Our Neighbors’ Garden, The Mosaic House, Habitat for Humanity,
Unified Missions That Help Our Neighbors in Need.  by Zeke Fleet

More than twelve years ago, a small United Methodist Church held services south of Traverse City
near the corner of Three-Mile and Garfield Roads. The church, a three-bedroom house, and a pole
barn were on a seven-acre parcel owned by UMC-Michigan. After the church closed, the remaining
property, with the house and pole barn, was deeded from UMC-MI to Central UMC in 2022.

In 2011, forward-thinking John Ellinger (retired CUMC pastor and current member), envisioned the
site to be an ideal location for a garden. John had it right and today Our Neighbors’ Garden (ONG)
has expanded and continues to supply tons of fresh vegetables to those in need throughout the
Grand Traverse Region, including Central’s Community Outreach Mission.

A story of cooperative and mutually beneficial mission groups unfolds.

In November 2021, former CUMC pastor Chris Lane asked CUMC member Bob Blackmer, with the
help of Curtis Cobb, to renovate the dilapidated house, which later would be named the Mosaic
House. Nearly $70,000 would be needed for the renovation, with the intent of making the house
suitable for a refugee family in need of housing. Bob was a long-time Habitat for Humanity volunteer
and was able to organize both Habitat and Central volunteers to complete a top-to-bottom home
renovation. The project took a full ten months and included wiring, a new heating system, kitchen
appliances and cabinets, flooring, wall repair and more.  Central members donated furniture, small
appliances, beds, bedding, and other household items that were needed to make the house

comfortable and complete for a family.

Mosaic House opens its doors to refuge Ukrainian family

Soon after the renovation of the Mosaic House, Pastor Chris connected with a Ukrainian refugee family in need of housing. Thousands of Ukrainians have faced injustice, atrocities, and loss of property and life following the February 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. As bombing approached Ukraine’s capital city of Kiev, the six-member family of Mike and Anastasiia Lymarenko and their relatives left their possessions behind and fled in haste to Poland. The family came to the US and connected with Pastor Chris Lane and CUMC missions committee member Julie Falconer.

The Lymarenko family made their way to Traverse City and on Sept. 4, 2022 moved into the Mosaic
House. Through the generous outpouring from Central and Habitat for Humanity volunteers and
donors, the Lymarenko family found a place of safety and acceptance.  The father, Mike, is employed
at an auto parts store and is seeking employment as a truck driver.  Mike’s wife, Anastasiia, works
part time, and three of their five children attend Cherry Knoll School. Their youngest child, David, was
born March 10.  The family is on a two-year visa and pays a modest rent, which helps cover property taxes.

About Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity, Grand Traverse Region, has had a cooperative partnership with CUMC for several years.  Bob Blackmer’s support of this organization, and the willingness of their volunteers who assisted, proved to be wonderful assets. 

Habitat’s vision is as follows:

“Seeking to put God’s love into action, Habitat for Humanity brings people together to build sustainable homes, communities and hope.”

• Habitat makes home ownership a reality when it would not otherwise be possible.
• Habitat offers volunteer construction support and involves valuable “sweat-equity” from the future homeowners in Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, and Leelanau Counties.
• Habitat arranges down-payment assistance, helps reduce mortgage costs, builds owner stability, pride, and a sense of belonging in the community. 

A reciprocal agreement was reached with Central that allowed Habitat to utilize the 1,600 square-foot pole barn on the Three-Mile and Garfield Road parcel in exchange for renovation work on the barn and Mosaic House. Habitat continues to utilize the barn for wood/material storage and off-site construction during inclement weather.  

More about Our Neighbors’ Garden

John Ellinger and a dedicated group of tireless volunteers have continued to till the soil, plant the seeds, and harvest the crops. The mission of Our Neighbors’ Garden is to supply healthy food for the tables of our neighbors in need in the five-county area serviced by Food Rescue of Northwest Michigan.  Each year more than 70 area food pantries and community meal sites receive 3,000 to 4,000 pounds of vegetables from ONG, thanks to the massive efforts of garden coordinator John Ellinger, Larry Winegar, and other volunteers.

New Volunteers are needed for Our Neighbors’ Garden …

You need not be an experienced gardener to join our team, and your volunteer time in the garden is flexible – as your schedule permits. We hope you will consider this opportunity to help Central continue this vital community service and ministry.

To learn more, please contact Jean Kjellberg, volunteer coordinator:  jeankj@charter.net

Central’s Missional Heritage Helps Many

These success stories have roots on this small land parcel in Garfield Township. These are prime examples of mission-minded folks from Central who found ingenious ways to help people in need. It’s a story of God’s grace and the rich missional heritage of the CUMC family that works together for the good of our neighbors.  Your donations through Central’s Mission Ministry program continue to make a difference in out community and around the world.  CLICK HERE to donate now.