Scranton Road Bible Church Begins Work on Sacred Grounds

On a considerably cloudy Spring afternoon, a team of forward-thinking community members gathered at Scranton Road Bible Church to discuss cultivating seeds of change.

The church, led by Senior Pastor Mark Pratt, is one of the latest local grantees of the National Wildlife Federation’s Sacred Grounds program. The initiative, now in its fourth year in Cleveland, works with houses of worship and other communities of faith to forge bonds between people and nature, contributing to healthier, more resilient communities.

Sacred Grounds, and its partner organizations including Journey On Yonder! "JOY," the Greater Cleveland Interfaith Alliance, and the Cuyahoga Soil & Water Conservation District, work together to create native plant gardens and wildlife habitats.

Healthy communities for people require healthy environments for pollinators, including bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. “The beautiful thing about Sacred Grounds is really the co-benefits for people, wildlife, and the environment,” said Ciera Rawson, the Cleveland based Community Engagement Coordinator for the National Wildlife Federation.

“The program is really designed as a catalyst for faith communities to excite their members around our relatively small Sacred Grounds projects and then utilize that momentum to deepen and expand earth stewardship activities, education, and programming,” said Rawson.

The church hopes to solve some practical problems as well, such as water coming into the building when it rains. “My hope is not to just push the water out, but to actually use it and not let it come back in the building either,” said Pastor Mark.

“The big picture is that I want us to do better as a church, in terms of the way we care about the creation that’s around us. We have a lot of water that is coming off this building, and a lot of green land that isn’t being used, other than for grass.”

I’m definitely not an expert at this, but if we can do better, I want to do better,” explained Pastor Mark. “My hope is that we can make easy first strides… use our space better, more efficiently and productively, other than being just a flat piece of greenspace.”

The pollinator garden, planted with the help of Sacred Grounds, is one step towards achieving a healthier community, and a healthier ecosystem. “Small changes will have a larger impact on the environment itself,” said Amy Roskilly, Conservation Education & Communications Manager for the Cuyahoga Soil & Water Conservation District. “We don’t want this relationship to be one and done, we’re here to help educate people in the congregation and in the community about how important this stuff really is.”

“Grass is basically green concrete,” says Roskilly. She is the point person for figuring out what to plant and where, and making sure the soil is in the best position to receive plants. Soil samples from around the church will be sent to Penn State University for an analysis of organic matter and basic nutrients.

Soil testing is a critical step in the process. It helps determine which plants will thrive and if any soil amendments or fertilizer would be needed to optimize successful growing conditions. Too much fertilizer can be harmful for the environment.

Over fertilization, pesticides, oil and gas from leaky cars, dog waste, litter, sediment, soil running off sites, or erosion - all contribute to storm water pollution. “When it rains or snow melts, it takes with it all the pollutants on the ground down into the storm drain, out to waterways, completely untreated," said Roskilly. “Our job is to teach people what they can do on the land to better protect not only the land but the water.”

Native plants typically have longer root systems that act as natural filters, trapping pollutants and reducing the amount of stormwater runoff. In addition, native plants are essential to supporting ecosystem balance and play an important role in supporting biodiversity.

“Planting native species not only restores necessary habitat for pollinators but cleans the soil, water, and air for the benefit of all,” said Rawson. “All of this is multiplied every time a new project is installed through this program or outside of it - truly the more the merrier!”

The National Wildlife Federation has over 100 participating houses of worship across Michigan, and Ohio, with 23 right here in Cleveland.

Learn more at www.nwf.org/sacredgrounds.