Tangible Ministry at New Water Farms

Tangible Ministry

STORY BY BETSY ILER & PHOTOS BY KENNETH BOONE

New Water Farms ticks more than one box when it comes to great places around Lake Martin, as the staff here fulfills its mission of teaching, training and transforming in the context of working the beautiful lakeside farm. Founded 11 years ago as a 22-acre working farm and training facility for missionaries and discipleship leaders, the farm has grown into additional roles

Sowing seeds carries biblical overtones at Dadeville’s New Water Farms as a local event space, wedding venue and worship center.

Through its early years, the farm grew to include a lodge for guests and an event space for weddings, meetings and workshops, along with an outdoor lakeside chapel. Now the New Water Farms Board of Directors looks toward the future and has implemented a plan that

includes greater visibility in the community; a new propagation greenhouse and farm manager; and a renewed commitment to leadership development, marriage enrichment programs and individual spiritual growth.

“It was sort of a ‘farminary’ – seminary that happens on the farm,” explained Birmingham dermatologist Dr. Chris Harmon, a New Water Farms board member. “It was the kind of thing where you can study passages in Matthew where Jesus says, ‘I am the vine; you are the branches.’ And when you couple that with working in the vineyard, it becomes much more tangible.”

New Water also forged a relationship with the Tallapoosa County Sheriffs’ Girls Ranch, a residential program that provides a stable home environment for neglected and abused young girls. Farm staff and volunteers teach the girls to plant, care for and harvest vegetables, and house parents teach the girls to prepare the harvest for the table.

The commercial side of the farm – growing and harvesting fruit and making preserves, jellies, salsa, syrup and honey – helps fund farm activities and operational expenses and offers a segue to community relations and the ministries at New Water.

New Water also developed strong community relations on the east side of Lake Martin through the use of farm facilities for weddings, chamber of commerce events, church services, school events, meetings, workshops and more. To expand community relations opportunities in the region, a farm stand and retail kitchen are nearing completion at the intersection of county Road 34 and Civitan Road in Dadeville.

“The farm stand broke ground in July, and the goal is to be ready to open in spring 2022,” said Rob Parker, who recently joined the board and moved to a cottage near the farm. “The farmstand is part of the sustainable philanthropy concept of farm-to-table, events and our desire to share healthy, good quality products. It gives us a presence on county Road 34 and will help us build community relations.”

One aspect of its mission will include caring for a 30-foot by 96-foot propagation greenhouse that was added last year to raise plants that could be sold on the farm stand. Vegetables also could be grown here, with excess harvest sold in the farm stand, Harmon said.

“We put the fruit farm in 10 years ago with a strategy in mind for six months of harvest. Blackberries at the end of May; blueberries to soon follow until mid-July. Then, pears come into season; followed by figs and muscadines. The last crop is Asian persimmons in November and early December,” Harmon explained. “The farm stand will include a coffee shop, a sandwich shop and a gift shop. It moves our front door to a busier street.”

And that visibility is expected to aid in furthering the farm’s three most critical missions.

“Individual spiritual growth, with retreats and mentoring opportunities. Marriage health – not just a venue for doing weddings, but also offering marriage enrichment and perhaps some pre-marital programs. And leadership – training missionaries, which we’ve done a lot of – as well as business or corporate leadership training,” he explained.

With a delicious, quality product line, a picturesque lakeside wedding venue and conference space with lodging options, New Water Farms is a great place for growing.

New Waters’ greenhouse will shelter plants for the farm stand and orchards