The Black Church Food Security Network
Today, we're delighted to feature an episode of the Refugia Podcast, hosted by CCFW Faculty Fellow, Debra Rienstra. This conversation highlight's Debra’s ongoing work with Refugia—her project exploring how people of faith can create and sustain life-giving spaces amid crisis. We encourage you to listen to the episode and explore her broader work here.
Heber Brown, founder of the Black Church Food Security Network
The Garden Became the Steeple: Heber Brown and the Black Church Food Security Network
In this episode, Rev. Dr. Heber Brown, founder of the Black Church Food Security Network, describes how experimenting with one small church garden led to connections with other churches and then with farmers and eventually to a transformed ecosystem—in this case, a food shed. This inspiring refugia story weaves through health justice, food security, and climate resilience. Even more, this story celebrates the power of relationships among thousands of gifted, passionate, faithful people.
Many thanks to Heber Brown for graciously welcoming us to a church garden at one of the network churches in Baltimore, where we enjoyed chatting together in the greenhouse. To learn more about Rev. Dr. Heber Brown as a pastor, writer, and speaker, take a look at his website. You can also explore the wider work of the Black Church Food Security Network here.
The first garden in the Black Church Food Security Network at Pleasant Hope Baptist Church. Image courtesy of BCFSN.
