The first time Francis Alford heard about a community garden project was on a Sunday morning. The words came from the pulpit.

Alford said his pastor, the Rev. Scott Johnson, mentioned the idea to the Union United Methodist Church congregation at the end of a sermon a few months ago. As Johnson pitched the project, he also asks for volunteers to put some action behind the vision.

Being dependent on the generosity of others is something Tanya Mauldin knows all too well.

The director of The Shepherd’s Table in Conway said the soup kitchen receives an annual $3,000 grant from the City of Conway. That’s where the secured funding ends.

For a small church, Union United Methodist gets big results.

The South Conway church regularly sees about 150 worshippers on any given Sunday. Despite that, the congregation has brought in close to $120,000 to fund water wells in Africa as well as improve its own facilities for effective ministry environments.