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Lutherans Restoring Creation logo: a Luther rose formed from a globe with a cross in a heart at its center, beside the words Lutherans Restoring Creation

Learn from Others

Real stories from congregations caring for creation — find ideas your community can borrow.

Every story here came from a congregation like yours. Browse by theme, borrow ideas, and when you’re ready, share what your church is doing.

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Faith Lutheran Church — Cambridge, MA

Free Lighting Upgrade

A tall ladder set up inside a church sanctuary near the pews and a Faith banner
A free LED lighting upgrade, made possible through a utility rebate program ... Read the story →
Tree of Life — Harrisburg, PA

A pet ministry, a wolf sanctuary, and many beekeepers!

Aerial view of a brick Lutheran church with a peaked roof, steeple, and cross, surrounded by trees and lawn
A pet ministry, partnerships with local wildlife rescues, and a congregation full of gardeners and beekeepers ... Read the story →
Ascension Lutheran — Thousand Oaks, CA

Twenty-five years of Fair Trade

Illustrated signpost reading "Fair Trade Lane, A Faith Path to Justice for People and Planet," Ascension Lutheran Fair Trade Ministry, Thousand Oaks, California
Fair Trade Lane opens monthly — chocolate, coffee, and justice for people and planet ... Read the story →
Trinity Lutheran (and 301 Ecumenical Faith Partners) — Fort Collins, CO

Two creation care services, one shared building

Congregation standing in the sanctuary during a worship service with organ pipes and a cross visible
A creation care service each fall, and another one shared with the faith partners who use the same building ... Read the story →
St. Andrew's Lutheran Church — Mahtomedi, MN

St. Andrew’s Environmental Stewardship Team: Nine Years Old and Still Going Strong!

Flyer for St. Andrew's Environmental Stewardship Team showing youth planting trees
Nine years of a wind generator, all-LED buildings, and an annual "Caring for Creation Weekend." ... Read the story →
New Hope Lutheran Church — Columbia, MD

Impact Reduction: Reusable mesh produce bags

A stained glass window with a cross design, viewed up a wooden staircase inside the church
Thanks to our friends from New Hope Lutheran Church in Columbia, MD via Charlie Bailey.  With some grant funding from ... Read the story →
Our Savior’s Lutheran Church — Rockford, IL

Vegetarians in Motion, Becca’s Closet, and a cleanup crew

Three women from the congregation smiling and talking together indoors
Decades of monthly Vegetarians in Motion meetings, free prom dresses for students, and teams out for the Great American Cleanup ... Read the story →
St. Paul’s Lutheran Church — Ardmore, PA

Recycling beyond the blue bin

Gothic-style stone church building with a bell tower, stained glass windows, and a tree in front, under a clear evening sky
A compost bucket exchange, a scrap-yard recycling corner, and two Sundays a year when people walk or bike to church ... Read the story →
Trinity Lutheran (and 301 Ecumenical Faith Partners) — Fort Collins, CO

Bike racks, a trail, and a day to ride to church

Congregation members gathered together talking and smiling at a church fellowship event
Bike racks, a trail across the property, and a regular day for riding to church ... Read the story →
Trinity Lutheran + 301 Ecumenical Faith Partners — Fort Collins, CO

Replanting a burned camp

Choir members singing together during a worship service
When wildfire hit a Lutheran camp, members went and replanted trees ... Read the story →
Augustana Lutheran Church — Denver, CO

An Earth Day table and a no-waste plan

Augustana Lutheran Church's brick building with a tall white bell tower and cross, framed by trees on a sunny day.
An Earth Day table with ideas members could take home, and a no-waste plan for the whole congregation ... Read the story →
Our Savior’s Lutheran Church — Outing, MN

Bags to Benches

A volunteer planting a raised garden bed in front of Our Savior's Lutheran Church's road sign.
Five hundred pounds of plastic film becomes a park bench. They're working on their tenth ... Read the story →
Trinity Lutheran Church — Rapid City, SD

Plastic Recycling Example for Church work in the Community

Logo graphic for Trinity Eco Prayer Park with a stylized three-leaf sprout
Collecting 500 pounds of plastic film to trade for a park bench at Trinity's Eco Prayer Park ... Read the story →
Hope Lutheran — Bozeman, MT

Solar panels, a mission garden, and less plastic

Wide view of a wood-beamed sanctuary with stained glass windows and an organ, pews full of worshippers
Panels overhead, a mission garden growing food for the local bank, and an advocacy group taking on single-use plastics ... Read the story →
House of Prayer Lutheran Church — Hingham, MA

The town voted Net Zero, so the church started asking about solar

House of Prayer Lutheran Church's tan building with a bell tower and cross, surrounded by trees and lawn.
Solar questions for the town's own energy company, and trees where the lawn keeps burning ... Read the story →
Calvary Lutheran Church — Willmar, MN

A drop-off site and a booth at the EcoFair

Empty sanctuary with arched wood ceiling, stained glass windows, and wooden pews leading to a central altar and cross
Plastic film, used dental products, and a shared booth with two other ELCA congregations ... Read the story →
Christ the King Lutheran Church — West Chester, OH

Christ the King Edible Food Forest (West Chester, OH)

Landscape design diagram showing an elevation view of mature trees and shrubs
A native, edible community food forest, shepherded by member Donna Pellegrin ... Read the story →
Lutheran Church of the Cross — Nisswa, MN

Speakers on oil, mining, and the shoreline

Exterior of a wood-sided Lutheran church building with double glass doors and a landscaped entrance
Regular speakers on the issues closest to home, seeds handed out to plant, and green tips in the newsletter ... Read the story →
St. Andrew’s West LA — Los Angeles, CA

Solar panels, and hands at the springs

St. Andrew's Lutheran Church volunteers, including a child, planting native plants in front of the church's cross wall.
Panels on the roof, and work alongside a local Indigenous group to restore the springs ... Read the story →
Peace Lutheran Church — Tacoma, WA

Garden Table in Washington State

People gathered around a table with seedling trays and informational posters
Master gardeners set up a weekly "garden table" to help members start their own gardens ... Read the story →
Reformation Lutheran Church — Media, PA

Eco Sunday and Rogation Sunday

Front entrance of Reformation Lutheran Church in Media, PA, with a stone-and-wood portico and autumn plantings. The congregation's own watermark, reading "Reformation Lutheran Church, relcmedia.org," is overlaid on the photo.
Two Sundays on the calendar, eco tips in the newsletter, and a web page that keeps the resources in one ... Read the story →
St. Paul — Lititz, PA

The Sacred Grounds of St. Paul

A stone-lined walking labyrinth set in a meadow with trees in the background.
A green space in the middle of Lititz, with walking paths, a growing garden, and room to worship outdoors ... Read the story →
Immanuel Lutheran — Evanston, IL

An advocacy table at the winter farmers market

Volunteers and shoppers at Immanuel Lutheran's indoor winter farmers market, with fruits and vegetables displayed in crates
The congregation hosts the winter farmers market — and puts a climate justice table in it ... Read the story →
St. Andrew's Lutheran Church — Columbia, MO

Honoring Our Sacred Trust – Gardening (MO)

Multiple generations of a family planting a shrub together in a garden
Forty-eight people planted native Missouri shrubs in the church's rain garden for Earth Week ... Read the story →
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