Mark R. Elliott
Financial support from overseas for the Christian cause in the former Soviet Union undermines, rather than strengthens, the church when it thwarts the prospect for self-sustaining ministry and when it stifles indigenous initiative and stewardship. Funds were raised in 2014-15 for a 2016 greenhouse gardening project to demonstrate one approach to lessening dependence upon long-term outside contributions. The six sites selected for greenhouses included a church-based rehab center (Ukraine), a group home for orphans in foster care (Ukraine), a ministry center for orphan graduates (Russia), and the rural homes of three low-income, bi-vocational pastors (Ukraine).
Greenhouse sites were chosen that could serve to encourage replication by Eurasian churches and ministries by demonstrating how best to implement greenhouse cultivation on a modest budget. The demonstration greenhouses are relatively affordable (hence small in size); they are durable (hence rust-free galvanized steel framing and long-lasting polycarbonate panel covering); they hold promise of high yield (hence low-cost, gravityfed drip irrigation); and they are characterized by low overhead (hence passive ventilation to avoid electric fans, and season extension, rather than winter cultivation, to eliminate fueled heating and increased maintenance costs). Requirements for each site included a one-month greenhouse gardening training course (Zaoksky, Russia, March 2016) and detailed record-keeping for inputs (labor, soil amendments, fertilizer, herbicides, and insecticides) and yield. Each site director was asked to plant only cucumbers and tomatoes in 2016 to simplify recordkeeping. Site directors were free in 2017 and are free for subsequent growing seasons to make their own decisions on crop selection, fertilizing, etc.
A 38-page report on the greenhouse project addresses the above concerns through treatment of the following topics: definitions, greenhouse gardening benefits, the Mittleider Method of cultivation practiced at the Zaoksky farm where training took place, and specifics of greenhouse best practices including size; design; placement; orientation; foundation construction; framing; coverings; growing and transplanting seedlings; soil preparation; ventilation; watering; fertilizing; pruning; controlling weeds, plant diseases, and insects; harvesting; and marketing. The report concludes with an enumeration of practices to be avoided. Appendices provide an historic overview of the issue of dependency (Appendix I), a copy of the Greenhouse Garden Records Journal (Appendix II), and compilations of individual site and cumulative statistics on multiple categories of labor and yield (Appendices III-VII). The full report in English and in Russian may be downloaded at no charge from the East-West Church and Ministry Report website (www.eastwestreport.org).
Mark R. Elliott is editor of the East-West Church and Ministry Report.