Something that is unique about First United Presbyterian Church is that we are an Earth Care Congregation. We believe that we are called to be good stewards of the earth and to support this calling, we participate in the PCUSA Earth Care Congregation Certification Program. Thanks to the diligence of our Earth Care Taskforce, last April, we celebrated being an Earth Care congregation for 10 years!

On Sunday, April 27, 2025, green was the color of the day! It was Earth Care Sunday; a Sunday set aside for focusing on bringing awareness to environmental stewardship. The celebration included

• An update by Dennis Nelson, an active member of our Earth Care Taskforce, on the many efforts the taskforce has undertaken including the use of solar panels on our campus, the installation of energy efficient heat pumps and property clean-up days.
• An informative talk by Heather Ellzey, Environmental Educator for the City of Fayetteville, on the city’s recycling and food waste composting programs.
• An Information Table with handouts and pails for food waste collection. There were lots of specific questions about recycling and the pails were very popular.
• Outdoor Games so the children and youth had an activity to do between Sunday School and Worship that did not involve the use of electronic devices. They had lots of fun playing with a parachute.
• An earth care themed worship service. The sermon focused on our call to care for creation, and this was also reflected in the music, the liturgy and the prayers. Click here to view highlights from the service.

Today, September 1, 2025, is World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation.

Here is a prayer to provide inspiration if you wish to participate in this day of prayer.

Earth Care Prayer

We also ask for prayers for the success of the projects our Earth Care Taskforce has undertaken for the fall. These are

1. Celebrating the 10^thanniversary of the very successful solar energy project with a proposal for a follow-up additional installation.
2. A focus on recycling, with an electronic recycling collection for November 15th, America Recycles Day.

If you are interested in learning more about our Earth Care Taskforce, please use our contact form and someone will be in touch with you.