Green Team update — December 2024

The holidays are a joyous time to spend with our loved ones and friends. We have much to praise and give thanks to God. After the holidays, I start my annual grumbling about the inconveniences of winter, with its cold wind and threats of snow. This year, I am trying to find a deeper appreciation for these colder winter months ahead.

For our vulnerable members of society, I hope that we remember and provide care for them as they struggle through these months. But for the rest of us, I hope that we can see God’s love and hope in all that the winter landscape offers.

As I look around in the winter landscape, I cannot help but see the raw beauty of the trees and natural habitats that God has created. It is nothing like the monocultured, perfectly manicured gardens and lawns that we might be told are beautiful. The oak tree’s branches jut out in obscure angles, trees crowd each other in competition for resources and all of this becomes a wild mess. And in this, I can also see where human landscapes start and God's landscape begins. I imagine that in years past there was much more of God’s garden and much less of ours. I see and hear Jesus’ truth calling me here. Telling me to "tear down the temple" of modern ideas of what is good landscaping design and embrace God's idea of true landscaping beauty. With many organizations trying to restore more of God's beauty, I am thankful and hopeful.

And while the Green Team is joyously planning for our many spring events, there is time to pause and listen and see Jesus revealed in the winter splendor. We pray that you will also do the same. Some good resources are Doug Tallamy, Edwina von Gal and the Center for Spirituality in Nature, to name a few. Please stop us at church or send us your winter reflections.

UPCOMING PROJECTS‍

I have been working through the new curriculum called Love God, Love God's World. The course is much like Sacred Ground, if any of you are familiar. It is a very deeply moving study into environmental justice and ways that our church can heal and love. If anyone is interested in learning more about this course, please let me know.

We would love to hear how your spring seedlings are doing. Please send us a line to let us know. I will be posting some suggestions for deer protection fencing in the coming months.

We are working on few exciting projects with Saint James' Episcopal School. With help from the Garden Club teacher, Elaine Dubin, and science teacher Cortney Arnold, our composting program was given some exciting enhancements. The four rolling composters donated to the church and school were in desperate need for repair. Elaine, Cortney and Wesley Duvall emptied the existing compost, repaired the compost tumblers and relocated them to a sunny spot which will facilitate better breakdown of the materials. In the future, we hope to expand our compost efforts to provide rich soil for our vegetable and pollinator gardens. New signs have been placed in the kitchen and outside the composter station to remind us of what can and cannot be composted. A big thank you to Elaine and Cortney for your help!

We are working on collecting plastic bags and film for another Trex bench. Thank you to all who are contributing! Your donation will help build a beautiful bench and keep these plastics out of the landfill.

We are also working with Fauquier County Parks and Recreation, Saint James' Episcopal School and the Warrenton community to establish a pollinator garden along the Warrenton Branch Greenway. This will provide much needed food sources for our native pollinators. We have started planning and even collecting some native seeds for this project. More exciting news on this project is forthcoming.

Additionally, please consider joining the Diocese of Virginia’s Creation Care Committee on Dec. 12 at 4 p.m. for a webinar with Bishop Mark Stevenson discussing extreme weather and spiritual resiliency. You can register here.

Wishing everyone a happy and sustainable holiday season!

Contact Flora Duvall at fwallace@mail.umw.edu.

Click here to view the December 2024 quarterly newsletter.