Green Chalice Update #5
- kateekostecki
- Oct 20
- 3 min read
Two updates in one day!? Crazy!
The Green Team just finished up and I wanted to share really quickly what we went over!
As stated in the last update, the congregation picked (1)using glass cups for communion, (2)planting native grasses/flowers in some of our flower beds, (3)make/place bee houses around the outside of the church, and (4)join the Equal Exchange Coffee Program.
Our first change will start THIS SUNDAY! The Green Team decided that the first change will be to use glass communion cups instead of the plastic ones for communion. This is a really simple change because we already have the glass cups and before plastic cups were available we did this! So, in a way, we are going back to our roots!
The next change will be joining the Coffee program. I will be working with our Financial Secretary and Treasurer to start this change but the congregation as a whole will also have to help decide what coffee (or tea, or chocolate, or hot chocolate) we will be buying and if we are purchasing it just for us or to resell. I plan to bring this up in the next board meeting after discussing it further with the Green Team!
Our last changes, unfortunately, can't be implemented until the spring but there is plenty to do beforehand! There are many steps we will need to take before planting native flowers in our gardens. What flowers do we want? Where are we getting them? How much are we getting? When are we getting them? How much will they cost? I plan to continue to work with the Green Team and the congregation to figure all those questions out.
Bee houses are relatively easy to make "DIY" so the Green Team decided that we could have the whole congregation help make them. The whole congregation will be asked to start bringing in old toilet paper rolls, soup cans and other supplies needed to make the houses. The idea is that by the time we are ready to make them, we'll have all the supplies we need! The Green Team thought it would be fun to have a "bee house building" potluck or event in the spring at which everyone can participate and make them.
Resources I used/shared with the Green Team today;
Green Chalice Resources; This is a whole page on the Disciples Home Missions page filled with content on environmental stuff! Videos, books, studies, sermons, other websites with even more information. Be sure to check it out!
"Midway Christian Church in Kentucky is offering a legacy of love" Video; this congregation made a video of their reason(s) for becoming a Green Chalice congregation, and how they did it. I thought it was a really great statement and wanted to share with the Green Team.
Equal Exchange Coffee Program Website; this is where you can find more information on the coffee program!
Chicago Botanic Garden "DIY Bee Homes" website; This website has supply lists, instructions, pictures and videos for DIY bee homes. This is most likely the guide we'll be using as we make ours.
Overall, we are well on our way to becoming a Green Chalice Congregation!
Peace and Blessings,
Kate
Title page picture: This photo is of Ginkgo leaves. The Ginkgo tree is very interesting, they are "dioecious" which means they have female trees and male trees unlike other tree species that have both female and male parts on one tree (these are called "monoecious"). The female Ginkgo trees smell terrible because of the butyric acid in their fruit and so most times, male trees are planted instead. There are several male trees on the University of Montana campus and I remember being impressed with the color variation between leaves; the way they fanned out on my hand was quite stunning and I had to take a photo. I still have one of the leaves, dried and shriveled, on my bookshelf. The moral of the story is sometimes you need to slow down and smell the Ginkgo.
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