ers available for rain gardens and mediation steps are one reason churches are building them. T eol- ogy is another reason. “We celebrate the importance
of water in our lives, in our faith story, in our worship life,” said Jay Carlson, a pastor of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Minneapolis. “A rain garden is an opportunity to celebrate God’s giſt s of creation and the giſt of living with and caring for the natural world.” Holy Trinity needed to comply
with a Minneapolis regulation that required thousands of buildings to disconnect their roof drains from the city storm water system. “We could have diverted it to the street or alley, but we decided to keep it on the property,” Carlson said. A grant helped build a courtyard
with “pervious” pavement—which water can penetrate—and three rainwater gardens that can hold 2,108 cubic feet of runoff . “Many people from the commu-
nity use our ‘Rainwater Discovery Courtyard’ as a way to go between 31st Street and Lake Street, or just to sit and enjoy the surroundings,” Carlson said. In Cleveland Heights, Ohio,
Grace Lutheran Church’s demon- stration rain garden inspired an actual garden. Funded by a grant, designed by an environmental engineering fi rm, and built by members and neighbors, Grace’s 20-by-40-foot rain garden was so successful the church converted its front yard into a vegetable garden. “Food not lawns,” said David
Ernat, pastor. “Grace is a big old church. Half the water shed from our roof fl oods the garden and is absorbed into the soil as opposed to running into the city rainwater collection.” St. Andrew Lutheran, Beaver-
Mention ADL2014 & receive 15% off plus free shipping! Sept 1 - Oct 31
Preparing a Place of Warmth and Welcome. Receive 15% off plus free shipping on all clergy essentials.
When you visit us at
gaspardinc.com be sure to enter the code ADL2014 at checkout or mention the code when you contact us at (800) 784-6868.
September 2014 39
ton, Ore., eliminated lawn and other high-maintenance areas to be watered by replacing them with rain gardens, said Bob Bucholz, chair of the congregation’s green team. St. Andrew needed a large detention basin to mitigate storm water runoff from its new fellowship and educa- tion wing and expanded parking lot. Its green team worked with a low-impact design expert to create rain gardens that would capture and store all water. Now the team is looking at build-
ing trails along the stream corridor that runs through the 7.5 acres of wetland on its 10-acre property. In Hockessin, Del., Grace
Lutheran Church created a garden that captures runoff from its park- ing lot and an adjoining elemen- tary school. Members of all ages researched the best types of native
plants to include, and 175 volunteer hours later, 320 thirsty plants rest on swales and berms built by an envi- ronmental consulting fi rm. Match- ing grants and two local groups paid the bill. On groundbreaking day, devo-
tions focused on “water’s redemptive powers,” said Josh Kelly, director of youth and family ministries. “God uses water as a reminder that we are reborn and remade. We have the opportunity to do that for our creation, to give it new life.”
Author bio: Basye, a freelance writer living in the Pacific Northwest, is the author of Sustaining Simplicity: A Journal (ELCA, 2007).
Prepare. Await. Expect. Save on Gaspard handcrafted vestments & paraments
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52