Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake and Patapsco Heritage Greenway (PHG) partnered up with Milford Mills United Methodist Church to plant 11 trees on their property as part of our Trees for Sacred Places program through the Chesapeake Bay Trust Urban Trees Initiative and the 5 Million Trees for Maryland by 2031. Maryland’s 5 Million Trees legislation is a vital response to the climate crisis, aiming to mitigate carbon levels in the atmosphere and address other climate concerns. The strategy includes a specific focus on planting trees in underserved urban communities to combat the urban heat island effect, which leads to elevated temperatures in areas with limited natural landscapes.

IPC is fostering key partnerships with organizations like PHG and state agencies to channel funding and resources to congregations eager to plant trees and reforest their properties. Milford Mills was our first stop on the road to planting 75 trees with PHG -- so there are only 64 more to go! 

Milford Mills UMC's tree planting on Saturday, November 18th had a great turnout of volunteers with a total of twenty people coming to help. There were three “newbies” to tree planting, which was a foundational learning experience for them in Creation Care. And now they have the knowledge to plant more in the future.

The strategy was to have two people per tree to make the process quick and smooth! The trees were planted all around the property with the goal of reducing the turf grass “desert” and to lower the cost of mowing.

In addition, IPC helped Milford Mills UMC receive a site assessment through Chesapeake Bay Trust CBO-CBI. They received recommendations to help reduce flooding in their main building and identify opportunities for planting trees and native plants on site.

If you want to plant trees, you can get involved with IPC and be part of the 5 million trees movement. Whether you as an individual or your congregation in Maryland have space to plant trees, anywhere from 10 -1,000+, you can let us know by filling out our Trees for Sacred Places Interest form.

Think about it...

Trees = New Members! 

How tree plantings like this help promote membership for your congregation.

Lori Rawle volunteered at the Milford Mill tree planting. She explained how attending a different planting resulted in her and her husband becoming new members at one of our One Water Partnership congregations. She said,

“I read about a tree planting at Faith Presbyterian Church, and my husband and I decided to go help. We learned that the trees were being planted on what used to be an extra parking lot on the property.  The congregation thought a better use would be an urban forest - to help combat climate change and to provide a space for neighbors to gather in the shade and for children to play. The participants from the church were very engaged in the project and its social mission.  Even the minister joined in the work and greeted everyone.  The atmosphere was one of conviviality, cooperation, and a sense of responsibility to the land and to the community.  This inspired my husband and me to explore the church by attending a few services.  This spirit continued in the worship services, so we felt we had found a church home.” ~ Lori Rawle, tree planting volunteer

Grow trees AND grow your congregation!