Watershed stewardship

In the creek that flows behind our church in Waldorf, Maryland, Peace Lutheran Church is going to host a cleanup this year.

Remnants of a shopping cart and bike won’t litter the shore of Peace Creek much longer

I am a member of Peace* and the Cleanup Coordinator for The Alice Ferguson Foundation’s Annual Potomac River Watershed Cleanup. As a part of the Trash Initiative for the Foundation, we explore how trash makes an area unsafe, unhealthy and can be a gateway to greater social concerns. We have had a long standing and robust Social Concerns Ministry at our congregation. As the annual cleanup married itself appropriate to our social justice focus, it made sense for us to host a cleanup site.

This year’s cleanup is on April 11, but sites are hosting events throughout the month of April and early May. It is easy to locate a site to volunteer, either for the annual cleanup or for events held year round. Learn how to get involved on the Trash Network: http://trashnetwork.fergusonfoundation.org/.

As stewards of our environment and shepherds of our community, we look forward to participating in this project. Our little cleanup of Peace Creek may not have a large impact on the greater watershed, but it raises awareness of a problem that exists in our midst and motivates us to work for a change.

*Our guest blogger, Tim Murphy, shares this information as part of the synod’s Creation Care Team