Earth in Earnest

Welcome to the July edition of the New Community Project's environmental e-newsletter, Earth in Earnest

Oh Beautiful for smoggy skies, insecticided grain,
For strip-mined mountain's majesty above the asphalt plain.
America, America, man sheds his waste on thee,
And hides the pines with billboard signs, from sea to oily sea.
~George Carlin

In this edition:
Recycling update
Facts to act on - what can we do?
What's to eat? – Dietary choices as an act of faith

The congregation where I attend church has just completed its vacation Bible School. The theme was God's Big Backyard, and I believe it was my favorite VBS that we have ever done. The idea is that the earth is God's Big Backyard, and our job is to serve. Beyond the simple message that Jesus loves you, this curriculum taught children what it means to really follow Jesus' teachings.  In Jesus' parable of the goats and sheep, Jesus teaches that those who feed, clothe and visit their fellow human beings will inherit eternal life. Further, Jesus himself took the role of a servant when he walked this earth. Therefore, each night of our Bible school, the focus was a different aspect of service.

My husband and I taught a class called Community Corner. We were to invite various persons who serve in our community to come and speak to the kids and to conclude every evening with a service project. On Friday night, we invited Elmer Gillespie, a man who is the coordinator of a local food pantry.  Our congregation already does a lot to support the pantry, so I was hoping that he would inspire the children to care about the hungry in our community, but I didn't believe that there was much more that our church could do. Yet as I listened to  Mr. Gillespie tell stories of how other congregations had helped, I realized that there was much more we could do and was challenged to present some of his ideas to others in my church. My point is that there are always new and unexpected ways that we can do more to make the world a better place if we are open to the challenge.

"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord when did we see thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink? And when did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee, or naked and clothe thee? And when did we see thee sick or in prison and visit thee?' And the king will answer them,'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.'"            ~Matthew 25:37-40

Recycling update -   So we separate our glass, cans, plastic and paper and put them all out on the curb on recycling day (or haul them to the recycling center). That's good! There's not much more we could do in the recycling department, right? Wrong...there's a really cool article called Ten Things to Recycle That You Never Thought You Could by Kelly Regan . It is sure to surprise you and to make you rethink the three r's (reduce, reuse, recycle). Find it at http://climate.weather.com/articles/recycle021508.html?page=2

Facts to Act on -   I was more than a little pleased when my home congregation's Bible School planners chose to donate the week's offerings to New Community Project's $23,000 Amazon Challenge. We taught the children that caring for the earth is a big part of serving in God's big backyard and that purchasing rainforest for protection is a way of serving future generations. To learn more about this project go to If a Tree Falls..... New Community Project also now offers Good Stuff: Earth Friendly Products and Gift Ideas. You'll find several environmentally friendly products as well as how to donate to one of our special projects as a gift in someone else's name. See Alternative Gifts

Also  you can find revised Sunday School lessons on care for creation entitled God's Earth, Our Home.

Opie, you haven't finished your milk.  We can't put it back in the cow, you know.  ~Aunt Bee Taylor, The Andy Griffith Show

What's to eat?

On the closing night of our vacation Bible School, the children were guided in the creation of Servant Sundaes. This was their snack time, but the idea was that each time they eat an ice cream sundae, they will be reminded to serve.

In that same vein, and given that July is National Ice Cream Month, I want to share with you a recipe that I found for a vegan, Rocky Road-like ice cream treat.

Vegan Rocky Road Treat

dairy-free vanilla ice cream (available at health food stores and many grocery stores)
chocolate syrup
marshmallow topping
chopped nuts
cherries
waffle cone bowls

Place a generous scoop of slightly softened dairy- free vanilla ice cream in a small  mixing bowl. Drizzle both the chocolate and marshmallow topping over the ice cream in thin streams. With the dull side of a knife, gently swirl the two toppings into the ice cream, being careful not to overdo it. You only want thin ribbons swirled throughout.

Carefully add the mixture to one of the waffle cone bowls, top with additional marshmallow and chocolate, if desired, then add chopped nuts and cherries. 

Find more tasty, earth-friendly recipes here.

To submit a vegetarian, vegan or otherwise environmentally friendly recipe, email kchaffin@newcommunityproject.org with "recipe" in the subject line.

NCP main office: 718 Wilder St. , Elgin , IL 60123 ; 888-800-2985 toll free; ncp@newcommunityproject.org