JULY 2026

See the section “Know Your Ecosystem” below to take the first installment of the St. B’s Native Plant Quiz!

Around 20 parishioners gathered to watch and discuss this very, very sad documentary (available for streaming on Disney+). It traces some of the effects of religious boarding schools for Native American children on generations of families, focusing in particular on one school, a few families, and the truth and reconciliation commission in Canada. A summary of our rich discussion is here, and the handouts with lots of info are here. This event was part of our parish’s ongoing commitment to growing/learning regarding Indigenous peoples.

At the request of friends at St. Ann’s, this Saturday, July 18, at 9:00 am, the Creation Care ministry will host a tour of our buildings and grounds for several local congregations. St. B’s parishioners are welcome to attend! We’ll share with the broader community ways our parish uses less, reuses more, and reduces what we send to the landfill. It’s a crash course on event planning + recycling/composting. Everyone is welcome!

Weed Wrangle plot: light work to tend the plot cleared of invasive species. Contact Jim Pichert.

Waste management: Help prepare materials for congregational education. Take hard-to-recycle materials to collection centers around town. Contact Gretchen

CC research and/or admin tasks: Doable from home (computer/phone) on your flexible schedule, approx. 1-2 hours/week, or as you can. Contact Gretchen.

The Mission of Larkspur Conservation is to preserve and restore land across Tennessee through a revival of natural burial practices that heal the earth and offer sanctuary. St. B’s parishioner Logan Pollock is a Natural Burial Guide and chaplain at Larkspur. Over the years, a few St. B’s parishioners have been buried there. It’s just over an hour from Nashville. For more information on conservation or “green” burial, contact Logan. We hope to take a guided tour of Larkspur this fall - more info to come.

Get to know the St. B’s ecosystem by name. Several native plants are growing and blooming in the original “Weed Wrangle“ plot below the rectory! This is the plot cleared in March 2025 and planted later that year. Can you name them? Take the quiz here! 

When it’s time to plant something or gift a plant to someone else, go native. This useful tool developed by “Homegrown National Park” lets you plug in your zip code to get a list of keystone plants (i.e., best for pollinators) for your region. 

If music helps you connect with God and creation, check out these playlists via Spotify. If you don’t have Spotify and want access to the songs, contact Gretchen.

Worship and Creation

Favorite Creation Care Songs - A Rocha USA Staff Picks

Creation Songs for Kids

And Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried under an oak below Bethel. (Gen. 35:8, an example of conservation burial)

We were made of this earth and for this earth, to care for what God has given. May we go forth to love, protect and serve it, in the name of the One who called all things good. The almighty and merciful God, Source of all being, incarnate Word, and Holy Spirit, bless us and keep us.

Adapted from The Episcopal Church’s “An Order For Compline,” Epiphany 2026

Have questions or suggestions?: We'd love to hear from you! Creation Care Committee Chair Gretchen Abernathy (creationcare@stbs.net); and Fr. Ed Smith, Associate Rector (esmith@stbs.net).

ST. BARTHOLOMEW'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH

4800 Belmont Park Terrace, Nashville TN 37215

stbs.net  •   615.377.4750