Check back each week for a new installment of how Emmanuel is making a conscious decision to care for God’s creation
Green Faith: How Emmanuel is Making a Difference – Accessibility & hospitality
As part of our ongoing effort to make our campus as accessible and welcoming as possible, we’ve recently completed several improvements:
- All handicap-accessible restroom stalls have been upgraded with comfort-height toilets.
- Our water fountains are ADA-compliant and now include convenient bottle fillers.
- Handicap parking signage has been replaced to ensure clear visibility and readability.
- We are currently working on landscaping improvements to make one of the front parking spaces near the sanctuary more accessible.
In addition, we’ve updated all campus “wayfinding” signage to better help visitors navigate and find the appropriate entrances. All doors are clearly labeled with letters, making it easier to direct guests to specific locations.
These updates are part of our continued commitment to accessibility and hospitality for everyone who visits Emmanuel.
Green Faith: How Emmanuel is Making a Difference – Coffee & water Cups
In an effort to be good stewards of both our finances and God’s creation, we’ve made a few simple changes around the church.
Over the past few months, we have been encouraging our Sunday coffee drinkers to use the reusable cups provided by the church or to bring a favorite cup from home. This small shift helps us reduce the cost of purchasing disposable cups while also cutting down on waste—especially Styrofoam, which is harmful to the environment.
In addition, we have replaced the old, leaky water fountains with new filtered fountains that include convenient bottle-filling stations. You are encouraged to bring a reusable water bottle from home and enjoy fresh, cool, filtered water during your time at church.
Thank you for helping us care for our resources.
Green Faith: How Emmanuel is Making a Difference -iris garden on campus
The West Tennessee Iris Society, who has established the beautiful iris gardens in our lower parking lot, will be hosting their annual Iris Show this Saturday from 1:00–4:00 PM in the Fellowship Hall. Come and see the best of the best!
The garden is really beginning to come into full bloom, so it’s a perfect time to enjoy the wonderful variety of irises they have so thoughtfully labeled and cared for.
In addition, the Society will soon be expanding the garden to feature water-loving and bog irises, including some unique crossbred varieties.
We are grateful to the Iris Society for making such wonderful use of our property and bringing so much beauty to our community. We hope you’ll stop by and enjoy it!
Green Faith: How Emmanuel is Making a Difference – planting trees
We are blessed to have several dedicated stewards who care for our church grounds, and David Ruff is one of those faithful individuals making a real difference! David works hard to remove dead trees and unsafe limbs, helping keep our space safe and welcoming for everyone who visits.
But his work doesn’t stop there—he also plants new trees, ensuring that our grounds remain vibrant, beautiful, and full of life for generations to come. Planting trees is more than just landscaping; it’s an investment in God’s creation. Trees provide shade, improve air quality, support wildlife, and create peaceful spaces where people can gather, reflect, and connect.
By replacing what is lost with new growth, David helps us practice good stewardship of the land we’ve been given. His efforts remind us that caring for creation is an ongoing responsibility—one that requires both hard work and hope for the future.
We are grateful for David and all who help nurture and sustain the beauty around us! 🌳
Green Faith: How Emmanuel is Making a Difference – recycling
At Emmanuel, we do our best to recycle—but it hasn’t always been easy. Since there aren’t many convenient recycling options for organizations, we’ve relied on the kindness of members to take bags of paper, bottles, cans, and cardboard home for recycling.
Recently, some of those members have moved and no longer have access to recycling bins. We’d love your help!
Would you be willing to take one bag home each week to recycle? If so, please let the church office know—we’ll provide simple instructions. 754-6548
Thank you for helping us care for our community and our environment!
Green Faith: How Emmanuel is Making a Difference – led lighting everywhere
This is the first in a series of articles highlighting how Emmanuel is making a conscious decision to care for God’s creation.
Did you know that LED lighting offers many benefits? It has a long lifespan, is one of the most energy-efficient sources of light, contains no toxic chemicals, produces zero UV emissions, and operates at a lower voltage—helping reduce utility costs.
As part of our commitment to environmental stewardship, Emmanuel has taken several steps to transition to LED lighting. When we built our new addition four years ago, we installed LED lighting throughout the space. Last year, we upgraded all the lighting in the Sanctuary to LED as well. We even upgraded all parking lot lighting with LED!
This year, we completed another major project (with the help of a dozen of so of our own Emmanuel Men as labor!) by replacing all fluorescent lighting in the educational wing, offices, hallways, and EUMK classrooms with 290 LED retrofit kits.
We are grateful for the support we received for this effort. The Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference awarded us a $500 grant, and we also received an $8,030 grant from TVA.
Over time, we hope these improvements will lead to a measurable decrease in our kilowatt usage as we continue to care for both our church home and God’s creation.
