Build Resilience While Serving the Vulnerable. Learn More about the UMC Solar and Battery Pilot Program – Applications Due by November 2, 2026 The UMC Solar and Battery Pilot Program is designed to help UMC churches serving vulnerable communities procure and install solar and/or batteries, empowering them to build resilience,
By Ann Marie Smith, Bethlehem UMC Green Church Chair Hello, I’m Ann Marie Smith, chair of the Green Team at Bethlehem UMC in Moneta, at Smith Mountain Lake. At Bethlehem, we see our role as God’s representatives of his creation, enlightening our congregation on how our lives come from, flow
A new Holy Day for the Christian Year! Creation in Christ is to be celebrated September 1 or the 1st Sunday following September 1. (2026-September 6) This day is being added to the Lectionary this year during a time of crisis for the environment and a crisis all of us
Since signing the Green Church Covenant in 2018, Bethlehem has earned consecutive “Green Church” awards by transitioning to solar energy, LED lighting, and smart climate controls. Beyond infrastructure, the church is now cultivating a native pollinator garden to continue its mission of inspiring the congregation toward faithful stewardship of the environment.
After over 40 years as an environmental lawyer, I developed a strong interest in the “nuts and bolts” of environmental preservation. When I retired, I had time to step back and look at the “bigger picture.”
Discover how Aldersgate UMC has integrated environmental stewardship into its congregational life through “Creation Care” education and the planting of over 20 native trees and gardens. By combining these ecological efforts with facility energy upgrades, the church demonstrates a practical and spiritual commitment to preserving God’s creation.
Provides a theological view of creation as a “faithful mentor” and the practical work of converting church property into a native-plant sanctuary for pollinators and neighbors.
Learn about how Stephen’s UMC in Burke, VA, whose members’ love of God as expressed in their Love of the Earth and their long-term commitment to facility improvements, the development of a wooded multi-use space by an EarthKeeper, and their annual Green Day Fair.
Explore Rev. Kendra Grimes personal spiritual history with nature and her belief that ecosystems are sacred, interwoven creations rather than items for consumption.