God and Greenways: Along the Farmington River Trail
A post-service Sunday morning walk along a local greenway bordering the Farmington River In addition, members are involved in the Plainville Greenway Alliance (PGA), a civic association whose purpose it is to build a greenway thru downtown Plainville, which will be part of the larger Farmington Canal Greenway, extending from New Have,, CT to Northhampton, MA.
Community Garden
In the beginning, there were pumpkins. This space yielded about 40 pumpkins in summer, 2006.
We had soil tested for contaminants, and the soil was pronounced clean, though perhaps high in calcium/magnesium. Flyers have invited the community to use the space for personal gardens. The church grew zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, beans, flowers and squash in 2007. The produce was used for both a city Thursday noon soup kitchen and our own congregation’s Wednesday community pasta suppers. In 2008 lettuce has been added, and it becomes a contribution to the Wednesday night pasta supper.
A Community Member from the Salvation Army working in our garden  |
Services of Celebration
Two regularly-scheduled fall services at First Lutheran Church of the Reformation, New Britain, Conn., which remind parishioners of the joy we behold in the creation are:
- Blessing of the Animals on the Oct. 4th Saints’ Day of St. Francis of Assisi, renewer of the Church
- A harvest festival
- A spring blessing of the fields
- The “Creation Cycle”, comprising an alternate lectionary series of four Sundays
At FLCR, the altar and narthex are piled at the end of September with the bounty of New England’s autumn vegetables and flowers, its apples and pears from local orchards, as well as cornstalks and bales of straw. Recently, vegetables from the church’s community garden have been added to the decorations.
Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb Sale
First Lutheran Church of the Reformation celebrated the coming of the Light of the World during Advent with the sale of compact fluorescent light bulbs. Varieties of bulbs, including popular LED night lights and 60 and 75 watt "curly bulbs" were procured from TechniArt, Inc. (through the Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund) and sold under the slogan, "Got bulbs?" More than $300 worth of merchandise was purchased on two Sundays preceding Christmas.
Recycling
The November 2007 initiative of the City of New Britain, Conn., to implement a "clean cart" trash program was an incentive for the Mission and Service task force of First Lutheran Church of the Reformation, New Britain, to transform the church’s waste stream. Glass, plastics and metals are recycled by the city. A volunteer recycled office paper on a monthly basis and takes the papers to a bin behind City Hall designated for office paper recycling.
Weekly Street Cleanup in Western New Britain
Task members have on a weekly basis clean Victoria Road, Steele Street, and Reservoir Road in Western New Britain. Besides improving the general look of these lovely streets, these efforts keep the water supply free of harmful pollutants.
The Good Lord has Graced Connecticut with Heartbreakingly Beautiful Hills and Valleys, Green Grass and Blue Skies. We are Stewards of this Beauty  |