharing, potlucks and more.
For those who work in the garden, it is an opportunity for spiritual connection through nature. Rae Guthrie (‘26), one of the garden stewards, said, “One of the reasons that I came to Drew was because of the garden. I love that the Theological School has ecological justice as one of [its] values.” Guthrie continued, “I’ve always been very interested in nature and space and science, and for so long I’d always been taught that Christianity or religion or spirituality is separate from that… I really started to learn that, no, these things don’t have to be separate and they’re actually a very vital part of a theological framework for doing justice.”
The Theo garden brings together those who choose to take part in it. By combining religion with the natural world, it provides the Theo School with the opportunity for giving back to the community, in big and small ways. They rely on volunteers to keep the garden running, and many of these volunteers are Drew students. In return, the food and other plants that they harvest each year are donated to the community.
Albarka Wakili (‘26), another garden steward, explained, “The Drew Theo community garden was initiated as a project to reflect our commitment to environmental justice and general sustainable living and just to try to tie that to our faith as the Drew Theological school.”
Since they are working towards this goal, the garden is a place for everyone, regardless of their religious background or connection to the Theo School.
Guthrie said, “What I hope for the garden is that it will be a place for folks to come and connect with nature, whether or not they’re religious… we want it to be kind of a hub for all students to come and interact, learn how to grow food… I think it’s a good way for us to not feel so disconnected from nature and really help people learn that we aren’t apart from nature and the land. There’s so much interconnection and being able to have that symbiotic relationship I think is very impactful.”
As “the campus in the forest,” nature plays a big role in the everyday lives of those in the Drew community. There are so many opportunities to connect with nature on not only a physical level, but a spiritual and social one as well. The social and environmental justice focus that leads the garden is important to remember in regards to its history and where it is headed for the future.
The garden is for you “if you want a place that is… good for reflection or to just improve your spiritual life or if you want to get hands-on experience about… agriculture in general,” said Wakili. It is made by the Drew community for the Drew community.
If you are interested in learning more about the garden, you can find them on Instagram @drewcommunitygarden.
Featured image courtesy of @drewcommunitygarden on Instagram.
