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First United Methodist Church Prayer Garden  HISTORY The Prayer Garden is located on the property at 408 Emery Street where the “Rock House” once stood. In 2003 the house was torn down and the land cleared to make way for a garden to be part of the church campus. Because of immediate and costly repairs that were needed to the church building, the Board of Trustees of the church decided that it was necessary to attend to these repairs first.
The time was right to tackle the building of the Prayer Garden in 2006. The design of the garden was refined, monies to build the garden were raised, and the building began. The church supported and endorsed the building of the garden but no monies were available within the church budget to build it. All monies had to be raised from individuals that had a heart for the project. This leap of faith allowed for the creation of our Prayer Garden. On Sunday, May 13, 2007 the Prayer Garden was dedicated. The service held on Mother’s Day could not have been more joyous. Blooming trees, bushes, and flowers rejoiced on cue for the occasion. The congregation and the choir filled the entire garden singing hymns that echoed throughout the neighborhood. An idea, a journey, a congregation coming together – PRICELESS.
The grounds of the Prayer garden are meant to be an intimate, calm, and restful place to come and reflect when you need a quiet space. It could be used as a place to gather before weddings and before and after funerals with family and friends. It is a relaxing space to bring a lunch and sit with a friend. The garden is open to members of the church as well as the community during daylight hours. The garden is a prayer garden and anyone entering the grounds is asked to respect the sanctity of the garden.
DESIGN The design is simple and straightforward –from the church side of the garden, the hardscape design is the sign of the cross. The fountain is the center focal point of the garden with welcoming iron benches surrounding it. The flowers planted in the circle around the fountain area are mainly perennials with a boxwoo d hedge on the outside of the circle. All of the hardscapes are done so that anyone can maneuver around the garden on them – they are wheelchair and walker friendly. The gazebo is an area that you can get out of the sun and still sit in the garden. Prayer Garden Usage Policy CLICK HERE
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