by Greg Peterson, freelance reporter and media advisor for Earth Keeper
In Michigan's Upper Peninsula, hundreds of Lutherans will
help plant 12,000 trees in honor of Earth Day, April 22. As
part of the Earth Keeper Tree Project, Lutherans and other
people of faith will bless and plant trees across the region
at various times on May 3. Founded in 2004, Earth Keeper is
supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
and nine other faith groups. The ELCA's social statement
about creation and the environment is Caring for Creation:
Vision, Hope and Justice.
"God is in the tree-planting business," said the Rev. Thomas A.
Skrenes, bishop, ELCA Northern Great Lakes Synod, Marquette,
Mich. "Trees matter," he said. "What a privilege to put your
hands into God's soil and help a tree grow." Skrenes and others
will plant the first of 12,000 trees -- 12- to 16-inch white
spruce and red pine -- on April 22. Other volunteers will pick
up tree seedlings at local conservation district offices on May
2 for planting the next day.
"Our interfaith tree-planting effort is more than another
conservation project," said the Rev. Jon Magnuson, co-founder of
the Earth Keeper initiative and executive director of the Cedar
Tree Institute, Marquette. "With prayers, hymns and the blessing
of 12,000 seedlings, it's a gentle proclamation of a new
consciousness and commitment among our faith communities to care
for God's creation."
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
