First Presbyterian Church is Certified as a PC(USA) Earth Care Congregation

First Presbyterian Church, Sylva, is certified as an Earth Care Congregation by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)'s Presbyterian Hunger Program. The Earth Care Congregation certification is designed to recognize churches that take seriously God’s charge to “till and keep” the garden, that is our shared common home.

Since 2010, this PC(USA) program certifies and celebrates environmental ministry across 4 major areas of a congregation’s life: worship, education, facilities, and outreach in the community.

Earth Care Congregations exist as important examples for congregations across the country. One of the goals of this program is to inspire churches to care for God’s earth in a holistic way, through integrating earth care into all aspects of their church life.  By the time a church has recertified for several years, the earth care ethic becomes ingrained in a congregation’s culture, spreads to the surrounding community, and impacts the personal lives of individual church members.

Obtaining this status speaks to the serious commitment that First Presbyterian Church, Sylva has made to care for God’s earth.