CARING FOR CREATION

O Lord, how manifold are your works!
in wisdom you have made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures. (Psalm 104:25)

CREATION CARE AT CHURCH OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

We have a growing team who are working on a series of projects to better manage and utilize Church of the Holy Spirit’s expansive and beautiful property. Our 30 acres include a bird sanctuary and butterfly garden; we have documented over 86 species of flora and fauna on our property through our iNaturalist Project!

Our goals for Church of the Holy Spirit’s property include:

  • Invasive species management and replanting with native species

  • Maintenance and accessibility of walking trails

  • Education and community conservation partnerships

  • Tree plantings to address damage from the emerald ash borer

    Get involved with our efforts by participating in our iNaturalist Project, explore our property, and look out for more information as we move forward with these projects.

RAIN GARDEN PROJECT

Part of our building project includes planting a rain garden! A rain garden has many benefits including:

  • Cleaning stormwater before it reaches our waterways

  • Storing water to prevent flooding

  • Attracting beneficial insects that support the health of the ecosystem

if you would like to learn more:
Perkiomen Watershed Conservancy
Rain Gardens

BIRD SANCTUARY

Church of the Holy Spirit provides sanctuary and opportunities to those in need. We don’t often think of birds having needs but just like people, they need safe places for shelter and provisions of food for nourishment. Around our property, there are nesting boxes and bird feeders. Volunteers care for the birds by feeding them and cleaning out the nests. In doing so, we are carrying out part of God’s work in the world.

“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow nor reap nor store away in barns yet your heavenly Father feeds them.” – Matthew 6:26

BUTTERFLY GARDEN

Church of the Holy Spirit hosts many types of visitors. We encourage the visitation of winged angels and butterflies. Yes, we take a portion of our open meadows and plant specific flower varieties which encourage butterflies to alight on their colorful petals. Volunteers prep the meadow area and plant the seeds. God does the rest! We have hosted a butterfly release of monarchs as they continue on their journey of migration. Come see God’s creation in colors of a flower and the wings of a butterfly.

CITIZEN SCIENCE AT COHS

COHS has a large and environmentally diverse property, but what organisms are living on the property? COHS has started a citizen science project to find out!

Project Goal

  • Explore our church property. Church of the Holy Spirit has nearly 30 acres of land and about a mile of trails to explore.

  • Inventory and learn about the plants and animals living on the property.

How to Get Involved

Download the iNaturalist App and join the “COHS Bird Sanctuary and Grounds” project.

  • Take photographs of organisms you find on the church property.

  • Upload your photographs to the app and add your observation to our project.

  • No smartphone? Upload photographs to the iNaturalist website and type COHS into the search, or visit our project page to follow along. You can also access these links via our website under the “home” tab and click on “our grounds”.