In the Presbyterian church (and many other denominations) we celebrate the “Season of Creation” that starts on September 1, World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation and ends on October 4, the Feast Day of St. Francis. It is a time set aside for us to reflect on and celebrate God’s creation. We are grateful for Jane Laping who shared with us the ways one congregation in North Carolina is marking the celebration!
Photo credit- Jock Aplin, Earth Care Team Member, Trinity Presbyterian
Using the overall theme of “Listen to the Voice of Creation” and the symbol of the burning bush, as a reminder of the numerous destructive wildfires on our planet and the bush that Moses witnessed that did not burn, Trinity Presbyterian Church in Hendersonville, NC is doing a lot of reflecting and celebrating during this season. Each of the four Sundays at Trinity has a different focus:
The Cosmos
“The heavens are telling the glory of God . . .” —Psalm 19:1–4; Exodus 3:1–12
The Climate
“A hot wind comes from me out of the bare heights . . .” —Jeremiah 4: 11–12, 22–28
The Waters
“O that my head were a spring of water . . .” —Jeremiah 8:18-9:1
Hope for Renewal
“Vineyards shall again be found in the land” —Jeremiah 32:1–3a, 6–15
The liturgy, hymns and sermons reflect that theme for the respective Sunday. In the narthex, posters that correspond with the title of the sermon are added each week.
During the second week of the Season of Creation, the Wednesday night dinner at Trinity is vegetarian and the Earth Care Team gives a presentation about their accomplishments for the past year. After worship on the fourth Sunday, the Earth Care Team leads a walk in the church gardens and woods, with meditations, prayers and singing. After a vegetarian picnic, the celebration concludes with a tree planting, signifying hope.
More details about these offerings can be found in their monthly newsletter, Tidings and on the Trinity Blog.
Arial View of Solar Array Trinity Pres. NC. Photo from www.trinitypresnc.org
Trinity has about 300 members on the roll and only eleven on the Earth Care Team, that started just a year ago, led by Enrique Sanchez. But they’ve been hard at work displaying their commitment to Earth Care. In May of 2018 they began pursuing installation of solar panels on their church and by the following year it was a reality. (Read more about their solar journey here.)
Are you the person with passion and inspiration to lead your congregation into caring for creation? (Learn more about becoming an Earth Care Congregation today!)
The work of Sustainable Living and Earth Care Concerns through the Presbyterian Hunger Program is possible thanks to your gifts to One Great Hour of Sharing.