First Sunday after Earth Day 2023
April 23, the first Sunday after Earth Day 2023, greeted us with a beautiful morning. Blue sky. Temperatures in the 60s. Wow! COS Parishioners honored the spirit of Earth Day by exercising alternate modes of transportation to worship services.
Experienced bicyclists made the journey on two wheels. Notice the helmets. Thank-you for being safe. Fortunately, automobile traffic was sparse at that time of day. This was not their first two-wheeled adventure to Church of the Servant. Living on the east side of College Road and being able to navigate neighborhood streets makes the journey quite do-able.
At least two parishioners who live in the neighborhood braved the journey on two feet.
The realities of seeking alternate means of traveling to Church of the Servant are daunting. We are a far-flung parish. Some of our members live in Pender County near Hampstead. Others live west of the Cape Fear River in Brunswick County. The idea of bicycling along US 17 is much too exciting for our aging backs and knees. We live in communities designed around the assumption of automobiles, and we take for granted the convenience of driving to church in ones and twos on our own schedules.
The weekly COS announcements did mention the option of carpooling with others who live in our immediate communities. Thinking ahead to Earth Day 2024, perhaps carpooling is a strategy that would help many of us emphasize the importance of tending to God’s creation.
Jerry Hansen
April 25, 2023