Earth Care Congregation

First Presbyterian Church of Urbana earned certification as an Earth Care Congregation on January 6, 2011.

Background: In 1990 the 202nd General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) adopted Restoring Creation for Ecology and Justice, which calls Presbyterians to engage in the tasks of restoring creation. In so doing the church recognizes and accepts restoring creation as a central concern of the church, to be incorporated into its life and mission at every level. The Environmental Ministries office works to inspire and equip congregations and presbyteries to work for eco-justice for all of God's earth.http://gamc.pcusa.org/ministries/environment/

Invitation: In 2010 Environmental Ministries invited congregations to participate in a certification program for Earth Care Congregations. A Guide to Greening Presbyterian Churches provides congregations with worksheets, resources, and instructions for becoming an Earth Care Congregation. http://www.pcusa.org/resource/earth-care-congregations-guide-greening-presbyteri/

Requirements:Certified Earth Care Congregations are congregations that have committed to the “Earth Care Pledge” and accomplished sufficient action toward caring for God’s earth in four categories:

● Worship

● Education

● Facilities

● Outreach

First Presbyterian Church of Urbana Earth Care Team
Front row left to right: Marilyn Kay, Dixie Jackson,Julie Sherwood

Back row left to right: David Kay, David Bullock, Gary Jackson, Dave Sherwood

Not present: Beth Chato, Jamie Ellis, Dan Mast

For more information, visit the Presbyterians for Earth Care (PEC) website. This organization provides much support for earth care activities, primarily in Presbyterian churches. The archives include a quarterly newsletter. PEC organizes an Earth Care Conference every two years.

For additional information on concerning the First Presbyterian Church’s earth care activities, please contact David Sherwood (od-sherw@illinois.edu) or David Bullock (dsbulloc@illinois.edu).