Getting outside and re-wilding your theology

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Suggested practices for implementation:

  • Recruit a hike leader to lead a hike for your faith community.
  • Invite a bird or wildflower expert to lead a walk for your faith community.
    • Learn about local species and how you can extend your understanding of the concept of “loving one’s neighbor” to these non-human community members.
  • Plan a congregational picnic on the grounds or at a local park.
    • Enjoy an opportunity to be outside together. Listen to the world and be present. Before you leave, clean up any trash you see (yours or someone else’s!).
  • Schedule and promote a tour of a garden for your faith community.
    • Many of our faith traditions include stories of special gardens. What does spending time in the garden do for your faith? Does this action help you better understand your own faith tradition? 
  • Hold a sacred ritual or water blessing near a body of water (river, stream, lake, waterfall). 
    • We all depend on water, and in many of our traditions, water is a sacred aspect of our faith (think baptism in Christianity and Wudhu in Islam).  Honoring the water as a community is a beautiful way to include creation in our worship and prayer practice. 
  • Host a potluck meal at a community garden after volunteering there. 
    • Give thanks for the soil, all microbes and creatures, that allow us to eat and be nourished. 
  • Organize a litter pick-up along a river, stream, or lake.
    • These actions are vital to protect our health and the health of all God’s creation. 
  • Plan a congregational camping trip in a state park or national forest. 
  • Build an outdoor labyrinth of natural materials and invite others to walk it.
  • Include a time for solo or group prayer and meditation as a part of the hike, making clear the connection between nature and the Divine. 

General Information Related to this Strategy:

Available Resources in Western North Carolina:

Local Faith Communities Currently Utilizing this Strategy: