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St. Matthews UMC Earn Green Church Award

by | Oct 30, 2023 | Blog

The Green Church Initiative

of the Western North Carolina Annual Conference

of The United Methodist Church

By Karlah Y. Burton
North Carolina Earthkeeper

Fall greetings with love on behalf of the Creation Care Ministry and Community Garden Project at Saint Matthews United Methodist Church, Greensboro, North Carolina! We are in the Northern Piedmont District of the Western NC Conference, UMC.  I am Karlah Burton, member of the Western NC Conference Creation Care Team Ministry, Saint Matthews UMC Creation Care Ministry Chairperson, and a commissioned General Board of Global Ministries Earthkeeper.  In 2023, Saint Matthews United Methodist Church has received the Green Church Award on behalf of our Annual Conference!

The categories chosen for the WNCC Green Church Initiative represent the total life and ministry of a congregation. A Green Church is to understand that everything it does in ministry is connected to God’s creation. Caring for creation is fundamental to who we are as Christians and therefore must necessarily be infused into every aspect of the life of the local church, hence the categories of Worship, Discipleship, Stewardship, Evangelism, and Mission. 

Here are a few of the action items that Saint Matthews UMC has completed per the WNCC GCI:

B-7. (Discipleship) Sponsor a creation care fair in which you invite outside organizations to do displays or booths that will help raise your awareness. 

Third Annual SMUMC Fall Festival and Environmental Fair was held on Saturday, October 28, 2023, from 10 am to 4 pm.  Vendors/Invitees included Triad (NC) Electric Vehicle Association, Solar Power Now Coalition, Beyond Plastics Greensboro, NC; Citizens’ Climate Lobby, Saint Matthews United Methodist Church Food Pantry, Saint Matthews United Methodist Church Committee on Health and Welfare; City of Greensboro, NC (recycling), NC Interfaith Power and Light; and the Guilford County, NC Health Department.

As a part of the festival, a tree planting was held in honor of church member, Wanda Edgerton,  who suggested “The Giving Garden” as the name of the church community garden {GCI, A-13. (Worship) As a celebration of a baptism or a memorial after a death, plant a tree in honor or memory of a church member.}  In the spring of this year, the SMUMC Creation Care Ministry sponsored “Three Ways to Name a Garden” competition in which participants submitted suggestions including name of garden and related story of inspiration. Mrs. Edgerton’s choice was based on The Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) and the effort to give away fresh produce in service to those who are less fortunate or food insecure.  

The Giving Garden – Saint Matthews UMC has donated approximately 600 pounds. of fresh produce and flowers since its beginning in 2020! This year donations are approaching 150 lbs. (as of 10/30/23) with roughly 600 tomatoes of several varieties—Cherokee Purple, White Wonder, Ozark Pink, Mountaineer Delight, Beefsteak, Jamestown Globe; as well as several hybrid crops! The Giving Garden is an ongoing GBGM Earthkeepers project.

Related Action Items -WNCC Green Church Initiative 

  • H-4. (Stewardship) Grow your own organic vegetables in a church garden. Create a garden space for your church and organize a volunteer committee to oversee the planting, care and harvesting of the garden. Decide who will receive the food that is produced.
  • J-4. (Evangelism) Plant an organic vegetable garden and/or edible landscaping on church property. (See H-4 above.)
  • K-2. (Mission) Plant an organic church garden, with the produce going to a local food bank or those in need

     A total of 300 action item points is required to be recognized as a Green Church within the Western NC Annual Conference, WNCCGCIone-6a.pdf (stmattchurch.com). 

     At AC2023, two creation care themed resolutions were passed!  WNCC Petition #14, Green Team Formation, based on the Wesleyan Quadrilateral (Scripture, Tradition, Reason, Experience), validates our call as Christians and as United Methodists to act with great fervor and care for God’s gift of creation. As a result, local churches are emboldened to form Creation Care Teams or strengthen existing ones for action in the five specific areas of ministry as indicated by the WNCC GCI. This movement is intended to assist in the effort to fully integrate creation care and justice within all areas of mission to include preaching, liturgy, communications, education, outreach and advocacy. The Western NC Conference uses the Green Church Initiative as a planning tool available to help in the creation care ministry or green team formation process.

2020–23 Green Church Award/Saint Matthews UMC – WNCC GCI/Completed Action Items

  • Earth Day Worship Service
  • Season of Creation Worship Service
  • Creation Care Themed Bulletin Board Postings/Children’s Moments/

Vacation Bible School Classes

  • Green Gift Bags
  • Community Service/Citywide Clean Ups/Tree Plantings
  • At least one family/individual has joined our congregation as related to Care for Creation
  • Composting/Rainwater Collection Barrel Usage
  • Blessing of Recycling/Compost Bins
  • Weekly UM Creation Justice Tips
  • Electronic Church Bulletin
  • Earth Focused Book Study (United Women in Faith)
  • Green Stewardship Appeal/Campaign
  • Use of sustainably grown palm fronds/incinerate and reuse
  • Video lifting environmental topics/issues

Other boards, agencies, and organizations supported by The United Methodist Church share similar areas of focus such as the General Board of Church and Society (Climate Justice, Clean Water, Food Justice, Sustainability) and the organized unit of United Women in Faith (Just Energy for All Campaign).  And despite the many milestones and success stories there is still work to be done!  Please join us in the effort to strengthen the pathway to earth care and a more sustainable future  – through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Karlah Y. Burton, a United Methodist EarthKeeper, holds a B.A. in Mathematics from the University of  North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a B.S. in Biology from Greensboro College, a United Methodist institution of higher learning. She has served as an Annual Conference Delegate At-Large since 2022 on behalf of the Northern Piedmont District of Western North Carolina.

Additional Resources:

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 District Contact List and Email Addresses for WNCC Creation Care Ministry Team: https://www.wnccumc.org/creation-care-district-contacts

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