Larchmont Avenue Church (LAC) was recertified as an Earth Care Congregation by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) ‘s Presbyterian Hunger Program through February 2027.  The Earth Care Congregation certification is designed to recognize churches that take God’s charge seriously to “till and keep” the garden, that is, our shared common home. This is LAC’s fifth year of certification.

Since 2010, this PC (U.S.A.) program has certified and celebrated environmental ministry across four major areas of a congregation’s life: worship, education, facilities, and outreach in the community. This program currently includes 4.5 percent of all PC (U.S.A.) congregations and continues to grow each year. 

By the time a church has recertified for several years, the earth care ethic becomes ingrained in a congregation’s culture, spreads to the surrounding community, and impacts the personal lives of individual church members. Obtaining and maintaining this status speaks to LAC’s serious commitment to caring for God’s earth. 

“We have been an Earth Care Congregation for five years now,” says Kristen Carpenter, leader of the Eco Task Force at LAC. “I am proud to see how, each year, we are taking additional steps to be better stewards of our planet.”

“LAC is one of the 373 congregations in 42 states that chose to dedicate themselves to intentional care of God’s earth this year. This denominational program for churches has lasted longer and been more successful than some other models we’ve seen. The individual churches deserve all the credit for the program’s success. PC (U.S.A.) Earth Care Congregations are vital parts of their communities and inspirational witnesses to caring for God’s creation, and we are so grateful for their presence in the world,” says Jessica Maudlin, Associate for Sustainable Living and Earth Care Concerns for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). 

For more information about LAC’s Earth Care program and Eco Task Force, contact Kristen Carpenter at kristencarpenter35@gmail.com or 914-318-8013. For more information on the Earth Care Congregations program, visit pcusa.org/earthcarecongregations.