Photos courtesy of Calvary Reformed Church

Along a busy Cleveland street, a group of children carry mulch buckets and jugs of rainwater for a young tree in front of Calvary Reformed Church. Dozens of lazy bees buzz among its branches, pollinating the spiky white flowers of the Amur Maackia, which blooms in midsummer when little else around is flowering. As the evening continues, the kids walk to a local pocket park to identify seven additional trees and create “tree tags,” each with the individual tree’s species and characteristics. They stop to meditate on the beauty and importance of trees, giving thanks to the Creator who made them.

The evening I describe occurred on July 31st, 2024, and was part of Calvary Reformed’s annual “Creation Care for Kids” summer program. Along with my EEN duties, I serve as Calvary’s pastor, and we’ve developed this program in order to bring glory to God and to train kids in creation care. It is like a Vacation Bible School (VBS), with memory verses, songs, games, and snacks. The difference is that the fun activities the kids do aren’t temporary; they become skills that will last a lifetime.

When we began the program ten years ago, we used an excellent River’s Edge curriculum called I Go Green. Since then, other VBS materials have been developed, including Wild Wonder from A Rocha. In our case, we write our own lessons and partner with local organizations and neighbors doing creation care and environmental work. Some of our partners over the years have included:

• The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo Education Team
• The Sustainability Club of Magnificat High School
• A Christian grandmother nearby who is an excellent gardener
• Neighborly Tree Care, which led the event described above

There are many grants available for children’s environmental education. In our case, we received a “Sacred Grounds” grant from the National Wildlife Federation to purchase native flowers, which the kids planted to attract pollinators. How exciting to see those bees on that tree!

“Teach children how they should live, and they will remember it all their life.” (Proverbs 22:6) 

A creation care VBS is an excellent way to live out this wisdom.