Chesapeake Bay
"Think of us in this way, as servants of Christ and Stewards of God's Mysteries." - 1st Corinthians 4:1
Stewards of the Bay Story Contest Winner: Bonnie McCubbin
"I served on Summer Staff at West River UM Center for four years where I helped to plant two living shorelines and educate campers about Creation. My favorite times were taking our city campers who had never been outside of their neighborhood to plant bay grasses and go seining. Watching these “tough kids” tenderly hold a fish during “fish CPR,” jump when grass shrimp leapt out of her hand or mud crabs pinched a claw, or shriek when I kissed fish, was holy time. I saw transformations occur and the campers would beg to go out again. This time connected the campers with God in a vertical fashion and the campers with one another in a horizontal fashion—through God’s Creation, relationships were built in the shape of a cross. "
Click here to read the associated blog post.
Success Stories
- University Park Church of the Brethren in University Park, Maryland has installed a 22 killo watt array of solar panels on thier roof. Click here to read more about this green church's Creation care initiatives.
- Maryland Presbyterian Church, in Towson, MD, part of the Chesapeake Covenant Community has installed rain barrels and rain gardens, replaced invasive plants with native gardens and created a nature trail through the church grounds. They turn work in to a time of fellowship by having Eco-parties where members wear garden clothes to worship for post worship
gardentending. Forming a stewardship action group helped them to achieve their success. Download Stewards of the Bay and Affirmation for Eco-Justice to learn how tocreate a stewardship group in your church. - St. Philips Episcopal Church , in Annapolis, MD, created a rain garden and semi-porous parking lot and received funding from the Chesapeake Bay Trust, Unity Gardens, and a donation from Balcon, Inc.
- Heritage Baptist Church, in Annapolis, MD, worked with the Spa Creek Conservancy, a local watershed agency to install 7 rain gardens and plant 25 trees on church grounds. Their stewardship efforts were funded through a grant from the Chesapeake Bay Trust. Download Lifestyles of Stewardship to learn more about forming effective partnerships within your community.
- Westminster Church of the Brethren, Westminster MD - Our Green Project Team has been active along with the Property Team. Yellow recycle bins were purchased for each floor of the church and baskets were put out in other areas for bulletin recycling. Each Sunday in our bulletin, we have a tip about an action the congregation can take to save energy. We also have a free energy audit. We announced the Earth Hour and an event another church has planned for 4/18, which is the showing of the Disney Earth movie. We're hoping many of our members attend. We have also informed the congregation of an event a local school is having on 4/17. Our chorister is going to be getting a list of hymns in the new Stewardship of the Bay curriculum to have us sing on the Sunday after Earth Day. One area we are still working on is a substitute for Styrofoam coffee cups. That is an action in progress!
- Adhat Shalom, in Bethesda, MD builds green. Key energy efficient and Bay friendly features include passive solar heating, energy efficient lighting, landscaping with native plants that don't require lots of water or fertilizers and a permeable parking lot.
Share the steps your congregation is taking to care for God's Creation in the Bay. Email your stories and Eco-tips to elizabeth@nccecojustice.org. |
Eco-Tips - a great addition to church bulletins and newsletters
"Lawns demand water, which is becoming increasingly scarce in many places. In addition, much of the $8.4 billion
we spend annually on our lawns goes to douse them with fertilizers and pesticides that find their way into streams
and rivers. Find ways to reduce the amount of lawn on your property. Flower beds and shrubberies especially
when planted with native species are ecologically superior to lawns and much less costly to maintain, in terms of
dollar cost as well as cost to God’s Earth. Better still, you could grow fruit and vegetables that would enhance the
diet of your family and friends. Submitted by Maryland Presbyterian Church, Towson, Maryland"
- For more Eco-tips, download Stewards of the Bay and Affirmation for Eco-Justice