October was a month filled with celebrations! Many of our green teams received special recognition for their work, namely at events in Montgomery and Baltimore Counties.

Montgomery County "Climate Solutions for Congregations" Event

Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake (IPC), the Montgomery County Office of Community Partnerships and the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection, co-hosted the "Climate Solutions for Congregations" event in Wheaton, MD. County Executive, Mark Elrich, attended the celebration and presented awards to more than 20 congregational green team leaders, recognizing their actions that are helping the County to meet its Climate Action Plan goals. Also highlighted, was the following video showcasing actions of a number of the green teams including The Episcopal Church of the Ascension (Gaithersburg), Islamic Community Center (Potomac), Maryland Buddhist Vihara (Silver Spring) IMAAM Center (Silver Spring) and Scotland AME Zion Church (Potomac).

Prince of Peace Ribbon Cutting in Baltimore County

On Sunday, October 13th, Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Rosedale celebrated the long-awaited completion of their bioretention projects with a ribbon cutting ceremony. Prince of Peace first engaged with IPC in 2016 when their pastor called with an interest in working together on Creation Care. Then, in 2018, when their building flooded after a heavy rain, they were highly motivated to move forward, working with IPC to find a solution. Closely collaborating with IPC’s Director of Outreach, Bonnie Sorak, and One Water Partnership partner Blue Water Baltimore, Prince of Peace applied for a Chesapeake Bay Trust Watershed Assistance Grant Program grant in 2021, which was awarded and allowed for the design of the bioretention projects. Blue Water Baltimore then worked with the congregation to find funding for their project implementation.

The Ribbon Cutting Ceremony recognized all those who dedicated their time and hearts to the Creation care project, including a tree planting in honor of the late Deacon Laura Heller. Bishop Bill Gohl, MD-DE Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, was in attendance, as well as multiple community and local governmental representatives. Staff from the Chesapeake Bay Trust and Baltimore County also joined the celebration, as well as Senator Katherine Klausmeier. IPC’s thanks and credit goes to the lead volunteers at Prince of Peace, including Kim Cornelius and Missy Warminsk for their perseverance. In honor of all the hard work and dedication that went into Prince of Peace’s bioretention projects, Baltimore County awarded multiple Executive Citations to those involved in the project, including IPC’s Bonnie Sorak and Mollie Rudow. 

These two events emphasize the necessity of partnership – that it takes working with many organizations and invested volunteers to make such projects a reality.