Image courtesy of madisonchristiancommunity.org
Madison Christian Community is the community created by Community of Hope, UCC and Advent Lutheran Church, ELCA. They have made environmental care and action a major cornerstone of their mission. Their church website is a wonderful resource for many congregations who are looking for success stories for implementing creation care into one’s own community.
To connect with this community click here.
Image courtesy of letallcreationpraise.org
Let All Creation Praise is a website maintained by Nick Utphall a pastor in Madison, WI; Susan Zencka, a pastor in Stevens Point, WI; Alydia Smith, programing coordinator for the United Church of Canada; Leah Schade, a professor of preaching and worship at Lexington Theological Seminary (KY), and David Rhoads, director of Lutherans restoring Creation. The website has many resources for worship, and they are an advocate for supporting the Season of Creation which is an opportunity to add this season of four Sundays celebrating creation and the creator to the traditional church year.
You can connect to their website here or connect via facebook here.
Image courtesy of toledogrows.org
Toledo GROWs supports more than 125 community gardens by providing education, materials, volunteers, and tools to local community gardens, including faith-based community gardens. They also operate a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) available to local Toledo residents. In addition to the support they give to community gardens, they also offer workshops and programming to the larger Northwest Ohio community.
To learn more about Toledo GROWs click here.
Image courtesy of Derbyshireplace.org
Not only do more traditionally organized faith communities create community gardens, but Derbyshire Place is an example of a faith-based community center that is also getting involved in community gardening.
Breaking ground in 2019, the goal of this community garden is to increase accessibility to fresh fruits and vegetables for families who may have difficulty affording fresh produce at the grocery store. Leaders also hope it will give an opportunity for inter-generational community conversation.
To learn more about this community garden, click here.
Image courtesy of Sybil Lee via Faith Presbyterian Facebook Group
Faith Presbyterian is involved in many service and mission programs in Myrtle Beach where they are located. Their service work includes a community garden. They use the produce of this garden to support those who experience food insecurity in the Myrtle Beach area and to connect with God as creator. One of the ways that they share information about their community garden is through a Facebook page. Facebook pages or groups can be a great resource for faith communities who are beginning their own community gardens too.
To connect with Faith Presbyterian click here. To see their facebook group click here.
Image courtesy of asburyohio.org
The PIN Garden Ministry at Asbury United Methodist Church was started in 2007 to provide fresh produce to People In Need, a service organization in Delaware County. It is tended to by parishioners and intentionally includes children in the maintenance of the garden as a way to extend youth ministry into the outdoor classroom.
To learn more about the PIN Garden Ministry click here.
Image courtesy of stjoanofarcpowell.org
St Joan of Arc Catholic Church in Powell, Ohio created Anthony’s Garden to memorialize the son of family in their congregation. The garden is tended by parishioners, and each week produce from their garden is donated to their local food pantry Help My Neighbor.
For more information on Anthony’s Garden click here.
Image courtesy of seminaryhillfarm.org
The Seminary Hill Farm is a ministry on the campus of the Methodist Theological School in Ohio (MTSO). Made of fields, hoop houses, and a greenhouse, the farm works to provide fresh food throughout the year to the Seminary Hill Kitchen, a three-season community supported agriculture (CSA), and local farmers markets. The work of the seminary hill farm supports sustainable practices and MTSO’s commitment to faithful earth stewardship. You can also follow their blog that features articles on eating fresh local produce and life at the farm.
To learn more about the Seminary Hill Farm click here.
Image courtesy of dsoconnections.org
The Diocese of Southern Ohio utilizes an online platform, Connections, to maintain open channels of communication throughout their community. Their articles on Creation Care are complied in a single page which includes updates from individual congregations that have made steps toward creation care in energy efficiency and more. They also provide resources to connect one’s faith with civic action. They shared an article outlining 2019 attempts to end Ohio’s renewable energy standards and included ways that individuals could contact their legislators.
To access Connections Creation Care Page click here.
To access the article on attempts to end Ohio’s energy standards click here.
Image courtesy of ccarnet.org
In October 2018, 132 faith communities, including seven Ohio-based faith communities, signed a letter to President Trump, EPA Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler, and Secretary Ryan Zinke to implore them to maintain the environmental protection measures, including the clean water rule.
You can access the letter here.