Goodness Weekly 6.29.26
“Like music and art, love of nature is a common language that can transcend political or social boundaries.”
―Jimmy Carter
WHAT’S GOOD
Sprouts School Visitors
This past week, our campus welcomed 55 nature-based educators from across the country—and as far away as Scotland—for the national Nature-Based Early Learning Conference. We were honored that Sprouts School was selected to host part of this year's gathering.
Although Sprouts is only three years old, it is led by Linda Charlton, whose decades of experience in early childhood and nature-based education have shaped the school's vision from the beginning. Over the past several years, Linda has taken the Sprouts teaching team to this conference when it was hosted in other cities. This year, Sprouts had the opportunity to welcome those colleagues here.
The visit sparked meaningful conversations about what it looks like to cultivate wonder, stewardship, and outdoor learning in an urban neighborhood. Linda reflected that after helping establish nature schools in settings like zoos and nature centers, she has come to believe that neighborhoods are just as important. Caring for the land immediately around us—whether through native plants, wildlife habitat, water conservation, or reducing the urban heat island effect—is a meaningful way to care for creation.
We are so proud of our burgeoning school community and how it is shaping our neighborhood while inspiring educators from across the country—and beyond.
Just a Touch Wild
Taylor Bates, Deputy Director, Sunset Ridge Collective
If you’ve been on our campus lately, you may have found yourself wondering, “Wow, what’s that?!” when looking at the abundant growth in our back parking lot. It’s an experimental corn patch!
Like Charis Park, we see our campus landscaping as an opportunity to explore what it looks like to steward creation in ways that are both beautiful, sustainable, and just a touch wild. We’ve been thoughtfully trying different approaches, guided by both experimentation and the insight of experienced professionals and community experts.
You may not know that this side of our campus has a long legacy of experimentation and care.
When the campus was first established in the 1920s as the Woodmen of the World Tuberculosis Hospital, a variety of tree species were planted to represent the organization’s state chapters. The bell tower courtyard was also intentionally designed as a bird sanctuary. Decades later, a beloved group of women from Sunset Ridge Church lovingly tended the stunning poinsettias in front of the chapel, working with a university horticultural expert to select a variety that could thrive in our climate. More recently, a generous neighborhood couple planted and cared for the native garden near the coffee trailer, helping beautify that corner of campus. Over the last year, Sprouts School has added raised garden beds on the back island, giving students hands-on opportunities to learn how plants grow.
Photo by Amy Lynn Johnson
Our newest project is also on that back island, where Sprouts School gathers for outdoor learning, gardening, and picnics. For years it was mostly dry grass beneath struggling red oaks. This season, we planted a “Three Sisters” garden—an Indigenous companion-planting tradition that demonstrates how corn, beans, and squash support one another while enriching the soil. It has become both a living classroom for our Sprouts students and a thriving ecosystem. The tall corn even inspired a temporary mini corn maze for the children to explore. With virtually no supplemental watering or fertilizer, the island has become lush and full of life.
Across the campus, we’re seeing more birds, butterflies, bees, and native plants than we have in years. The abundant rain this spring has transformed the landscape in surprising ways. Wildflowers have appeared along our fence lines, and a patch of sunflowers sprang up all on its own. We’re learning that healthy land begins with healthy soil, and healthy soil depends on biodiversity.
We’re still learning. We’ll continue to find the right balance between spaces that feel cared for, safe, and welcoming while allowing portions of the landscape to function as healthy ecosystems. Some areas will remain neatly maintained; others may look a little wilder by design.
Thank you for bearing with us as we continue to learn. Our hope is that our church, school, park, and gardens become places where people of all ages can encounter not only one another, but also the beauty and subtle wisdom of creation itself.
Perhaps caring for creation is less about controlling nature than learning to participate in its flourishing.
Coming Up…
Daily, NYX Yoga & Fitness
Daily, One Another Coffee
Wednesdays, Mission Compost Pick Up
Thursdays-Sundays, Scott’s Pizza, Charis Park
Saturdays, 9 AM - 1 PM, Sunset Ridge Farmers Market, Charis Park
Sundays, Worship at Sunset Ridge Church
Sundays, 8 AM - 1 PM, Billo’s Food Pop-Up, One Another Coffee, Breakfast sandos made to order
Friday, July 3, Office Closed in Observance of Independence Day
Saturday, July 4, One Another Coffee Closed
Saturday, July 4, 9 AM - 1 PM, Sunset Ridge Farmers Market, Artists & Creatives + Mindfulness Programming (Yoga 9am + Fitness for Longevity 10:15am), Charis Park
July 7 - 10, 9 AM - 12 PM, Vacation Bible School, Kinder - 5th, Sunset Ridge Church
Saturday, July 11, 9 AM - 1 PM, Sunset Ridge Farmers Market, Kid Market (Kid Vendors & Storytime + Activities), Charis Park
Saturday, July 18, 9 AM - 1 PM, Sunset Ridge Farmers Market, Gardening + Workshops, Charis Park
Saturday, July 25, 9 AM - 1 PM, Sunset Ridge Farmers Market, Mercado + De Boca En Boca (Bilingual Storytime + Activities), Charis Park
Friday, July 31, 7 - 9:30 PM, Full Moon Friday, Charis Park
Event Rentals - Interested in hosting your event at Charis Park or in our facilities? Please email rentals@sunset-ridge.org
Community Partners: For updated schedules and events please follow One Another Coffee, Sunset Ridge Farmers Market, NYX Wellness, Scott’s Pizza, Mission Compost, Sprouts School, Good Acres, and Community First Food Pantry.
