Have you considered being more hospitable to all God’s creatures? Here are a few ways you (alone or with your faith community) can nurture hospitality toward creation.
—Host a “Critter I.D.” contest to see how many animals, plants, birds, or bugs participants can name during a specific time period in their own backyard or on church grounds. Take photos, draw pictures, or write a list on index cards.
—Organize a volunteer day at your local zoo
—Invite a wildlife rehabilitation group to make a presentation or demonstration about their work.
—Create posters or photo collections that illustrate care and kindness toward creation or its creatures.
—Sponsor a birdhouse/bat house building session. Learn about how bats are our allies and about bat houses at batcon.org.
—Develop a natural habitat area or garden on your church grounds.
Have fun and take joy in the world around you!
This message was adapted from “Creature Kindness” written by Kim Winchell that first appeared in the April 2010 issue of Lutheran Woman Today (now Gather) magazine.