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Have you ever heard of the Palm Project of the Americas? It is an attempt to use environmentally friendly palms for Palm Sunday. One of our readers passed on an article in the March 2006 issue of The Lutheran about the Palm Project of the Americas. The North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation and the University of Minnesota Center for Integrated Natural Resources and Agricultural Management are working together with the Rainforest Alliance TREES program, Smartwood and TransFair to certify palms harvested from the forests of Mexico and Guatemala for sale to Christian congregations in the United States and Europe. Go to for more information.

Christina Berry, pastor of Faith Presbyterian Church in Silver Lake, Minnesota, shares this environmentally responsible idea for the beginning of Holy Week: Try making a Lenten tree. Cut out a tree shape with bare branches, using brown paper. It can be as large as you wish, depending on the wall space you have available. Place it on a wall using secure tape or on a cork board in a central area of the church building. Be sure that it is placed where everyone can reach it. Draw a vertical line down the middle of the trunk. On one side of the line write the word “Growing” in large letters. On the other side of the line write “Letting Go.” Cut out paper leaves for the tree. Make some leaves autumn colors — orange, yellow and brown, and some leaves green colors. Place the paper leaves and some markers in baskets near the tree. Invite people to write on the leaves and attach them to the tree. Use tape or push-pins as appropriate to add the leaves to the tree. Put up instructions like these:

On the “Growing” side, add the green leaves. These leaves represent the habits that we want to grow or improve during Lent. Write the habits or actions that you would like to grow during the Lenten season on these leaves and add them to the tree.

On the “Letting Go” side, add the autumn-colored leaves. These leaves represent the habits that we want to let go of during Lent. Write the habits or actions that you would like to stop doing on these leaves and add them to the tree.

As leaves are added to the tree, stop and look at the “Growing” and the “Letting Go” leaves. Pray for those who have added leaves that they may be strengthened in the habits they wish to grow and that they will have the courage and perseverance to let go of the habits they wish to let go of.

Submitted by
Christina Berry, pastor, Faith Presbyterian Church
Silver Lake, Minnesota.