(pictured above from left to right: Johnna Kosnoff, Mark O’Brate, Marilyn O’Brate, Jamie Long, Mary Beth Miller, Dane Evans, Chrissy Britton, Juli Ragan)
First United Methodist Church Bentonville, Arkansas
Johnna Kosnoff, Certified Lay Minister and Community Development Coordinator
When our Creation Care Team first gathered in August 2023, we began with three simple yet formidable goals: to educate ourselves about the wide-ranging impacts of climate change, to help our congregation live more sustainably, and to share what we learned with our wider community — all rooted in the hope that faithful action could lead to meaningful change in both church and community life.
Throughout this journey, we watched, discussed and shared videos by Christian climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe and other informative resources, read books on Creation care, and even toured a local recycling facility to educate ourselves. We also connected with other churches across denominations for lectures, video series, and conversation. From these shared experiences, a Northwest Arkansas Interfaith Climate Alliance formed, and although led by others, this alliance broadens our network for education, advocacy, and community witness.
From the start, our team felt called to create space for community engagement. That call led to hosting our first Earth Day Fair just eight months after our initial meeting — looking back I realize what a bold and faith-filled step that was! In April 2024, we welcomed 12 exhibitors who shared knowledge about beekeeping, recycling, watershed stewardship, water conservation, stormwater education, habitat restoration, and more. Children and adults alike engaged enthusiastically with the booths, learning through play and conversation.
Encouraged by that positive response, we expanded our fair in April 2025, hosting 25 exhibitors and showcasing additional topics like composting, foraging, forest therapy, native plants, pollinators, and solar energy. Holding the fair on our church green space — just blocks from the community’s farmers market — helped us extend our outreach and share the message of Creation care with even more neighbors.
Within our congregation, we’ve initiated steps for sustainable practices. We installed a water bottle filler station, which eliminated the need for single-use plastic bottles at our hospitality table. We switched to compostable plastic communion cups until our supplier discontinued them. Fortunately, our congregation was ready to shift back to Intinction so we do not need so much plastic. We’ve published the monthly tips offered by the United Methodist Creation Justice Movement in our church-wide newsletters for people to implement in their daily lives.
Our trustees have been supportive partners in Creation care, guiding an energy audit, exploring solar panels and electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and overseeing an Eagle Scout project that introduced more native plants into our landscape. We are also moving forward with a composting program, pending final approval, that we hope will further align our congregational practices with Creation care.
To deepen our congregation’s connection with the natural world — understanding that encountering God in creation enriches faith — we encourage outdoor initiatives. Our Faith Walk group, which meets twice a month for gentle hikes with a shared devotion, has become a meaningful rhythm of movement, reflection, and fellowship. We’ve offered speakers as part of a larger speaker series, who shared information about planting trees, native plants and pollinators. In November, we hosted a Forest Therapy session led by a certified guide, filling the class and affirming the spiritual and emotional nourishment found in God’s creation.
There is still much to do, yet we rejoice in how far we’ve come. Our worship services now include more reflections on God’s creation and why caring for it matters. In fact, Creation is one of our focus points in our 4C the Future (Creation, Connection, Conviction and Contribution) four year campaign for growth. People are making efforts to recycle items used at the church. Members share stories of recycling at home, trying composting, and passing along what they’ve learned to others. Such testimonies of faithful living encourage us and demonstrate that small actions, rooted in faith, can ripple outward with impact.
Looking forward, we are planning a 3rd annual Earth Day Fair for Fall, 2026. We are also planning a congregational lunch to share our story, inspire more interest, and invite new volunteers into this ministry. With more hands and hearts engaged, we trust that our church and community will continue to deepen in Creation • Conservation • Connection — living out our call to faithful stewardship together.