Celebrate Earth Day with Elmhurst UCC churches April 25

Bethel and the First Congregational United Church of Christs in Elmhurst will be celebrating Earth Day with a joint service on Sunday, April 25, at 10 a.m.

The entire community is invited to attend.

The service will be held outside (weather permitting) at the First Congregational Church at 235 S. Kenilworth, Elmhurst.

Bring your own lawn chair and wear a mask. Dogs on a leash are also welcome to the outdoor event.

In honor of Earth Day, the service will be led by the Rev. Cyndy Ash.

In addition to being an ordained minister, Ash is the owner and operator of Jubilee Farms. The farm, located south of Clinton, Illinois on five acres of rolling hillside, was started in 2014. It works with church congregations to provide both those with financial means and those without, with locally grown produce, farmed sustainably without pesticides or synthetic fertilizers.

The farm also serves as a gathering place for the wider church community to serve, learn and build community. Individuals and families can buy shares in the farm's CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) to support the farm and in return receive a weekly share of the harvest.

Supporting local agriculture allows you to know exactly where and how your food is grown, to be exposed to different types of produce and to eat in harmony with the local season.

CSA shares can also be purchased to provide fresh, locally grown produce to a family who could not otherwise afford it.

"In a nutshell, the vision of Jubilee Farms is to be a church without walls which lives out its mission every day in a very real, tangible way,"the pastor said.

For more about the farm and to donate, see the farm's website, jubileefarmsclinton.com.

For additional information about the joint Earth Day Celebration, see the churchs' websites: elmhurstucc.org or www.bethel-ucc.org.