Christ Our Anchor Presbyterian Church (COA) is a small but mighty congregation, thriving just outside of Annapolis, MD, in Anne Arundel County. With a gorgeous Discovery Trail running through their woods and newly-installed native Hillside Restoration Project, the Church is a quiet oasis on the bustle of the Broadneck peninsula. This oasis didn’t just spring up from the suburban desert - it was curated through the work of many hands, coming together with care to green their property. COA’s thriving Green Team provides a wonderful model for community involvement, and exemplifies the impact that working in partnership can make. IPC talked to Diane Rey and Debbie Barbour, who are both long-time members of COA and have been instrumental in helping their Green Team and partnerships succeed.

The Green Team was formed during the COVID-19 timeframe, spurred by two simultaneous efforts. Diane recounted that approximately ten individuals joined the Team after completing the Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake’s (IPC) Faithful Green Leaders Training program. Concurrently, Diane, who is a Class 13 Steward of the Anne Arundel County Watershed Stewards Academy (WSA), used her Steward Capstone project to launch the Team at COA. The Green Team debuted on Earth Day Sunday in April 2021 by hosting a drive-up signing of the IPC Partner Congregation Pledge (pictured right), a visible sign of commitment that still hangs in the church today.

Diane told us that upon forming, the team held an initial "environmental charette"—a collaborative discussion—to gather ideas and get buy-in from the whole congregation. This effort resulted in a church-wide embrace of the Green Team and green activities - as evidenced by quiet changes made by multiple committees. Diane noted that one day, she noticed those buying for communion had begun purchasing compostable communion cups, and shared that “it was a little green action the committee could take” to help embrace the overall greening efforts at COA. She mentioned that hosting the environmental charette helped form a “church-wide environmental stewardship policy.... that all of [their] church committees [and members] could plug into – everything from shutting off the lights when leaving a room, to turning down the thermostat”. Inside COA, an environmental ethic was adopted and embraced early in Green Team formation.

The most significant undertaking by the Green Team and partners to date has been the Hillside Restoration Project. Diane recounted that for nearly 40 years, the steep, 45-degree slope at the church entrance had been a "thorn in their side". Maintaining the hillside was extremely difficult for the church’s mowing team, a bit of a prickly and dangerous task. Inspired by the WSA principle to "shrink the lawn" using native plants, the Team found its solution. As Diane, Debbie, and their Team were thinking through actions they might be able to take, Diane remembered an article she had written for the Broadneck Patch about Broadneck High School’s environmental focus. She gave the school a call, and let them know that a Green Team had been formed at COA, which is right next door. Simultaneously, WSA was aiming to involve more students in their Stewards Training. Utilizing existing connections within the community, Broadneck High School students joined Class 16 of the Watershed Stewards Academy, and the Hillside Restoration Project was soon to be underway. 

The extensive project, which was about four and a half years in the making, was executed in phases. Working in partnership with the Green Team and WSA, student WSA Class 16 Stewards, and their teacher, Stacy Roth (who leads the environmental focus at Broadneck High School), completed the design of the restoration project as Phase 1 of their Capstone (pictured above left). The Green Team then secured a Unity Gardens $3,000 Grant for Phase 2 (pictured below right), enabling the large-scale planting of native trees, shrubs, and perennials. 

Completed in November 2025, the Restoration serves several crucial purposes: it stabilizes the treacherous slope, prevents erosion into the County's stormwater drain, and benefits native wildlife and pollinators. Due to its highly visible location—on a busy corner where traffic for Broadneck High School and the Hiker-Biker Trail passes—the flourishing hillside serves as an inspiration to the broader community. The Hillside Restoration Project leads into the COA “Discovery Trail”, a project undertaken by Girl Scout Troop 1939, which Debbie leads.

The Green Team’s ministry thrives directly through partnership, as evidenced by the success of both the Hillside Restoration Project and Discovery Trail. According to Diane, as a small church, they rely on collaborations, embracing the truism that "many hands make light work".

These partnerships are vital for achieving major goals and spreading the message to care for the environment. Key collaborations include their partnership with Save Our Trees, a program of WSA, that has provided crucial hands-on support during initiatives like "Wine and De-vine," which focuses on pulling invasive ivy and Oriental Bittersweet from the church woods. WSA has also trained high school students as part of their Class 16 of Stewards, as mentioned above. Likewise, local Scouts have contributed to various projects at COA. Girl Scout Troop 1939 designed the Discovery Trail and earned their engineering badge for designing the trail entry (pictured). Debbie shared that a local Boy Scout, who is also on the Green Team, recently installed the newest station on the trail. This station allows for music-making in the woods. Likewise, the nearby Harbor School assists with maintaining the Discovery Trail, and Broadneck Library contributes nature books for a station along the path. Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake offers support and assistance to the Green Team, advertising volunteer events and has spoken to the congregation on Green Sunday.

We asked Diane and Debbie what advice they have for other congregations pursuing partnership work. Debbie attributed part of their success to the Green Team having “one major focus each year,” and that they’re “not trying to change everything at once”. Part of this advice was inspired by Debbie’s faith, noting that Creation wasn’t formed instantaneously, and that “it takes time and connection to really make something that's going to be long lasting”. Diane echoed this sentiment, saying that “it’s easy to get overwhelmed or think a project is too big”. According to Diane, part of COA’s philosophy has been to avoid “analysis paralysis,” and embrace “this idea of we can't do it all, but let's do something and do it well”. Attributing those sentiments as part of COA’s “secret to success,” both Diane and Debbie also emphasized that collaboration is essential for Green Team success. 

Debbie also told us that the team intentionally seeks youth involvement because the environmental movement is "always forward looking" and requires the current generation to "hand it off to future generations". By engaging younger people, the Green Team ensures that they have the ability to make a difference, creating a necessary "ripple effect" of pride across the community. Children are often present at Green Team events (pictured left is a child's turtle drawing from a COA Green Team event). 

Christ Our Anchor Presbyterian Church’s Green Team and the partnerships they have formed are an excellent example of how embracing the connections within a community can amplify a Green Team's impact. Looking forward, Christ Our Anchor is exploring ways to recognize that their property is uniquely split between two watersheds - one half of the property drains to the Severn River, while the other half drains to the Magothy River. The dual watersheds on COA’s property is a gorgeous symbol of the interconnectivity of watershed restoration work, and how working together can help us all. Both rivers lead to the Chesapeake Bay, and as the COA Green Team cares for their property in tandem with many partners, the rivers flow in tandem to our shared watershed. 

You can watch a video featuring the Hillside Restoration Project and partners here!