
We are an Earth Care Congregation of the Presbyterian Church (USA). We pledge in our worship and discipleship to celebrate God’s grace and glory in creation. Our education strives to encourage and support each other in keeping and healing the creation. We seek to manage, maintain, and upgrade our facilities to respect and cherish all creation, and our outreach will encourage community involvement and public policy to protect and restore the earth.
The Presbyterian Hunger Program (one of the recipients of our One Great Hour of Sharing Offering) provides a daily Lenten devotional each year titled Tread Lightly for Lent. This resource offers daily actions which are intended to create more mindful behaviors throughout the year.
As people of faith, we seek to ‘serve and preserve’ God’s world. However, some of our collective choices have led to a changing global climate. To turn this tide, we must commit to treading lightly on God’s Earth.
Lent is the time to reflect on Christ’s ministry, death, and resurrection. We slow down, take time, and examine our internal spiritual lives and the way we live out our Christian faith in the world around us.
Below are some of the daily actions in the calendar. We hope you will pick a copy up for your devotional use as Lent begins.
- Challenge yourself to drink only water today. It takes 600 cups of water to produce a single cup of coffee, and 125 cups of water to produce a cup of tea.
- Carry or write down every item of trash you generate today. Challenge yourself to reduce the trash you produce for the remaining days of Lent.
- Take a walk to appreciate the Earth’s natural beauty. Consider why preserving the Earth is crucial for the health of future generations, and tell two people.
- Take time to write or call an elected official about climate change or another creation care issue.

Did you miss Charlie Sellars, author of What We Can Do, A Climate Optimist’s Guide to Sustainable Living, discussing Chapter 5 on October 12? Click here for a video of that session. Click here for the video of the Highland Forum that afternoon.
Global Service & Earth Care Team: Sundays, following worship, opportunities are available to help with compost collection in restrooms and coffee areas; learn more and sign up here! Also, after church meals, folks may need help knowing what goes in the compost bins and what goes in the landfill. Sign up here to stand by the kitchen window to direct people so they place their remaining items in the correct receptacle.

Resources List
- Best By? Use By? Sell By? Here’s What the Expiration Dates on Your Food Really Mean.
- Calculate your carbon footprint: Food Scrap Conversion Calculator
- What can be recycled at Publix? Foam egg cartons, clean foam take-out trays, clean foam cups, plastic wraps, and more.
- Recycle at Your Local Staples Store!
- Learn more about Teracycle
- City of Winston – CityLink 311
- Recycling questions
- Composting NC Extension Agency
- Water keepers and Climate Solutions – Yadkin River Keeper; Piedmont Land Conservancy; Earth Justice; Project Drawdown; Blessed Tomorrow
Books & Articles
- Salt, Lemons, Vinegar, and Baking Soda – by Shea Zukowski
- Cooler Smarter: Practical Steps for Low-Carbon Living – Union of Concerned Scientists
- Establishing a Bee Lawn – Better Homes and Gardens
- How to Design and Install a Bee Lawn – YouTube
- Calculate Your Carbon Footprint – The Nature Conservancy
- Why Doctors Are Prescribing Nature Walks – Time Magazine
- Prayers for the Environment
