This is the first in a series of blogs that will highlight Creation care in our ICCT faith communities.  Today we are highlighting  the Church of the Nativity in Raleigh, also known as the Zero Waste Church, and their “Year of Personal Action.”  The Church of the Nativity has long been a leader in Creation care.

ICCT would love to hear about creation care activity in your faith community. Please send us an email at  ICCTriangle@gmail.com if you would like to share Creation Care resources, history, activities, etc., on our ICCT website. 

Your stories and resources may facilitate and inspire other faith communities to take action.  If you are just starting out, no story is too small. You can also tell us how we can help you get started.

Zero Waste Church

Last summer, several members from the Earth Ministry group from Pullen Church visited the Church of the Nativity in Raleigh to learn more about  their creation care efforts. We met with Rev. Stephanie Allen, Carl Sigel and Dargan Gilmore. What we saw was inspiring, including kitchen and garden composting, solar panels, vegetable and  pollinator gardens, and a commitment to eliminating all waste through planned purchases, composting and recycling. 

Most helpful of all were the wonderful educational materials they had developed for use with their congregation.  These materials have been compiled into the online book: RESTORING GOD’S EARTH: A YEAR OF PERSONAL ACTION.   

This book is an inspiring and valuable resource for rolling out or strengthening a creation care effort in any church. It follows Project Drawdown’s approach to solving climate change. The materials are based on monthly themes that are thoughtfully chosen to fit with holiday celebrations and seasonal changes throughout the year. Among the topics examined are composting, carbon farming, reducing food waste, reducing consumerism, moving toward a plant-rich diet, increasing energy efficiency, and educating women. 

Each month’s resource materials include a relevant biblical verse, short overview of the month’s theme, weekly suggestions for taking action and a wonderful list of resources, including videos, websites and books. 

I used RESTORING GOD’S EARTH as my go-to resource when I began writing a monthly Creation Care column for Pullen News. After reading the materials, I researched my topics further by using the suggestions provided in RESTORING GOD’S EARTH. I highly recommend this valuable and inspiring resource to anyone interested in developing creation care efforts in their church communities!