The philosopher Schlegel wrote: "Nature is a book, written on both sides, within and without, in which the finger of God is distinctly visible; a species of Holy Writ in a bodily form: a glorious eulogy on God's omnipotence, expressed in the most visible symbols." This vision is what the artist-pastor sought to create in his Church of the New Jerusalem (the first name of the church, changed in the 1960s to The Swedenborgian Church). There were trees planted from all over the world: an Irish yew, a cedar from Lebanon, an olive tree from the Holy Land, a maple from Japan, a redwood native to California, a Siberian crab apple, a New England elm. They began to form over the decades a wall of living things around a central greensward, a lawn, with a pond for the birds and many types of shrubs and flowers as the cycle of the seasons, years, and decades would allow.

Worcester served his congregation for 46 years until his death in 1913, and this church brought to life his vision of expressing the divine in a direct and simple way. An old letter written by a visitor states that the service was very plain, yet cordial and warm. The people present seemed less like a congregation and more like "arriving guests," who "drew chairs into groups, and smiled at or shook hands with or talked to each other." { Click Here for "Notes By An Early Visitor" }

Since the building of this little church, countless thousands have turned to its quietly evocative beauty and the spiritual vision that called it into being. Still today, the gardens stand sentry at this Pacific Heights corner, offering respite to all who might find themselves drawn in from the busy pace of urban living to contemplate things of spirit.