Black River Presbyterian Church Renews Commitment to Earth Care
The Black River Presbyterian Church in Ivanhoe, NC, has once again been certified as an Earth Care Congregation by the Presbyterian Church (USA) Environmental Ministries – this time through February, 2017. The Black River Church was first certified as an Earth Care Congregation in 2010 when the program first began. This honor speaks to the great commitment that this congregation has to caring for God’s earth.
To become an Earth Care Congregation, the session of the Black River Church (led by Rev. Paul Layton) affirmed the Earth Care Pledge to integrate environmental practices and thinking into all facets of their church life. Members of the congregation also completed projects and activities in the fields of worship, education, facilities, and outreach.
The Earth Care Congregation certification is designed to recognize churches that have made the commitment to take seriously God’s charge to “till and keep” the garden.
The Earth Care Congregations program was started in 2010 by PC(USA) Environmental Ministries. The goal of the program is to inspire churches to care for God’s earth in a holistic way, through integrating earth care into all of church life. The Earth Care Congregation certification honors churches that made that commitment, and encourages others to follow their lead.
For more information on the Earth Care Congregations program go to www.pcusa.org/earth-care-congregations.
With the emphasis put on the creation of the world in God’s word, it makes sense for the church to place similar emphasis on caring for His creation. Implementing environmentally-friendly practices into the church’s operation is the perfect way to do that, and I’m sure the community appreciates the church’s work as well. Thanks for sharing.