New Life Presbyterian Church (formerly North Como Presbyterian Church, and Knox Presbyterian Church) in Roseville, MN continues their faithful earth care work. They continue to make great strides in worship, education, facilities, and outreach activities. In addition to recycling, fair trade coffee, sharing their building, here are some of their accomplishments:
- Last fall, members planted native, pollinator friendly flowers in the inner courtyard
- A great Earth Day Sunday service April 19 with dynamic guest speaker, Julia Nerbonne, director of MN Interfaith Power & Light
- Liturgical reading highlighted 3 areas: farm worker justice & the Wendy’s/Publix Fair Food Campaign, environmental & world farm worker justice with Fair Trade foods, and climate change.
- The church hosted several events such as Beez Neez/pollinator program in September, Earth Day activities in April, and a Valentine Party for God’s Good Creation in February.
- Adult education events included Beez Neez & pollinators; electric cars; Biblical background for earth care & related hot topics such as sustainable energy standards & efficiency legislation, climate change & fossil fuels, divestment from fossil fuels.
- The youth project, Gardening Matters, was an inter-generational seed packing activity in which 1,256 packets were made for community gardeners including many low income people in our larger community.
- Vacation Bible School (Camp-In –A-Van) in June is outdoor-based.
- Promoting alternative transportation to church by having a sign-in notebook in the welcome area of the front lobby if you walked, biked, bused, or carpooled to church.
- 190 pounds of beets, carrots, and onions that delivered to the local food shelf from our churchyard gardens
- Church members picked up litter (trash/recycling) when we participated in the St. Paul CROP Walk for Hunger.
- We are a ‘’Cool Congregation’’, part of the MN branch of Interfaith Power & Light
- Eat Local Food Challenge: 12 church families representing 26 people took part in this month-long challenge
- International mission partnership with Mark Hare & Jenny Bent, PC(USA) missionaries in Haiti/Dominican Republic who work with impoverished, displaced Haitians on environmentally friendly farming/agriculture and social justice issues.
Thanks to New Life for their wonderful work and witness for God’s Creation!