As part of the congregation's efforts to improve water quality, expand pollinator and wildlife habitat, and address climate change, members of Landisville Mennonite Church invited volunteers to join them as they converted 3.65 acres from farmland into forest and meadow. On Nov. 6, over 80 volunteers planted meadow seed on 1.25 acres, and the following Saturday, Nov. 13, over 100 volunteers planted 640 tree seedlings on 2.4 acres.

"We wanted to do this as part of our commitment to caring for God's creation, both now and for future generations," said Brenda Horst, a member of Landisville Mennonite Church who helped organize the project, "but we couldn't have done it alone. We really relied on the expertise of Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay and volunteers from the community to get this done."

Ryan Davis, Pennsylvania forest projects manager at Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, worked closely with the church by advising the congregation on what native species - both meadow plants and trees - were best for the property as well as how and when to plant them. Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay will continue to advise the church on maintenance for the next five years.

"The seeding and tree planting days were just the very beginning of the process," explained Davis. "We can expect the meadow to begin benefiting pollinators and other wildlife next spring as the vegetative diversity there skyrockets relative to when it was a crop field. Rain infiltration will improve by the second year, and we will begin to sequester carbon in the soil within just a few years."

Christopher Fretz, a member of Landisville Mennonite Church who helped organize the project, mentioned that after everything has grown, the church would like to build a circular path around the meadow and install a bench or two where people can meditate and pray.

"I really like that (the project) brought together different generations of people and different groups of people," commented Fretz. "We were all focused on something really concrete and practical to make the land more sustainable so it can be an ecosystem for insects and animals and plants that will give life for future generations."

In addition to the support from Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, Landisville Mennonite received a grant from Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake for the meadow seed. Mennonite Men, the men's organization for Mennonite Church USA, also gave a grant for the tree seedlings as part of JoinTrees, which is Mennonite Men's campaign to plant 1 million trees by the year 2030.

Other organizations that participated in the planting were local Boy Scout troops, Elizabethtown College, Franklin & Marshall College, Hempfield High School (HHS) Anchor Club, HHS National Honor Society, Hope United Methodist Church, Lancaster Conservancy, Akron Mennonite Church, Blossom Hill Mennonite Church, Community Mennonite Church of Lancaster, East Chestnut Street Mennonite Church, Laurel Street Mennonite Church, New Holland Mennonite Church, and Red Run Mennonite Church.

To learn more about Landisville Mennonite Church, which is located at 3320 Bowman Road, Landisville, visit http://www.landisvillemennonite.org.