Linda Hevner, UMC EarthKeeper
The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world and all who live in it. Ps. 24:1
As a continuation of our Sunday Worship Service at Ann Street United Methodist Church in Beaufort on June 6th 2021, congregants and visitors gathered at one of the newly planted Butterfly Gardens for The Gardens Blessing Celebration.
The Creation Care Ministry at Ann Street UMC in Beaufort NC began in 2019, in a conversation about how we could acknowledge that care of God’s creation must extend from the smallest insect to all humankind. Ann Street Church has always actively worked to meet human needs locally and globally. This enhancement complements these significant efforts while addressing challenges facing our natural world.
Matt Dawson, along with Dianne Gagnon and Linda Hevner (who were both certified as UMC Global Ministries EarthKeepers in 2020), are founding lay members. We serve as Creation Care Ministry champions and consultants. Twenty five others have joined in to assist with planning, garden preparation, planting and educational efforts.
The Ministry’s goal is to provide scripturally-based Creation Care education and experiences, engaging all age groups, residents and visitors, regardless of race, creed or physical capabilities.
Our first Creation Care Project at Ann Street Church began as in Genesis, with two Butterfly Gardens on our campus. A key component of the project was education about the importance that butterflies and other insects play in healthy environments: The role played by the largely unseen insects in our environment has been heralded by experts for a while, but as care of God’s creation becomes more pressing to us all, we need to spread this message.
Planning and planting the two gardens followed several months of scriptural promotion in Worship and four weeks of Sunday School programming.
The Butterfly Gardens beautify the Church’s campus and community, and provide a place of exploration, meditation and prayer, while nurturing our environment. Beaufort’s Historic Preservation Commission unanimously approved this project, applauding its duality of education and beautification.
Since we truly have just started exploring opportunities for its continuation, an invitation will be offered to our congregation soon to pray about this Ministry’s direction for 2022 and beyond, and join discussions about further educational and practical applications. Ideas may include actively involving other Faith Communities in Beaufort, community collaborations, and dovetailing with other Ann Street Church mission priorities dealing with our local homelessness & food security.