Written by Frank E. Lockwood
Methodists in the Delta have grown more than a ton of produce this year to give to those in need. Baptist volunteers are helping to distribute the harvest. Steve and Leah Williamson help oversee the Mustard Seed Garden, which has sprung up in an empty lot next to their place of worship, Brinkley First United Methodist Church. Steve Williamson is the garden’s president.
Most summer days, you’ll find them there in the cool of the morning, weeding, watering, and sometimes harvesting as well. They typically stay until early afternoon. The labor, Leah Williamson said, is a ministry. “When we’re doing this for others, we’re doing this for Christ,” she said.
Sixteen five-by-twenty-feet beds are devoted to raising crops for the food insecure — those going hungry or living with the fear that they’ll have to go without. Another 20 beds have been reserved for members of the community. For $40, local residents can secure their own garden plot and enjoy it until the first frost arrives. Water and soil are provided.
In the city and throughout Monroe County, there’s plenty of need for food. The economy has lagged behind the rest of the U.S. The town’s population has fallen sharply over the past half century, from 5,275 in 1970 to 2,700 in 2020. Monroe County had far more people in 1920 — 21,601 — than it does today (6,244). More than one in four Brinkley residents live in poverty, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates. Countywide, the estimated poverty rate is 22.8%. Among Brinkley’s children and those under 18, the estimated poverty rate is 47.6%. “We live in a community that’s hungry,” Leah Williamson said. Praying about the problem wasn’t enough to satisfy Steve Williamson. “Faith without action is dead,” the 76-year-old retired farmer said. When the garden was in its early stages, he reached out to friends and neighbors for help, and they responded. Arkansas United Methodists gave generously, as did the Monroe County Master Gardeners and the Arkansas Farm Bureau, the Williamsons said. The water department leased them the land for $1 a year, he said.
Samantha Menley, an outreach ministry specialist with the Arkansas Conference of the United Methodist Church, said Brinkley is one of 28 United Methodist congregations statewide that are running or supporting community gardens. The Brinkley church “is a great example of using the gifts and skills of their congregation to make a difference in the community,” she said.
McCarthy Building Companies and their partners were particularly generous. They built the 36 raised beds and provided a tool shed, fencing and other assistance, the Williamsons said. American Composting provided nine trailer loads of compost at a discount. Green Point Ag drove it for free all the way from North Little Rock. Banks and local businesses also kicked in.
Despite the summer heat, Ashley Strange, a project manager with Longroad Energy, painted a mural that now towers above the plot. “It took about a month, just a couple of hours a day at night and a couple of hours a weekend when weather allowed,” Strange said.
So far this year, Mustard Seed Garden had produced 2,565 pounds of produce for those in need, Leah Williamson said. The 71-year-old retired pharmacist has a scale and weighs whatever is harvested before it is transported to a food bank run by Broadmoor Baptist Church. On Wednesdays, the Southern Baptist ministry distributes it. “So far, it’s worked out really, really well. People are excited to get it,” said Nancy Henry, a food bank volunteer.
Even now, with temperatures near triple digits, the vegetable patch continues to flourish. There’s okra six feet high, tomatoes, bell peppers, jalapeno peppers and potatoes, as well as sweet corn and even watermelon. “A little bit of everything,” Leah Williamson said.
The garden’s name is taken from the Gospels — Matthew 17:20, to be precise: “Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” (NIV translation)
At the Baptist foodbank, most of the vegetables get snatched up right away. The eggplant, however, isn’t flying off the shelves. “Some people know what to do with it, some people don’t,” Ray said. “But those that do, they’re happy to get it.”
In addition to food, there are also flowers. The morning glories and sunflowers are happy. So are the zinnias. In the shadow of a peach tree, the Williamsons have crafted a small prayer garden. “It’s just a wonderful gift to the community,” she said. The Little Rock resident grew up in Brinkley, so she’s seen its struggles. “This is the first time I’ve seen some hope and prosperity and excitement in the city,” she said. For Leah Williamson, the garden has been a balm.
“God gave us an idea and it has become our therapy in the loss of Brad and Richie,” she said. “It gives us hope and a pride that their lives can continue to help people.”