As reported in the 2024 Congregational Ministry Meeting Annual Report, this last season marked the seventh year of our Green Team Ministry! There is much to celebrate.
In addition to continuing the many current creation care initiatives of the church, the 2024-2025 season will be marked by:
- Increased participation in the GreenFaith Circle of Southern New Jersey;
- Increased involvement with the ELCA NJ Synod environmental advocacy initiatives, including The Bishop’s Challenge “Caretakers of God’s Good Creation: Challenging Congregations to New Creation Care Actions in 2024-25”. (Visit https://www.leamnj.org/bishops-challenge
- Ongoing support for our St. Matthew Ministries & Committees, to further integrate creation care into the culture and fabric of our church.
Finally, we continue to encourage every congregant to identify ways to further fulfill our call as responsible stewards of God’s creation, both individually and collectively.
Some ideas on how to engage and take action:
- Make small changes in your own life. Try out these ways to reduce your plastics use, courtesy of the GreenFaith Circle’s plastics committee: https://bit.ly/PlasticsAlternatives.
- Help Green our church. Volunteer to help with the gardens; assist Property with an energy efficiency audit; help find new eco-friendly cleaning and lawn care products and office supplies.
- Serve as a volunteer for events with the Green Team. Lend a hand with the church picnic, Thanksgiving Packing event with New Jersey Farmers Against Hunger, or our Sunday School Earth Day celebration.
- Become a member of the Green Team. Help inspire others in our congregation and community to be stewards of creation!
- Join the GreenFaith Circle of Southern New Jersey. Join in fellowship with interfaith members from across our local area who are working to connect individuals and spiritual communities and take action for our Earth: https://www.facebook.com/GreenFaithCircleSouthernNJ;
- Become active with a local nonpartisan organization like Rancocas Nature Center, Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge, the New Jersey Conservation Foundation, New Jersey League of Conservation Voters, the New Jersey Chapter of the Sierra Club, or the League of Women Voters of New Jersey;
- Talk about the environment and the importance of caring for God’s creation with friends and family, and on social media!