Special Dedication

This week marks the one year anniversary of the idea of the garden. It’s amazing to see just how far things have come from a crazy idea on the highway, to an ugly patch of dirt, to a flourishing vegetable-filled plot! The garden was officially blessed on June 5, 2011, as the Kenneth L. Whyte Community Garden. You may not have heard of him, but if you’re reading this blog, you are certainly a witness to his legacy.

Rev. Whyte was once the pastor of my church and a strong influence on my moral foundation. As pastor of our church, Rev. Whyte led with a fair and kind heart, always teaching us to accept and love one another for our unique characteristics. Through him, I learned that everyone has something to contribute, and if you just let people work within their individual strengths, you can find harmony amid diversity. You see, Rev. Whyte was an African-American pastor who was assigned to what was, at that time, an all white congregation. He encountered an abundance of adversity and racism, but ultimately transformed the church into a thriving multi-ethnic congregation filled with love and acceptance. At least, that’s how it was perceived to be through the eyes of a 7-year-old girl. Regardless of the racial tension that may have belabored the church at the time, I was raised in love and support by all of our members, with Rev. Whyte as the bond that held us all together.

As time went on, Rev. Whyte eventually went on to pastor another church, and with him went a lot of the diversity in ours. There is beauty in the fact that he maintained great friendships with my family as well as many of the other families in my church, so we never really lost him as “our pastor”. Last year, we were all saddened when Rev. Whyte lost his battle with lung cancer. I was fortunate enough to have had the privilege of visiting him in the hospital shortly before he passed away, and I was relieved to find that all of the respect and love I’d had for him was not merely my childish ideal of the “old church”, but a very real memory of a truly great man. Even while facing his own mortality, Rev. Whyte was willing to be my pastor one last time, sharing some very special life lessons and cementing his legacy of love and acceptance forever in my heart.

Just as all of the vegetables in this garden must learn to share this plot of land, allowing each plant to grow and prosper within its own unique characteristics, our church learned to do the same under Rev. Whyte’s guidance. And so, we dedicate this garden to the memory of Kenneth L. Whyte, who taught us so much about the meaning of Christian love and what it means to truly care about others. Even though he has not led our church for many years, Rev. Whyte’s spirit is still evident in the lives of the people he has touched and by the values we hold dear in our church to this day. From seeds of love, a garden grows – I think he knew what he was doing. Thanks, Rev. Whyte!