news article
South Glens Falls UMC receives $1,500 grant from Common Roots
June 7, 2022 / By Penny Brink
The vision of the newly created Creation Care Team here at South Glens Falls UMC is based on our belief that “Fostering Care of God’s Creation Starts Here.”
Pastor Penny is currently attending Seminary of the Wild, which embraces the education of "Deepening our commitment to a suffering earth by falling in love with it" (Victoria Loorz-Director), attending the Association of Nature Forest Therapy program and training with the UMC Global Ministries Earthkeepers program this summer. In addition, the congregation has a close relationship with the Lakota Sioux Tribe located on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. The church raised funds that enabled the tribe to hire a horticulturist who taught them the art of gardening in prairie lands.
Pollinators worldwide are in decline—with habitat loss, disease, and pesticides largely to blame. The good news: Everyone can take actions, big or small, to aid in the recovery of these incredible species (NWF).
To address the environmental crisis and demonstrate our responsibility to make a difference, South Glens Falls UMC is creating a pollinating garden, along with building and placing birdhouses around the property, and building a seasonal farm stand to offer free garden vegetables to the community. We gathered as a church, and aided by the direction of our Trustee Chair, Bob Gates, we built bluebird 12 houses. After placing five of them around the church grounds, we are proud to announce two families of bluebirds have taken up residence in their new homes.
We also plan on transitioning a portion of the property to natural grassland habitat. Enhancing this habitat by planting native wild flowering vegetation will encourage wildlife, such as birds, bees, and small animals who already frequent this area of the church property.
Creating wildlife and pollinator-friendly environment on the church property demonstrates how everyone can make a difference in sustaining an eco-friendly climate in their backyard. Planting with purpose will honor the interdependence of all God’s creation and help to create a more robust and healthier environment.
"The care of the Earth is our most ancient and most worthy and our most pleasing responsibility. To cherish what remains of it and to foster its renewal is our only hope." Wendell Berry
Our focus is to serve the entire community of South Glens Falls and Glens Falls. We hope that through our free farm stand, along with the introduction of bees, butterflies, and songbirds through pollinating gardens, birdhouses, and speakers, we can bring a heightened awareness of the issues concerning our ecological environment. We hope that by opening the eyes of the community to the interdependency of all created beings for a healthy environment, we will encourage others to begin making a difference in their backyard.