Author: Renee Boyer

Most of us are aware of the steps we can take to be more eco-friendly, and some of us even do small tasks every day to help keep our Earth clean. However, John McFadden and Heather Bennett partnered up to inspire and equip people of faith to become better stewards of the Earth. Blessed Earth Southeast has been thriving since 2014.

Executive Director, Heather Bennett, has always had a love for creation. It all started when she read “Serve God, Save the Planet” written by Dr. Matthew Sleeth. “I was excited to read something that finally connected the dots for me. I asked my husband Ryan, who is a United Methodist Pastor, to read the book. When I realized Ryan had a meeting in the same town where Dr. Sleeth lived, I asked my husband to try and meet him!” Heather continued about how her husband’s meeting with Matthew Sleeth and his wife set in motion her call to action. “My husband, Ryan, was in luck. The Sleeth’s were hosting a clergy luncheon. Ryan attended the luncheon in hopes it would get me off of his back about reading the book, but when he had a conversation with the Sleeths, he admitted he was very honest with them. He discussed with them that he didn’t really see the connection between his faith and creation care. The Sleeths sent Ryan home with a box of “Serve God, Save the Planet” books. From Genesis to Revelation, what Ryan discovered was a biblical call to care for God’s creation. This was over ten years ago.”

Since then, Ryan Bennett has been a member of the Blessed Earth Board and advisory team, and Heather has written articles for their website. She also received her Masters in Sustainability from Lipscomb University. The Sleeths and Bennetts, to this day, are family friends and loyal ministry partners.

John F. McFadden (PhD) became a part of Blessed Earth, as Senior Fellow, in March of 2019. McFadden has over 35 years of sustainability, conservation, environmental and not-for-profit experience. His background includes community engagement, urban and rural forest restoration, watershed and wetland assessment, restoration and education.

McFadden exhibits a strong love for nature, and his return to his Christian roots are portrayed in all of his work. “They are forever linked together in my life,” explained McFadden. “From a young man playing in the west hills around Nashville, Tennessee, to surviving a massive heart attack when I was 48, I am indebted to God’s creation for life.” The partners passion, drive, and exuberance of what God has called them to do, has earned them an admirable reputation in the community and across the state and country.

Blessed Earth’s mission is to inspire and equip Christians and other people of faith to become better stewards of the Earth. Since it was founded, Blessed Earth has led groups and workshops on Sabbath and creation care retreats, led workshops for church groups and teachers, and even preached sermons. “We will continue working with faith based groups on three initiatives: We encourage houses of faith to preach, teach and practice creation care, and we work with faith groups to help them move toward daily operations that have less negative impact on natural resources and promote healthy behaviors for their members. Also, we are currently working with faith groups across 10-12 states to carry out the largest tree planting in the country.” McFadden went on to explain how Tennessee currently holds the one-day record planting 190,000 trees with 25,000 volunteers. They believe that by working together with other believers across the southeastern United States, that they can plant one million trees, in a day, with over 100,000 volunteers.

“Trees are one of God’s finest works of creation in that they not only provide us with oxygen, food and shelter, but they save us money and make us feel better!”

“We need community members to support the mission with their presence, presents, and actions. Obviously, with our goal to plant one million trees in one day, helping to plant trees is going to be a huge need of ours! Folks can also do the simple things like recycling in the church offices, and using ceramic or paper cups, instead of foam or plastic.”

For more information and tips about how you can help take better care of the earth, or to get involved with Blessed earth, you can check out their website at blessedearthtn.com. if you are interested in coordinating a tree planting, please contact John McFadden at john@blessedearthtn.com. if you have questions or would like to request Blessed earth Tennessee for speaking, workshops, retreats or have other requests, please contact Heather Bennett at heather@blessedearthtn.com.

Covid-19: something everyone in this community, and the world, can relate to. Four months ago, those words meant nothing to any of us, today, we cringe when we hear them.

Lives have been shaken up because of the “Corona Virus,”; health put in jeopardy, schools, graduations, proms gone awry, jobs changed overnight and, in some cases, even lost. When they say “we are all in this together”, they really mean it, because never in our lifetimes have we experienced something so globally, that we can just look at someone else and know exactly what they are feeling, because we are feeling it too. And yet, even during this crisis, it is evident that we are slowly learning to overcome.

“You were forced to adapt overnight and it wasn’t easy at first but we finally did get the hang of it,” notes Tonya Sacci, Lebanon resident and a kindergarten teacher at May Werthan Shayne Elementary School in Nashville, Tennessee. In a matter of days, Tonya and her students were forced into their homes and the school year came to an abrupt halt. It was up to her and many other local teachers and administrators to insure some sort of normalcy not only for the children, but their parents as well. Zoom or on-line learning became the new norm for high schoolers as well as many college students sent home after Spring Break never to return.

“Meeting with students through Zoom is a completely different atmosphere than face to face. My fellow teachers and I have had to find creative ways to adapt to this situation while still providing learning opportunities for the children. Many kids did not have access to Wi-Fi or a computer, so one thing I did was is mail different educational worksheets to the kids to have options to continue their learning. Although this has been an adjustment, I believe the new techniques and skills we have picked up will be beneficial to us in the future when we make it back to the classrooms. I speak for myself and other teachers, we miss our students and pray everyone is staying healthy!”

Not only has the teaching profession changed in the blink of an eye, but others like doctors, nurses, and grocery store workers, have become known as the warriors on the front lines. From long lines at the grocery stores that led to many citizens working double shifts, to nurses and doctors setting up, almost overnight, COVID testing facilities, these folks truly stepped up in our time of need. Fear gripped the nation and most of us were shuttered within the safety of our homes, and yet, those on the frontlines kept it all together for the rest of us. For that, the words, thank-you, will never be enough.

Small businesses, restaurants, banks, lawyers, and the courts had to find alternatives in order to continue to stay in contact with their clients and to continue to be of service. Many restaurants began curbside pickup and even delivery. Boutiques and shops transitioned to online orders as well. Judges and lawyers started having hearings online or by phone. Attorney, Ashley Jackson, a Wilson County resident and mother of four small children, found herself in many hearings where her client was at home on one computer screen, the Judge was at the courthouse on his computer screen and she was in her office looking into her screen as well – all for one hearing that used to take place in the courtroom. “Yes, it was different and at first, we all didn’t know how to make it work, uploading documents, sharing screens, muting participants but justice can’t stop just because there are stay at home orders. We had children who weren’t seeing their parents and clients in jail so, together, we just figured it out. And now, it’s almost seamless. All the attorneys and Judges are participating in Zoom hearings and have become quite the experts in technology. I can see the future of law changing for the better because of what we’ve been through.”

And in times of crisis, the one place a community can always turn to is their church and sadly, many of those had to be shuttered like the courtrooms. Pastor, Randy Cook, of Crossroads Community Church experienced first-hand the loss felt throughout the world. “Everyone is struggling with a lack of fellowship. People who were previously battling addictions, mental health and their faith now have lost encouragement they found by physically being in the church. We can’t let people believe the lie that we can hide ourselves and our hardships in the darkness. We all need to be surrounded by light and reminded that we are still connected and never alone, even in these trying times.”, stated Cook.

Cook went on to note that the church has been impacted in three major ways, “physically we have been affected by

not being able to gather, logistically by adapting and learning to connect with people outside of the church in new ways, and spiritually by not being able to fellowship and grow our relationship with the Lord in the ways we have in the past.” He added however, “we have been working together to be a resource for those in need. We just finished a 2-week food drive and have received many forms of donations that will all be available for people in need. Our members have also been reaching out through phone calls, personal cards, and grocery shopping for those at high risk Regardless of where you were in relation to technology, it was a major disruption, for some smaller churches, like Crossroads, more so than others. We decided not to do Sunday morning services to keep from overloading all the other churches who gather virtually at the time. Also, we understand that for some, it is hard to sit and stay engaged in an hour-long online service. We decided to meet through Facebook and Instagram briefly every afternoon (Mon-Fri) at 4:30, which we call Connection Point. We simply encourage people to spend 5 minutes surrounded by others of faith to replenish and give hope during these times.”

When asked if Cook had any words of encouragement as we are now slowly recovering, he added that  “we strongly encourage those losing their jobs or having hours cut to continue to reach out to people and places of faith. Although we can’t solve all their needs, we can help them in many different areas. People want to help! Don’t make the mistake of shrinking back into isolation. It’s an easy thing to do, but it is toxic. We were created to be in community, so be proactive and continue to make connections in any way possible. When all of this is over, what will you come out of this with? Let this be a season of introspection. Don’t let this time go to waste. Emerge from this full of growth in your faith in God!”

Covid-19. Words we will never forget, but one day we hope when we hear these words, we will remember a time that as humans, we grew stronger because of it.

Wilson Manor reflects the decades of experience that Inspirit brings to the vocation of caring for seniors. Formerly known as Southern Manor, Wilson Manor is operated by the same friendly and welcoming faces as before. Southern Manor has been in business since 1998, and it came under new ownership in 2019, by Inspirit. The new owners put endless time and effort into choosing a company that already had the same values and care as they did. Continue reading “WILSON MANOR NEW OWNERSHIP – SAME VALUES”