Second Presbyterian Church of Little Rock, Ark., has been named “C3 Church of the Year” for 2023 by the Christians Caring for Creation board of directors.
Caring for creation has been a longtime emphasis at Second Presbyterian, going back to the 1970s when the congregation began cleaning the streets of Little Rock. As time moved on, Second Presbyterian began removing Styrofoam products from the church and purchasing ethically sourced West Rock coffee. In 2009, the church was selected to pilot the Earth Care Congregations program of the Presbyterian Church (USA). They have continued to be certified each successive year as an Earth Care Congregation.
In 2014, the church was given the Faithful Friend Award by Arkansas Interfaith Power and Light.
Years later, Second Presbyterian hosted a groundbreaking Drawdown Conference featuring Katharine Wilkerson, senior writer of the New York Times bestselling book Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan to Reverse Global Warming. Every aspect of the conference used recycled materials, locally sourced vegetarian food, durable plates, tablecloths and glasses. For this and other creation care efforts, they were given the Restoring Creation Award in 2020 by Presbyterians for Earth Care.
In 2019, Second Presbyterian installed 81 solar panels, producing almost 40,000 kilowatts of power annually. The same year, they became the first church in Arkansas to install electric vehicle charging stations in a church parking lot, funded in part by a grant from Arkansas Interfaith Power and Light. These charging stations provide energy to electric vehicles at no cost, fulfilling a ministry dream of the congregation.
A pollinator garden was installed on the church’s property in 2021, serving as an example for members and community to install pollinators at their homes. In 2024, all sanctuary lighting will be replaced with a more efficient lighting system, utilizing on-demand lights to save energy. Additionally, water bottle filling stations will be installed to promote reusable water bottles. An Earth Day worship service will be held in April 2024, followed later in the spring with an electric car promotional event.
Ben Kane serves as senior pastor of Second Presbyterian Church.
C3-Christians Caring for Creation is an ecumenical nonprofit that encourages Christians and churches to love God and neighbor by loving all creation. Founded in 2020, C3 produces biweekly podcasts, hosts annual conferences and provides sermons, Bible studies and VBS curriculum to promote caring for God’s creation. You can learn more at christianscaringforcreation.org.