Covenant Presbyterian Church - Charlotte, NC

Outdoor Ministry

Mission: To provide members of our community practical opportunities to experience nature; deepen relationships with the church, each other and our natural surroundings; and grow in faithful stewardship of the environment. We do this through:
  • Fresh Air and Fellowship: Providing people of all ages and life stages a simple, compelling, low-barrier-to-entry option for nurturing their physical health and for building their relationships with and through the church through fellowship. (ex. Hikes, Sunday strolls, kayaking, etc.)
  • Community Connection: Using nature and the environment as a universal context to foster relationships within and beyond the Covenant community. (ex. Earth care for sacred spaces/campus gardening, stream cleans, gleaning, etc.) 
  • Eco-theology: Providing programming and curriculum to enhance ecological and environmental knowledge with a biblical, spiritual and theological emphasis. (ex. Open Table programs, contemplative hikes, etc.) 
  • Earth Care and Sustainability: Examining and putting into practice our spiritual convictions about taking care of the environment, both on the Covenant campus and within our local community. 
Contact Mary Gaertner with questions

Community Hikes

Spider Lilies Hike in May

Coming May 10 or 17  
10:00 a.m. Landsford Canal State Park.
Exact date will be determined by the progress of the Spider Lily blooms.
Landsford Canal State Park is home to the world’s largest population of Rocky Shoals Spider Lilies. These beautiful flowers bloom each year along the Catawba River and can be viewed from the park from May through mid-June. A 1.5-mile, round-trip hike down the Canal Trail takes you to an overlook where the spider lilies can be best viewed.
Sign up to come in late April

Community Care: Gleaning

Be a part of the solution to food waste and food insecurity by spending time with Covenant friends collecting leftover crops from farmers' fields after they have been commercially harvested or on fields where it is not economically profitable to harvest.  Glean with Covenant through the St. Andrew Society.  

Strawberry Picking

April 27 at  3:00 p.m.
Enjoy strawberry picking at the farm of Covenant members Erin and Aaron Hines.  The group will be limited to 25 people.
Sign up to come.
Contact Mary Carrigan for more information

Community Care: Stream Cleans

TBD
Earth Care/Community Outreach: Stream Clean Chantilly Preserve (Lauren Sawyers)

Sustainability

Using the Interfaith Power and Light resource and process guide, we will examine Covenant’s carbon footprint and propose recommendations for taking steps toward a greener campus and providing tools and resources for individuals to live into our call to care for the environment.
Action items could include:
● Planting a native pollinator garden on campus,
● Examining and enhancing our campus recycling program,
● Installing solar panels and/or EV charging stations on campus,
● Creating a community compost bin,
● Committing to environmentally-friendly landscaping
● Offering a program on climate-friendly investing, etc.
Contact mary gaertner for more information