Helen Deffenbacher

I am Co-Chair of our Green Sanctuary Program at First Unitarian Church of Omaha. If you are not familiar with our church, we are located at 3114 Harney Street.

Our building, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, is in the Colonial Revival style typical of eighteenth-century New England houses of worship—the region where Unitarianism originated. It was designed by John and Alan McDonald, who were the architects for another building in Omaha with which everyone is familiar—Joslyn Art Museum.

Our Green Sanctuary Committee is interested in learning about other places of worship in the greater Omaha area that have earth ministry programs. We are also interested in the possibility of sharing resources such as documentaries and books as well as co-sponsoring interfaith forums on green issues.

If your congregation does not yet have an earth ministry program but has been considering creating one, the Pluralism Project at Harvard University is a great source of information. It provides links to many interfaith environmental organizations. You can also simply google “earth ministry” and your denomination to find out whether other communities of your faith have earth ministry programs.

I would be happy to answer any questions you might have about our Green Sanctuary Program. We are just getting started and so we would welcome your suggestions and ideas.

Mary Bamesberger, who is also a member of the Green Neighborhood Council, is Chair of the Green Sanctuary Committee at Second Unitarian Church of Omaha, which is on 3012 S 119th Street. Our two churches are collaborating on a number of green issues and would welcome opportunities for working with other places of worship.