Though Earth Month has passed, the momentum across the Chesapeake Bay watershed continues to grow.

At Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake (IPC), we were proud to support nearly 30 Earth Month events during the month of April—tree plantings, native plant sales, stream cleanups, prayer services, and educational forums—organized by our staff and Partner Congregations. But the energy hasn’t slowed down just because the calendar page turned. There are events and initiatives still happening through May, such as Fallston Presbyterian Church's rain barrel decorating and their upcoming bio-retention project.

In Harford County, Fallston Presbyterian Church is one small-but-mighty congregation keeping that momentum alive, showing how powerful it can be when a community turns faith into action.

This May, their Pre-K students brought vibrant color—and joyful learning—to a rain barrel painting event that beautifully illustrated the connection between education, art, and environmental stewardship. Supported by dedicated teachers and parents, the children painted two rain barrels, planted flowers for Mother’s Day, and learned about the water cycle through a storybook by Eric Carle.

It wasn’t just a craft project—it was an immersive, hands-on lesson about Creation care, tailored for the next generation. One more rain barrel is being painted this week, and soon, these colorful barrels will help capture runoff on church grounds, reducing pollution flowing into the Chesapeake Bay.

But this is only one part of Fallston Presbyterian’s growing commitment to environmental stewardship.

In 2023, members of the congregation formed a Green Team and enrolled in IPC’s Faithful Green Leaders Training, where they received practical tools and spiritual guidance for launching green initiatives rooted in their faith.

Since then, they’ve been on a roll. Fallston Presbyterian recently secured a grant from the Chesapeake Bay Trust to address stormwater runoff from their parking lot, which was flowing into their Memorial Garden and Outdoor Worship Area. Their grant will fund the installation of two bioretention cells and conservation landscaping, emphasizing the use of native plants to filter and slow runoff naturally.

And as the church celebrated its 150th anniversary last year, their Green Team is deepening its mission—to involve the entire church family, Pre-K, and broader community in ongoing education and action to protect the Bay and heal the environment.

This is what it looks like when faith communities take the lead.

Fallston Presbyterian may be a small congregation, but their impact is anything but. With determination, creativity, and a willingness to grow, they are planting seeds of change that will blossom for generations.

Stories like this are featured throughout IPC’s 2024 Annual Report—a celebration of all we’ve accomplished together across the Chesapeake Bay watershed. From more than 700 trees planted at 19 sites through our Trees for Sacred Places program, to 69 new congregations trained through the Faithful Green Leaders Training, to one of our largest ever Faith & Waters Restoration Summits—this year has been filled with transformation.

But these successes don’t happen on their own. They are made possible by people like you who believe in the power of faith to drive environmental action.

Your gift today will help us cultivate the next generation of faithful environmental stewards, expand programs like the Faithful Green Leaders Training, and support small congregations with big visions—just like Fallston Presbyterian Church.