ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — A local church has unveiled a new path through nature for the community.

The United Lutheran Church received a grant from Winnebago County back in 2020 to plant local flowers in an effort to provide homes for pollinators, birds and other wildlife. Brody Scroggins, a local Boy Scout, recently cut a path through the space for the community.

Julane Nease, pastor at United Lutheran Church, hopes that the area can become a space of learning and tranquility for all who visit.

“It strengthens and broadens our mission to the neighbors,” Nease said. “We feel called to love and serve our neighbors, and so we’ve given this land that God gave to us first, and it’s beautiful and full of all kinds of living things.”

The church hopes to partner with local elementary schools to provides hikes through nature.