“So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm, and every winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was good.”
Genesis 1:21
On October 24 we were blessed to have Dante Trozzo give a wonderful presentation at Intergenerational Forum, where he shared his experiences exploring and conserving coral reefs off the coast of Malaysia as part of this year’s theme of “endangered species.” Coral reefs are a critical component of our ecosystem, economy, and flood protection for coastal communities. Distressingly, a new report estimates that over one seventh of our coral reefs have been lost over the past decade, mainly due to ocean warming and acidification. Dante’s passion for diving brings us closer to the wondrous diversity of this part of God’s creation that most of us will never experience personally. We are grateful to him for sharing his experiences with us, and inspiring us to conserve and restore these critical habitats!
Looking ahead to November, please join us for our Annual Thanksgiving Packing Event which will be held on Sunday, November 14, 1:15 – 3:15 PM, sponsored by our local mission partner NJ Farmers Against Hunger (FAH). Each year FAH packs and distributes thousands of pounds of produce that otherwise would be wasted, to families in need for the holiday, including as part of our Thanksgiving baskets for Bridge of Peace in Camden. This is our fifth year participating, and last year we packed over 1,000 bags of produce! This year the event will be held locally, at FAH’s new headquarters at Laurel Run Park (173 Creek Road in Delran). This is a great outdoor service project for all ages, including families, seniors, and confirmands/mentors, and COVID-related precautions will be in place. To sign up, please RSVP to Rebecca Masserini-Cooper at: beckymasserini1@gmail.com.
Finally, if you are interested to lend a helping hand in fulfilling our mission “to reveal the connection of our congregation and community to God’s presence in the natural world, by fostering a culture of environmental reflection, engagement and stewardship,” please contact me at: brianlestini@yahoo.com. We are seeking volunteers to help with a variety of activities such as organizing the bulletin board, service events, and Sunday school. We welcome your service to God in creation!
—Brian Lestini, chair
Endangered Animals and Plants of New Jersey
New Jersey, the most densely-populated state in the country, is home to more than 700 endangered species. One of the biggest threats to their survival is loss of quality habitat. New Jersey also supports a wide variety of native plants. However unlike animals, there are no laws protecting threatened and endangered plants. New Jersey has over 2,000 native plant species and almost 700 of them are considered rare. Learn about some of New Jersey’s most at risk animals and plants.