Westminster Presbyterian Garden
Westminster Presbyterian Church, 4515 S. 14th St., will have a grand opening for the planter box garden it is building in conjunction with the New Roots program of the International Rescue Committee. The grand opening will be held on Saturday, April 18, the weekend before Earth Day on April 22. It costs an estimated $65 to purchase supplies to build one box. Checks should be made payable to Westminster Presbyterian Church. Put “Planter Box” in the subject line and mail to the church:
Westminster Presbyterian Church
4515 S. 14th St.
Abilene, TX 79605

New Root Farms
The following is from the International Rescue Committee’s website. Click here to learn more. 
“The International Rescue Committee’s New Roots program helps refugees become food secure and contribute to their new homes and communities. Since 2008, New Roots has helped new Americans to navigate their food resources, facilitated low-income families to enter urban agriculture, developed local food systems and community green space infrastructure, and provided a platform for youth and adults to build job and life skills.”

By Loretta Fulton

The empty land in front of Westminster Presbyterian Church, which is set back from South 14th Street, looks like the perfect spot for a big garden–and soon it will be.

Work began Saturday, Feb. 28, on a New Roots garden that will be developed in conjunction with the local office of the International Rescue Committee. IRC employees, refugees, and members of Westminster church gathered on a windy Saturday morning to build 12 planter boxes, staple landscaping fabric on the bottom of the boxes, and fill them with soil. 

“We’re starting with them and we’re hoping to grow,” said Isaiah Core, elder at the church and son of the pastor, Sara Core. 

More boxes will be added as sponsors become available. It costs about $65 per box to purchase supplies. Westminster will provide an irrigation system and water for the boxes. The IRC will provide seeds and plants.

Volunteers help build planter boxes at Westminster Presbyterian Church. Photo courtesy Stephanie Graves

Sara Core credited her son with coming up with the idea. He was formerly associated with another church in Abilene that had ties to the New Roots program, which the International Rescue Committee started in 2008. That church has since closed, but Isaiah Core liked the concept of a New Roots garden. 

“I’ve always kept this idea in the back of my head,” he said.

His chance came on Nov. 1, 2025, when his mother was named pastor at Westminster. She loved the idea, and the symbolism. 

“I’m a strong believer in the spiritual law of sowing and reaping,” Sara Core said. “What you put into the work of the church to help others determines what you as a church get out of it.”

She has already seen that principle at work. On Feb. 28, about 30 people turned out to get the project started. The location is ideal for a couple of reasons. It is highly visible from South 14th Street so that people driving by can see the church in action. 

Plus, it is across the street from Woodhaven Shopping Center, with a bus stop in front. That is important because most refugees arriving in Abilene through the International Rescue Committee don’t have a drivers license. 

The Core Family, left to right, Sara, Megan (married to Isaiah on right end), Emma (daughter of Megan and Isaiah), Daniel, and Isaiah. Daniel and Isaiah are the sons of Sara and Bill Core. Sara Core is pastor of Westminster Presbyterian Church. Photo by Loretta fulton

Once it’s up and growing, the garden will serve several purposes. It will provide fresh vegetables for refugee families, including vegetables native to their home country that they can’t  find locally. Many of the refugees were farmers in their native country and know how to tend to their crop. And, judging from the first workday, it’s a social event.

“We’re giving them community,” said Arina Gray, resettlement manager for the Abilene office of the IRC. 

Surplus vegetables from the planter boxes will either be given to other refugees or sold at the Farmer’s Market. Gray is hopeful that people will step forward to sponsor more boxes so that there will be a surplus.

“This is just a beginning,” she said. 

Left to right are IRC staff members who helped build planter boxes Feb. 28, Westminster Presbyterian Church sight, volunteers build boxes. Staff members left to right are Tim Danley, Joelle Mboneko, Rachel Esparza, Audrey Gillespie, and Arina Gray, resettlement manager for the local office. First two photo by Loretta Fulton. Photo on right courtesy Stephanie Graves.

That’s exactly what Sara Core, pastor at Westminster, is thinking. If the initial phase is successful, fruit trees and a picnic area may be added. Beyond that, she envisions refugees preparing a meal of their native dishes to share with the church or the community–even adding native music and dances. Such an event might turn into a fundraiser for more boxes.

“My imagination is unlimited,” Core said. 

Loretta Fulton is creator and editor of Spirit of Abilene