Did You Know: Creation Care at Village
You may not know this, but Village Church has been certified as a PC(USA) Earth Care Congregation since 2011. This means we have taken the Earth Care Pledge to incorporate creation care into our culture and practice a little bit more each year:
Our worship and discipleship will celebrate God’s grace and glory in creation.
Our education will encourage and support each other in keeping and healing the creation.
Our facilities will be managed, maintained, and upgraded to respect and cherish all creation.
Our outreach will encourage community involvement and public policy to protect and restore the earth.
Read more about some ways we’ve done this in the past and are still doing this today—and how you can get involved in caring for your creation right here at Village.
Community Gardens
DID YOU KNOW? There are community gardens at the Village Food Pantry and at Antioch Campus. Produce from the gardens goes to the Food Pantry and from there, directly to the community. Both gardens are proudly and lovingly maintained by volunteers. We need YOUR help to harvest, weed, and water the gardens! At any time, you can contact Rev. Zach Walker (for the Food Pantry garden) or Laura Assyia (for the Antioch Campus garden) to get started. This is a great idea for students who need volunteer hours, or folks of any age who just love a low-commitment way to spend time outdoors, dig in the dirt, and give back to the community. The garden at Antioch Campus is a joint effort with the Giving Grove and KC Community Gardens.
Compost Program
DID YOU KNOW? Since 2023, Village has partnered with KC Can Compost to divert much of the organic waste produced by our everyday operations from the landfill. When you throw your food scraps, used napkins, and old flower arrangements in our orange compost buckets instead of throwing in the trash while you’re at one of our campuses, you’re helping us be kind to the earth! Read more here to find out what you can compost (and what should go in the trash).
Even better, YOU can use KC Can Compost’s program to compost at home while also benefitting the Food Pantry. Families can sign up to drop off their home compost in the large containers we have on site at the Pantry, and the Pantry receives a discount on our monthly cost of composting based on how many people participate. When you register for the program, be sure to type “VCFP” in the referral field. The containers you choose will available for pickup at the Pantry. Contact Dennis Cobb, Food Pantry director, for details.
Solar Panels
DID YOU KNOW? In 2020, solar panel installation was completed at the Village Church Child & Family Development Center. The roof now houses a total of 207 solar panels which offset 70.33 tons of carbon per year (equivalent to 1,624 trees!). This investment is projected to pay for itself in dollars by 2032—a great way to be good stewards of Village Church resources AND care for the earth.
Pollinator Garden
DID YOU KNOW? Thanks to the dedication of numerous Village members and Eagle Scouts, the Food Pantry property is also home to a pollinator garden. The garden was established in 2016 and is registered as Monarch Waystation #14671. This garden features milkweed, nectar flowers, and zinnias for migrating monarchs, bumblebees, and hummingbirds to enjoy. Children at the nearby Child & Family Development Center also use part of the garden as an outdoor classroom to plant seeds and watch them sprout, grow, and bloom. Learn more about the Monarch Waystation project here. Volunteers are always needed for planting, weeding, watering, and other maintenance tasks—contact Rev. Zach Walker to get started.
Caring for creation isn’t the job of an organization, or several organizations, or of individuals – it’s the responsibility of everyone in our community. Village needs the help of community organizations like KC Can Compost, the Giving Grove, the Scouts, and others to help in our mission of earth care—and most of all, we need you, Village members, to help us do the good that is ours to do. Lend a hand in one of our community gardens, start home composting, or start small by throwing your used paper towels in the green bins in our bathrooms for composting. It takes a Village to care for our global village!