Stewards of Mission
Josh Singleton, Founder, serving as Lead Cultivator
Josh’s formative years were shaped in fields and gardens, where God used soil, seasons, and steady work to teach him how formation actually happens. He began gardening at fifteen and never stepped away from the land. Over time, working farms and gardens in Texas and California became less about production and more about learning how attention, patience, and care create space for life to take root.
Through years of hands-on farming, Josh learned that growth cannot be forced and that the deepest change often happens slowly and unseen. God used this work to entrust him with space, first in the soil, and eventually in the lives of people. What began as growing food gradually became an invitation to tend formation itself, creating places where individuals could slow down, reconnect, and rediscover who they are.
That same posture led to the founding of The Neighborhood Garden Project. Josh serves close to the ground, walking with others through the daily rhythms of the garden and trusting God to shape what unfolds. He believes gardens are formative places, not because of what is produced, but because of what is received when people are given room to be present, to listen, and to grow in their proper time.
Fred Lazare, Steward of Provisions
Fred has been a Certified Public Accountant since 1989 and has worked with Houston non-profits for over twenty-five years. For sixteen years, Fred managed multiple aspects of the back office for a successful developer and owner of affordable housing, and he continues to consult in the affordable housing industry, along with maintaining a small accounting practice. Fred and his wife enjoy working the small garden at their townhome, careful to put only native plants into the soil.
Joyce Davis, Steward in Discernment
Joyce Davis is a native Texan and a retired teacher from Katy ISD. She is also a member of St. Paul’s and the co-chair of their Outreach Commission. Growing up, her family always had a garden, and she maintains a small vegetable garden in her backyard. She enjoys growing all types of plants indoors and outdoors. Her favorites are fruit trees, especially figs and citrus. She is nurturing her fig tree, which is recovering from the 2021 freeze, and maintaining a new dwarf, Meyer Lemon, along with an established lime tree.
Christopher George, Steward in Discernment
Christopher George is a natural connector, a quiet pollinator shaped by his roots in the Show Me State. Though his professional background is in accounting and finance, his deepest satisfaction comes from building relationships that foster mutual growth within mission-driven communities. He and his wife have been members of Emmanuel Episcopal Church for more than fifteen years, where they raised their two children and remained actively engaged in parish life. For the past seven years, Christopher has also volunteered with the Boy Scouts alongside his son as he worked toward earning the rank of Eagle Scout, strengthening his commitment to youth formation and learning through the outdoors.
In recent years, Christopher established an apiary at Emmanuel and is now entering his third season of beekeeping. Caring for the bees has naturally drawn him into the garden, where he has seen firsthand how healthy hives and healthy soil support one another. From the apiary’s edge, he has observed Josh’s steady dedication to the garden, his devotion to teaching, and his open invitation to curious minds of all ages. He looks forward to helping invite others into this quietly transformative space, where growth unfolds as naturally as a bee pollinating a flower.
Elie Maalouf, Steward in Discernment
TNGP stands at the intersection of community, wellness, and personal development. Elie views the garden as a space where skills are learned, patience is practiced, care is demonstrated, and kindness blossoms.
Committed to the long-term health and integrity of the organization, Elie supports the work of the garden by focusing on governance, clear strategy, and sustainable growth, ensuring that both the land and the people it serves are thoughtfully supported. He believes growth requires both vision and accountability.
Drawing on his background in partnerships, strategy, and long-term planning, Elie contributes to TNGP’s continued improvement and thoughtful expansion into new communities.
As a board member, Elie serves with humility, prioritizing listening, collaboration, and alignment with the organization’s mission and vision.
The Neighborhood Garden Project maintains all required legal officer roles in accordance with nonprofit law.