First Presbyterian Church of Howard County was certified as an Earth Care Congregation by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)'s Presbyterian Hunger Program. The Earth Care Congregation certification is designed to recognize churches that make the commitment to take seriously God’s charge to “till and keep” the garden.
Began in 2010, this PC(USA) national program is celebrating 15 years of certifying churches and celebrating environmental ministry across 4 major areas of a congregation’s life: worship, education, facilities, and outreach in the community. First Pres has been an Earth Care Congregation since the very beginning.
Earth Care Congregations exist as strong community partners in their own areas as well as models for Presbyterian congregations across the country. One of the goals of this program is to inspire churches to care for God’s earth in a holistic way, through integrating earth care into all aspects of their church life. By the time a church has recertified for several years, the earth care ethic becomes ingrained in a congregation’s culture, spreads to the surrounding community, and impacts the personal lives of individual church members.
Obtaining this status speaks to the serious commitment that First Pres has made to care for God’s earth.
“First Presbyterian Church of Howard County is just one of the 361 congregations in 41 states that chose to dedicate themselves to intentional care of God’s earth this year. This denominational program for churches has lasted longer and been more successful than other models we’ve seen that are both less rigorous and more resourced. And it’s the individual churches that deserve all the credit for the success of the program. Our Earth Care Congregations are vital parts of their communities and unrivaled witnesses to caring for God’s creation and we are so thankful for their work in the world, ” says Jessica Maudlin, Associate for Sustainable Living and Earth Care Concerns for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
For more information on the Earth Care Congregations program visit www.pcusa.org/earthcarecongregations.
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