Kardinya Uniting Church found a simple way to stay in each other’s thoughts during COVID-19 restrictions, by cultivating pot plants for each other.
Pots of Love was the brainchild of Betty Pearson, member of the congregation, who wanted to encourage people to keep thinking about each other even though they couldn’t meet for in-person worship. Congregation members were invited to ‘strike’ a plant and look after it during the weeks of lockdown, and then bring it to their first worship back in the building. Members could then take a plant home from the ones donated, reminding them of their shared connections during the period.
Betty said it was a way members could do something together while staying physically apart. “I thought, when this closure is over and we get back to our normal Sunday worship we need to do
something special,” she said. “So many of our people are spending time in their gardens during this time of isolation. Quite a few of our people are gardeners. Gardening is on our mind.
“[Pots of Love] gives people something to do, and to think about somebody other than themselves while they’re in lockdown. Just to focus on something while we’re not seeing each other.
“When you look at your pot when you get it home you’ll think, ‘oh, someone made that, that’s really nice’. I hope.”
Kardinya Uniting Church gathered in person for worship on Sunday 2 August after a long period of watching online services from other congregations and sharing a printed resource for at-home worship, prepared by their two Lay Preachers, Malcolm Shoosmith and John van den Berg.
Top image: Members of Kardinya Uniting Church sharing their Pots of Love.