Today in the Mission Yearbook - Native plants transform church property

Curb appeal gives way to saving the environment

December 13, 2021

Members of Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church and the Severna Park community plant shrubs and flowers that are not only native to the area, but that also have deep roots to curtail stormwater runoff. Courtesy of Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church

Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church in Severna Park, Maryland, is also known as “The Church on the Hill.” Hilltop views can be lovely when the sun is out, but when it rains a large volume of runoff runs down the hill and into the storm drains. The stormwater runoff then flows into Cypress Creek and eventually into the Chesapeake Bay. While there are underground cisterns collecting water from the church’s roof, the congregation felt they could do more to lessen the environmental impact the runoff was having on the bay.

According to the Chesapeake Bay Program, which was formed in 1983 to protect the bay, stormwater runoff can push excess nutrients from fertilizers, pet waste and other sources into rivers and streams. Nutrients can fuel the growth of algae blooms that create low-oxygen dead zones that suffocate marine life.

As an Earth Care Congregation of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Woods Memorial Presbyterian has always been committed to protecting the land and being good stewards of their own piece of paradise. That’s what moved the 2,100-member congregation to reach out to Baywise, an organization dedicated to protecting the Chesapeake Bay. During a rainstorm, Baywise representatives came to the church and walked the property, observing areas of concern that included not just water running from the roof, but also from the parking lot and driveway. The solution to curtailing runoff was to plant native plants with deep roots.

Woods Memorial’s garden team partnered with volunteer Alison Milligan, a Maryland master gardener and retired engineer, who suggested not only a design for the property but a list of plants that would be perfect based on the soil. With a dedicated team of volunteers, more than 200 native trees and over 500 native plants were added to the church property. Part of that property includes an acre of woods. The goals of the garden team were to have 70% native plants in the woods and to remove invasive English ivy and other nonnative plants. Having the right plants has not only helped with rain runoff, but it has turned the church’s property into a magnet for birds, butterflies and other creatures that have always called this part of Maryland home.

“Once we start, we can’t stop,” said Karen Royer, a member of the church’s garden team. “There is no such thing as a bare space.”

The pastoral garden was turned into a formal native garden, which now has flowers, plants and trees that provide color in spring, summer and fall. Evergreen trees were planted to ensure the garden never looked dead in winter.

Most of the work was completed by 15 volunteer gardeners with each assigned an area of the garden to care for. The Scouts; Maryland Master Gardeners; the Rehabbers, a group of retired handymen; and members of a local high school Honor Society and Environmental Club also came to help Woods Memorial Presbyterian.

The transformation of the property didn’t happen overnight. Woods Memorial broke the project into stages, which began in the summer of 2018. The completion of each stage gave the volunteers increased energy to keep moving forward to the next stage. Seeing butterflies and other native creatures return also proved that they were making progress.

The work was initially funded through a series of local grants from 2018-19, totaling $5,000. According to Royer, “Peggy Newman was our ace in the hole. She serves on the church’s property management board and was able to include funding in the budget.”

The impact of the transformation of the property surrounding “The Church on the Hill” goes deeper than the roots of the native plants. Its reach has flowed to those in the community who now tour the gardens. Touching the lives of others is the footprint they wish to leave.

As a Matthew 25 congregation, Woods Memorial has partnered with St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, a historically African American congregation in Annapolis, to share what they’ve learned.

Woods Memorial is living out Genesis 2:15 — “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it” — and they now have their own “garden of Eden” to prove it.

Eugenia Johnson-Smith, freelance writer, author and motivational speaker in Lexington, Kentucky

Let us join in prayer for:

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
John Etheredge, Mission co-worker serving in Ghana, Presbyterian Mission Agency
Jennifer Evans, Mission Specialist, Presbyterian Hunger Program, Presbyterian Mission Agency

Let us pray

Beloved God, we want to love you with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. Help us to read your Word and understand the truth that will set us free. Teach us, dear Jesus, that we too can touch like you. Amen.

Today in the Mission Yearbook - A community youth group that works

Teens thrive when churches join together

April 2, 2020

One Locally Grown weekly activity is a favorite of the teens: Each person writes an encouraging message for every member. The compilation is then framed as a keepsake. Sara Busick

Like many pastors, the Rev. Mary Seeger Weese of Midway Presbyterian Church in Midway, Kentucky, had a vision of starting a youth ministry. And, like many pastors, she realized she couldn’t do it alone.

“The major thing I had to come to grips with was that a youth ministry wasn’t meant for one church,” she said. “It would be something to make followers of Jesus, not something to make more Presbyterians.”

Midway member Bud Ratliff suggested that the pastor include all churches in the area in talks concerning the community’s youth. Many of these churches, he said, have a longstanding relationship of working, worshiping and serving the community together. Many also face the same struggle as to how to best serve youth when they do not attend the same church as their friends, or perhaps any church at all.

In the summer of 2015, with a personal invitation from Midway member John Davis, clergy from varying denominations sat down together. By the time the meeting was over, seeds for a new cooperative youth group — Locally Grown — were planted.

According to the group’s website, this name was chosen because “all of us are shaped by our local community — the family, friends, neighbors and mentors who surround us every day. … As with anything that’s growing, conditions are everything! … We will strive to create the best possible environment for young people to grow in their faith — right here, right now. By fostering this development today, it is our hope that we are planting the seeds for an authentic faith that will continue to grow for a lifetime.”

Five years later, the youth group, a ministry of Midway Presbyterian, Midway United Methodist, Midway Christian, Historic Second Christian, St. Matthew African Methodist Episcopal and Midway Baptist, has become deeply rooted in its community.

The goal of the diverse group is threefold: to boost the existing youth ministries, to assist churches that don’t currently have a youth ministry and to reach out to youth who don’t attend church.

“We’re involved because it’s needed,” said the Rev. Heather McColl of Midway Christian. “Youth need a place to connect and explore their faith.”

The youth visit Historic Pilgrim Baptist Church, a traditionally African American church in Midway, Ky. This was just one of many churches in the area that the teens visited, being welcomed and invited to ask the ministers questions without fear of being judged. Sara Busick

The program, open to youth in grades 6–12, has served 77 youth since its inception. Youth gather weekly at Midway Presbyterian, then they walk to either another church or public location for their actual meeting or to participate in an activity or service project. The weekly meetings include the pastors from the participating churches, providing the teens an opportunity to understand other expressions of faith.

Midway Presbyterian, Midway Christian and Midway United Methodist currently fund the programming, with the remaining churches providing donations.

Locally Grown has not only been a church’s answer to how to best serve youth, it has also been a place of refuge and hope for teens.

Emily, 16, lives near Midway and has been involved with Locally Grown for four years. She says that Locally Grown has taught her lifelong lessons about friendship and love.

“It will always be something I look back on as a ‘positive’ part of my youth,” she said. “Locally Grown has given me a safe space to explore God’s love without fear of judgment. It is a fun place to learn about God and build long-lasting relationships.”

Emily is proof that community youth ministries like Locally Grown can work and can be replicated in other communities.

“It is important going into this type ministry with open hands and open hearts,” said Sara Busick, the co-director of Locally Grown who, with her husband, Lee, helped plant its early seeds. “It’s also important to view this program as a mission and its leaders as missionaries in your community.”

And being flexible helps as well, Busick says, adding, “We would often adjust the topics and teaching style to align with the personalities, ages and experiences of our group.”

“This is a truly collaborative and sacrificial ministry that exists for the spiritual development and support of teenagers. It’s a beautiful and miraculous thing to be part of,” Busick said.

Eugenia Johnson-Smith, Author, Coach and Motivational Speaker who lives in Lexington, Kentucky

Let us join in prayer for: 

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Kristine Baker, Administrative Services Group (A Corp)
Zenia Baker, Presbyterian Foundation

Let us pray:

Holy and gracious God, you call us to grow in our faith and to love and serve others. Help us to bear fruit in our own communities and beyond, no matter how old we are. In your Son’s holy name, we pray. Amen.