PARMA, Ohio — Calvary Lutheran Church in Parma has been located on 12 acres at 6906 W. Pleasant Valley Road for nearly 70 years.
Now, for the first time, the church is opening up its beautiful backyard, which includes a new nature trail for meditation.
“Over the last few months, people have been developing a sort of walking trail that’s filled with wildlife, trees and birds,” said retired Rev. Kenneth M. Barras, now a member of the church.
“We just want to open it up to the public and we’ve also put in some benches so people can sit down when the weather’s nice.”
“We wanted our neighbors to feel free to stroll around and take a break, especially during the spring and summer.”
An informal dedication ceremony for the Meditation Nature Trail is scheduled for Thursday at 6pm (May 9th – Ascension Thursday), followed by a service at the church at 7pm.
The wooded area that runs north of the Parma Parks and Recreation Department building is a truly natural habitat, home to a wide variety of wildlife, majestic trees and wildflowers.
Recent sightings have included great horned owls and wild turkeys, as well as migratory and nesting songbirds.
As part of a quarter-mile loop nature trail (which Barras described as more of a hiking terrain), a trailhead mailbox was added where visitors can leave summaries of their observations and take home some church literature for free.
“We’re just trying to be good neighbors so people don’t have to go all the way to the Metroparks to enjoy nature,” he said.
“You can relax and enjoy nature.”
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