As Christians, we are called to live out our faith and care for all of God's creation. The youth at First Christian Church of Edwardsville, IL recently demonstrated God's call by serving in a variety of ways during Faith Community Day at our local Watershed Nature Center. The leadership team and volunteers at the Watershed are dedicated to providing environmental education, passive recreation, and enjoyment of native habitats for Edwardsville and surrounding communities.

Faith Community Day was an ecumenical service project where youth and adults from several area churches gave up much of their Saturday to beautify, restore, and preserve the Watershed's native prairie, forest, and wetland habitats. Not only did we enjoy the fellowship but we also worked hard and completed the following projects together:

Planted numerous trees
Planted milkweed
Cleaned debris from around the storage shed
Painted the storage shed
Hauled and spread mulch

This project was a rich and rewarding experience which served as a reminder that beauty is not only found in each of one of us but also in all the living creatures that God created.

Story and photos courtesy of FCC Associate Minister Rev. Jeff Wrigley.