GreenFaith Certification

At Grace Church, we believe God created the heavens and the earth. Therefore, as a community of faith, creation care is one of our primary responsibilities. We put our faith into action through environmental stewardship. Specifically, we celebrate creation in both worship and fellowship; we educate ourselves and our community on the environmental impact of our daily decisions; we work to protect and sustain our fragile natural world; and we show our love toward all life on earth through increased environmental responsibility.

Grace Church is honored to have been accepted into the program as the first Episcopal congregation in Tennessee. GreenFaith is one of the oldest religious-environmental organizations in the U.S. working to inspire, educate, and mobilize people of diverse religious backgrounds for environmental leadership based on the shared commitment that protecting the earth is a religious value, and that environmental stewardship is thus a moral responsibility.

During the two-year certification process, Grace worked to integrate environmental themes into our worship, religious education, facility maintenance, and social outreach. The GreenFaith organization has provided us with a clear framework to help us, as individuals and a faith community, think and learn about how to live in a way that is more responsible and more just. Grace Church -- and 29 other Episcopal parishes throughout the country -- finds itself supported by the national church, which has become a denominational partner of the GreenFaith program. 

Creation Themes
​The 2nd floor entrance has been enhanced with a large creation-themed mural by local artist and Grace parishioner Lyn Martin.  Matching vestments and altar covering have been made by Cathy Stone.  Creation themes are observed in the October liturgies and in occasional outdoor services, including the Blessing of the Animals on the Feast of St. Francis.

GreenFaith National Website