Garden Club at Anglican Church, Kincardine, enjoys plants and fellowship

By: Catherine Hodges of Garden Club July 17, 2026 337

Garden Club at Anglican Church, Kincardine, enjoys plants and fellowship

The Garden Club at the Anglican Church of the Messiah in Kincardine is one of those ministries that quietly does a lot of good.

Yes, the club members plant flowers and pull weeds, but the work goes deeper than that. Caring for the gardens contributes to beautification of the community, the church’s heritage, and the world God entrusted to us.

The club has been gradually adding more native perennials — plants that feed pollinators and draw butterflies and bees to the grounds. It’s a small but meaningful shift. Gardening has changed, times have changed, yet tending the earth remains a thread of continuity with the generations that came before us.

One of the joys of gardening is simply watching life return. The club delights in seeing flowers bloom and colour appear after a long winter. The members smile when plants they forgot about push up through the soil to greet them again, as if saying, “I’m still here.” And when insects buzz around the blossoms — bees drifting from flower-to-flower, butterflies hovering in the sunlight — it feels like a sign of health, of renewal, of creation doing exactly what it was meant to do.

The historic Anglican Church sits at the top of a ravine that descends to the Penetangore River, a ribbon of wilderness full of birds and wildlife. When club members are out in the gardens, they feel connected not only to the church’s history but also to the living landscape around them. The gardens form a gentle meeting place between the cultivated and the wild — a spot to pause, breathe, and feel the presence of creation.

And here’s something every gardener knows: working in the soil is its own kind of ministry. There’s something deeply grounding about planting, tending, and watching perennials grow. The Garden Club gives members a chance to do that together — sharing stories, swapping plants, connecting with one another.

They invite everyone to pause in the gardens and enjoy the colours, shapes, and variety of plants that flourish here. Stand under the generous shade of century-old trees on the west side, and be sure to check out the well-stocked “little library” on the driveway. Or step into the sunlight on the east side, where flowers open wide in the warmth of the day. On this historic site, surrounded by beauty and held by nature, you can breathe deeply, and feel peace.

More information about the Church of the Messiah’s services and ministries are available on the church website at circlef.wixsite.com/anglican. Guests and visitors are always welcome to services throughout the summer.