First held in 1970, Earth Day is a global event held on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection and ecological activism. This year ULS students, staff and faculty celebrated the beauty of our campus and God’s blessings in the natural resources around us.
Larry Herrold, 2nd Year MDiv. student and archives assistant, put together an Earth Day exhibit at the Wentz Library, highlighting creation care and publicizing the ULS community gardens.
Then, on Saturday, the community joined together at the Gettysburg campus community garden to plant the first vegetables of the year. Dr. Maria Erling provided a short blessing liturgy.
After the blessing, the group planted cool weather crops including broccoli, lettuce, kale, carrots, and onions. More crops will be added as the weather warms up.
In addition to providing fresh vegetables and herbs to students throughout the growing season, the community gardens on both campuses serve as a place for mindful work and prayer and remind us of the importance of caring for God’s creation.
Check out these books about eco-theology and creation care:
–Greening Spaces for Worship and Ministry, by Mark A. Torgerson
–Ecotheology: A Christian Conversation, ed. Kiara A. Jorgenson, Alan G. Padgett
–Creation Care in Christian Mission, ed. Kapya J. Kaoma
–Being-in-Creation: Human Responsibility in an Endangered World, ed. Brian Treanor, Bruce Ellis Benson, and Norman Wirzba
Branches United 