Bryn Athyn College Alumni Magazine Fall/Winter 2017-18 | Page 28

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PLANTING A CHURCH
Rev. Anna Woofenden grows a thriving church based
on community, openness, and shared meals
By Sasha Silverman
I
n an economically challenged area of Los An-
geles, California, Rev. Anna Woofenden (BA
’01) has created a flourishing, open-air “gar-
den church.” Every Sunday afternoon, the garden’s
gates swing open, and dozens of people from all
walks of life come together to work in the dirt,
worship, sing, wash hands, and sit down to enjoy
a shared meal.
One recent attendee, an unhoused middle-
aged woman, came to Anna after the dinner and
said, “Before I came, I knew I was really, really hun-
gry. But after being here, I realize how many things
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I am hungry for.” This sentiment captures what many
feel and reflects the yearning planted years earlier in
Anna’s mind and heart.
The Dream
When Anna graduated from Bryn Athyn College, she
knew that she loved the Swedenborgian faith, yet also
recognized that many of her peers felt disconnected
with religion in its current form.
She explained, “Many from my generation con-
ceive of church as boring, irrelevant, or judgmental.
Still, I think at the core, we are all searching for mean-