Stories from our partner congregations
Fair Trade Fair at St. John's Episcopal Church
St. John's Episcopal Church
Though they only formed only early in 2007, the Genesis Group at St. John’s Episcopal Church has already accomplished a lot. During Lent they organized a fair-trade coffee tasting, and have since switched the congregation to fair trade coffee – Bishop’s Blend – a fair trade project of the Episcopal Church. They’ve stopped using paper coffee cups and switched to ceramic mugs which were brought from home by members. For Palm Sunday they purchased Eco-palms.
This summer the group partnered with a community supported agriculture (CSA) program in southwestern Wisconsin. Three church members designed and built a vegetable shed in the church garden. Since the first weekend in July, approximately thirty shareholder boxes from the farm have been delivered each week to this pick-up site. Shareholders are from the church in addition to the neighboring community. This fall, the Sunday School children are going to design art for the shed’s exterior using the theme The Seven Days of Creation.
Other Genesis Group projects have included installing two rain barrels on the church grounds and a screening of An Inconvenient Truth. One project they're working on this fall is to refine recycling collection at the church. They are also planning a special hazardous waste collection for the parish and its neighbors. Individuals in the group are invited to research issues of personal interest to bring to the table and share with other parishioners. Anyone is welcome to join the Genesis Group in their monthly meetings.
Leanne Gehrig, a leader with the group, says, “I think our work has played an important part in congregational life due to the fact that several members are new to the congregation. The Genesis Group has evolved into a wonderful outreach opportunity. Sustainable living within a faith community seems to be on the minds of a lot of people at St. John’s!”
Rector Kara Wagner-Scherer says, “The Genesis Group has been one of the most exciting ventures in my first two years here. It was Leanne’s idea and our first meeting attracted many energetic people. The quick and effective work of this group to make our church ‘green’ struck a chord with many people in the parish. The Genesis Group has been a concrete way to live out our Christian life and to root our actions in scripture.”
