While these events may have already come and gone, we wanted to leave them on the website as evidence of how our programming is implemented and to encourage further learning! If you see something that interests you or sparks a question, send us a message!
Check out our “Learning Links & Resources” page for helpful information that was presented/given at these events!
3/15/14 Seeds, Stories and Soup (10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.)
Grace Seeds invites you to “Seeds, Stories and Soup,” an intergenerational event, at Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church (9401 S. Oakley) in Chicago on March 15, 10:30 am-12:30 pm. Parents and grandparents are invited to bring their children and grandchildren for a shared time of seed planting, story telling, and story-making.
Grace Seeds will provide all the resources for seed planting and will provide instructions on how to care for the seeds as they grow into seedlings. We’ll share several children’s books that celebrate care for creation and will offer a list of suggested books for future reading. Children will also have a chance to do some of their own storytelling and story-making, too. A soup lunch, with meat and vegetarian options, will be served. Questions? Contact Grace Seeds Ministry at 773-495-7865 or graceseedsministry@gmail.com
3/22/14 Climate Change: A Faithful Response
9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Presbyterian Church of Western Springs 5250 Wolf Rd., Western Springs
The reality: climate change is happening now. Scientists have shown us the evidence. Gardeners see it happening in their own backyards. With these global climate shifts, come serious economic, political, environmental and social challenges. How can our faith help us to meet these challenges? How can we take what we say we believe and turn those beliefs into a faith-filled response?
Join us on March 22 for a presentation on the impacts of climate change, presented by The Climate Reality Project. After the presentation, we’ll hear from an interfaith panel: highlighting the ways different faith traditions understand our place in God’s creation and our responsibility toward it. We’ll ask how that faith inspires action and we’ll explore some action we can take together to help the planet we call home!
We’ll end with a savory, simple soup lunch and an opportunity to continue sharing and networking at the table! An RSVP isn’t required, but it would be helpful to know if you’re coming – so we have enough soup! To RSVP, please email graceseedsministry@gmail.com or call 773-495-7865. For more information about Grace Seeds Ministry, visit their website: https://graceseedsministry.wordpress.com.
Resource Sheet – Learn more about Climate Change
Resources Suggested by Our Panelists
Pink Oyster Mushroom
4/5/14 Share the Harvest Spring Gathering
Mushroom Magic…and More!
10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
First Presbyterian Church, La Grange
150 S Ashland Ave, La Grange
Come celebrate the beginning of a new season of Share the Harvest by having fun with fungi! We’ll learn the important role fungi play in our ecosystem and we’ll learn how to grow fabulous, delicious, healthy mushrooms! Our guest presenter and teacher for the morning will be Rachel Swenie, who will also lead us in a hands-on opportunity to prepare “spawn” we can take home to get started with our own mushroom growing!
Also included in the morning: opportunities to learn fun ways to recycle your magazines and newspapers and get recipes for eco-friendly personal care/cleaning items!
And…(drum roll)…we’ll be unveiling the new Grace Seeds Ministry logo, created by graphic artist Megan Schreurs! Megan, one of Clarissa’s YAV colleagues here in Chicago, generously donated her artistic gifts to create the logo! Come celebrate our new “look” and stay for a delicious lunch!
A little more about our guest speaker, Rachel Swenie! Rachel created and manages the Plant Chicago mushroom farm, which produces gourmet mushrooms year-round. Rachel is committed to bringing interesting and unique strains of mushrooms to market, as well as educating others on the benefits of mushrooms for their own farms and gardens. The mushroom farm operates with a closed-loop concept: using waste outputs from one process as material inputs for other processes. The farm is located in the innovative building known as The Plant, a closed-loop food business incubator and urban farming model. Plant Chicago is a non-profit committed to promoting The Plant’s model of sustainable economic development and closed-loop food production through research and education. (You’ll find an article about our Feb. field trip to The Plant in this update.)
Grace Seeds Ministry 