Task force guides the greening of churches
BY LESLI BALES-SHERROD
UMCONNECTION CORRESPONDENT
A new environmental stewardship task force is exploring how the Baltimore-Washington Conference can help its churches and people become more "green" and already is planning a conferencewide Festival of God's Creation for April 19.
"God created all things," said the Rev. Roderick J. Miller, Baltimore Regional Guide and Director of Connectional Ministries for the conference. "He gave us this earth and we need to be stewards of it, not over it. That's the problem. We've been over it."
Miller points to John Wesley's three rules: do no harm, do good and love God. While "do no harm" is self explanatory, he said, what does it mean to "do good" and to "love God" in a way that benefits God's creation?
"What is it we can do to be more attune to the environment?" Miller asked, further connecting environmental stewardship to Jesus Christ's commandment to love our neighbors. "Our neighbors are everything that lives, that exists."
The impetus behind the task force, an ad hoc group that met for the first time Nov. 12, is Jim Gracie, a member of Bethany UMC in Ellicott City, and president of Brightwater Inc., an environmental consulting business focusing on restoration of streams and wetlands.
Last year Gracie's church started an environmental stewardship ministry team that has implemented a recycling program at the church, participated in a "care of creation" worship service, held a rain barrel workshop and two work days to remove exotic plants from the stream behind the church. They distributed information to congregants on how to plant native plants, which require less water, in their landscaping.
Gracie also is helping Chesapeake Covenant Congregations, whose mission is to create a network of churches in the Chesapeake watershed to help protect and restore the Bay. The work there is slow-going, he said.
"I'm more interested in taking action," said Gracie, who was elected chair of the task force, which immediately began brainstorming ways to help local churches and their members with environmental stewardship.
"This is not something the conference does for somebody, but helps facilitate collaborative connections," Miller said.
The Rev. Rebecca Iannicelli, pastor of Centenary UMC in Shady Side, volunteered to gather information on "green schools" from an elementary school teacher in her congregation to see if the guidelines could be adapted to certify "green churches."
Meanwhile, the Rev. Helen S. Smith, pastor of Benevola UMC in Boonsboro, agreed to send the task force the "Spirituality and Sustainable Living" PowerPoint program she and her husband have presented to churches and Boy Scout troops. It uses a theological basis and gives scientific background about "what we're up against right now and what's being done."
"We've put this together to speak the message of being good stewards," said Smith, whose house is solar and wind powered. "We feel very called to help people lessen their footprint and take better care of the environment."
The task force set a date for its first big event, a Festival of God's Creation, Sunday afternoon, April 19, at West River camp, possibly at Manidokan camp and in an urban location. The task force envisions an environmental fair with lots of hands-on demonstrations, projects, speakers and worship.
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