Simple ideas, strong witness

For Palm Sunday worship, churches across the nation bought palm fronds to use as a tangible witness to our Savior’s life, death and resurrection 2000 years ago.  

But rather than calling the local florist, Zion Lutheran Church in Fairbanks, Alaska, bought frond crosses made by Tanzanian villagers and imported by African Palms USA, a Maryland nonprofit started by an Episcopal priest. It’s a way to help poor families and fund humanitarian projects – another powerful witness of our faith.

Other churches bought fronds harvested in a safe, sustainable manner in Mexico and Guatemala under a University of Minnesota program.

"In Mexico, there are families who get most of their income from the harvest of this palm," said Dean Current, a research associate and manager of the Center for Integrated Natural Resources and Agricultural Management at the University of Minnesota. He made his comments in an article in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Churches find that these palms help them witness to the Gospel.

"As Christians, our responsibility to be good stewards of the earth needs to be as broad as we can make it, especially when it comes to buying something that is harvested right out of the forest," the Rev. Glenn Berg-Moberg of St. Anthony Park Lutheran Church in St. Paul, Minn., said in a Scripps Howard News Service article.

Integrating economic development and environmental principles into something as simple as purchasing palm fronds shows how churches can make important witnesses just through thoughtful choices about routine matters. In another environmental area, a resource below shows how churches are constructing eco-friendly buildings for the same reason. It’s something we all can learn to do better.

Expect more stories like this in the next few weeks. Because it’s April – not only the month of Earth Day but also the time flowers bloom, farmers get busy and gardeners get excited – SOLI will continue its tradition of focusing on environmental issues in this spring month. Look for resources on our web page and insightful articles in Gleanings. And, of course, challenging, insightful, unforgettable, stirring columns from me. <g>

Healthy environments, healthy churches
When it comes to environmental stewardship, some churches show by example. Click here for a profile of a Presbyterian church that boasts innovative environmental features. Click here for a description of the most popular "green building" features. Both articles from ChurchExecutive magazine.

   Traveling light, following Jesus

"We are called to lives of following Jesus. That means that we have offered "ourselves, our time and our possessions."  Periodically we need to review what we have and what we need and jettison a whole lot of what weighs us down and preoccupies us and look again at what we really need for this journey of faith. " Click here for the Rev. Dana Reardon's weekly column on stewardship.