A "Good" and "Sweet" New Year

Inside:

Reflection: A "Good" and "Sweet" New Year
Nibi Walks ~ Every Step Is a Prayer
Maryland Sun Solar Congress
New Green Ministry Hosts Interactive Poetry Presentation
Chesapeake Bay Trust Environmental Education Grant Program
Request for Proposals - Graphic Design Consultant Opportunity
Support IPC through Amazon Smile!
Upcoming Events
In-Kind Needs - canvas case, small speakers, financial review, and photo/videography

L’Shana Tova Umetukah ([a] good and sweet New Year)!

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year is here. This is literally the celebration of creation. And G_d said "it is good". It is a time of year when Jews around the world take stock in the year past and then, for Yom Kippur, they atone for their sins by asking forgiveness from those they have wronged and make amends. Certainly, all of us can take this as an opportunity to start with a clean slate. Each of us can decide what changes we can make to improve ourselves and our relationship with the environment. In Rabbi Julie Schonfeld’s D'vrei Torah, called “Rosh Hashanah: Wake Up and Take Action”, she says in part:

“The Rosh Hashanah service, in fact, is about providing us with a call to action . . . The time for thinking, evaluating and pontificating is over. Now is the time to act . . . not just moving from thought to action, but even reversing course if one is traveling down the wrong path.”

Just last week we celebrated the accomplishments of 80+ Blue Water Congregations who have recognized that they can forge a new path by making changes in how they view and treat their congregational grounds. Some have already begun to make improvements to restore their local watersheds by installing rain gardens, cisterns, removing pavement, planting trees and advocating for cleaner neighborhoods.

As Blue Water Congregations draws to a close (though there is still time to register your congregation for a free water audit by clicking here or contact Bonnie at [email protected] or 410-609-6852), IPC is pleased to continue this work through a new two year grant from National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to focus on the Jones Falls watershed. We are thrilled to be partnered with Blue Water Baltimore, Interfaith Power and Light and Maryland Sea Grant and any congregations located in the watershed (see if your congregation is located in the Jones Falls watershed by clicking on this map). We will keep you posted as this program develops. And, of course we remain committed to helping all of our partner congregations to bring their visions into practice.

It is never too late to begin to make amends to each other or our planet, to make it "good" and "sweet" again. We just need to get started!

Nibi Walk ~ Every Step Is a Prayer

A group of indigenous people plan to lead a walk of the Potomac River from Fairfax Stone, WV to Point Lookout, MD. They are raising awareness of the sacredness of water and our duty to protect it. They will walk about 30 miles each day from October 7-October 19. You are welcome to join them for all or part of the walk. They are also looking for congregations to host potluck dinners for them along the way. If you can participate as a walker or provide food along the way, please reach out to Sharon Day, [email protected]. Click HERE to visit their website.

Maryland SUN Holds First Solar Congress

Bringing together Maryland's diverse community of solar supporters in an exciting dialogue on a range of solar topics, including community solar and modernization of Maryland's electric grid, MD SUN is excited to announce it's first Maryland Solar Congress, Saturday, October 15, 10 am - 2 pm. This open and collaborative event offers a great space to meet fellow solar activists from across the state. In the morning, there will be opportunities to participate in informational presentations from local energy experts. The afternoon will be dedicated to an open forum discussion about the development of Maryland's solar landscape. This is a free event and open to the public. For more information, please click HERE.

New Green Ministry Hosts Interactive Poetry Presentation

A new environmental and creation care initiative at St. Ignatius in Baltimore, the "Green Team" is pleased to present their first event of the year, "Caring for All God's Creation: an interactive poetry presentation exploring the spirit of Pope Francis' encyclical, Laudato Si". This fun and open conversation about our shared call to care for God's creation will be held on Monday, October 17, 7:30 - 9:30 pm. Questions and thematic discussion will be woven around each poem, considering the great challenges of our times and prophetic urgency for ecological social change and institutional conversion.Click HERE for more info. This is a free event.

Chesapeake Bay Trust Environmental Education Grant Program

The Chesapeake Bay Trust is excited to announce that the Environmental Education grant program is currently open which awards funding to expand and enhance Bay environmental education programs for pre-K through 12 grade students in Maryland.

The Trust recognizes that the future health of our environment, economy, and communities depends on an environmentally literate and engaged citizenry. The Trust seeks to increase environmental stewardship through environmental education by providing grants that build and expand pre-K through 12 environmental education programs and increase student access to programs that provide meaningful outdoor learning experiences.

Funds can support costs associated with: development, alignment, and/or adaptation of curriculum; lesson plans and student resources; teacher professional development; establishment of teacher and school support networks; equipment and materials; and costs associated with outdoor learning experiences and student action projects.

For more information please check out their website www.cbtrust.org/grants/environmentaleducation and review the Request for Proposal for the full description of the services being requested and how to apply.

Deadline: December 9, 2016 at 5pm. Contact the grant manager with questions or assistance: Tara Baker, 410-974-2941, ext 102.

Request for Proposals - Graphic Design Consultant Opportunity

IPC is seeking a Design Consultant to help us effectively communicate to our target audience the launching of a new initiative and what it offers congregations in terms of resources and engagement support. The initiative is in Baltimore with a focus on the Jones Falls Watershed. Our target audience consists of people faith, clergy, faith leaders, and staff at congregations of all denominations. To learn about the details, scope of work, timeline, and preferred qualifications please review the RFP (Request for Proposals) HERE.

Deadline to submit applications is 5pm, Friday, October 14^th. Contact Bonnie Sorak at[email protected] with questions. Feel free to forward this along to anyone you know who may be interested in applying.

Changing the Dream of the Modern World

If you are ready to explore bringing forth the dream of an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling and socially just human presence on Earth, you are invited to attend "Awakening the Dreamer," a transformative educational program that explores the challenges facing humanity at this critical moment in time and the opportunities we as a human family have to create a new future. The symposium will be held on Sunday, October 30, 2-6pm at the Stony Run Friends Meeting House. Click HERE for more information on the program or to register for the event click HERE.

Shop AmazonSmile and Support IPC

AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support your favorite charitable organization every time you shop, at no cost to you. When you shop at smile.amazon.com, you'll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the ADDED bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to your favorite charitable organization. It's easy to begin. Simply click HERE and select Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake, Inc. as your charitable organization of choice. That's it!! Next time you shop online, make sure you start at AmazonSmile and IPC will receive .5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases.

Upcoming Events and Volunteer Opportunities

October 6 - Montgomery County Watershed Restoration and Outreach Grant deadline. For questions contact Grant Manager Jeffrey Popp at [email protected] or 410-974-2941, ext. 103.
October 7 - Western Maryland WIP Workshop (Allegany, Frederick Garrett and Washington Counties). Click HERE to register.
October 7 - 19 - Nibiwalk an indigenous-led waterwalk ~ every step is a prayer from Fairfax Stone, WV to Point Lookout, MD. Contact Sharon Day [email protected] or 612-721-0253. They will pass through the Washington DC area October 15-16.
October 8 - Colesville Presbyterian Church - Tree Planting Day, 9am
October 15 - Catonsville Presbyterian Church - Tree Planting & Interfaith Workshop with American Turkish Friendship Assn. begins at 9am.
October 16 - Earth Forum, "Walking Together into a Greener Future". 2 - 4:30pm, First Presbyterian Church of Howard County. Indoor/outdoor activity - long pants and sturdy, closed shoes recommended. Free and open to all. Children welcome. Click HERE for more info.
October 17 - "Caring for All God's Creation: an interactive poetry presentation exploring the spirit of Pope Francis' encyclical, Laudato Si". 7:30 - 9:30 pm, Chapel of Grace at St. Ignatius Church, Baltimore. Click HERE for more info.
October 19 - Lower Eastern Shore WIP Workshop (Dorchester, Somerset, Wicomico and Worcester Counties). Click HERE to register.
October 21 - Southern Maryland WIP Workshop (Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, Prince George's and St. Mary's Counties). Click HERE to register.
October 22 - Shaare Tefila (Olney, MD) - Trees Spiritual Workshop, following Shabbat Services
October 22 - Camp Wabana (Edgewater, MD) - Tree Planting Day, 8am
October 26 - St. Luke Lutheran Church (Silver Spring, MD) - Spiritual and Environmental Workshop about Cisterns, 7:30pm (follows potluck dinner)
October 30 - Shaare Tefila (Olney, MD) - Tree Planting Day, 12:30pm
October 30 - St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church (Baltimore, MD) - Trees Spiritual Workshop,9am
October 30 - "Awakening the Dreamer" a symposium on changing the dream of the modern world, 2 - 6pm. Stoney Run Friends Meetinghouse, Baltimore. More info HERE.
November 5 - St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church (Baltimore, MD) - Tree Planting Day,9:20am

Volunteer and In-Kind Needs

IPC could use a canvas case for small external speakers (used with a projector). Do you have something you can pass along? Contact Kolya Braun-Greiner at[email protected] or call us at 410-609-6852 if you do! Shout out to Laura Heller for her gift of speakers provided!
Do you skills in financial review? IPC is looking for probono support for an internal financial review. Call Jodi Rose at 410-609-6852 if you can help.
Do you like photography? Vidoegraphy? We are always looking for help taking photos at our events, and putting them together in slide shows. This is a good way to inspire other people and show them the work that is taking place across Maryland. If this is something you can help with, please contact Jodi Rose at 410-609-6852.

Thank you!

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