To honor 100 years of the formation of the United Church in Canada, the ‘Green Team’ of St. Andrews United Church of Lacombe, Alberta wanted to plant 100+ trees, shrubs and grasses. 

St. Andrews is a church where their ‘faith is practice’. In their mission statement they outrightly say that faith is a process of learning and growth and they are committed to living that out in their respect for the earth and God’s creation. Furthermore, they live in respect for First Nations, Metis’ people, and all other persons. 

They believe that one must reconcile themselves with the earth before you can reconcile yourself with the Indigenous people of the earth. This means that taking care of the earth is an ongoing exercise of learning and practicing. Regenerating a section of land is an outward display of respect for the land and a way to practice respect for those who were there before us. 

St. Andrews United Church is a faith body that carries a real concern for climate change and how it is connected with societal issues, lifestyle and economics. The ‘Green Team’ of St Andrews believe that small acts of planting trees and land regeneration can be part of the healing of the land and reverse the effects of climate change.’

I intersected with the ‘Green Team’ after a conversation with a neighbour. The understanding that we must respect the land and treat our creation with utmost care resonated with me. Naturally I wanted to hear more about this Woodland Sanctuary project, so I got involved. The reason I became a Climate Witness Project regional coordinator was to initiate action in these kinds of creation caring activities. I was excited that other people in my community were into land regeneration and thought the same way I did about creation care. So I joined the ‘Green Team’. 

The ‘Green Team’ decided that the best place to practice respect for the land was within the city of Lacombe. This led them to a piece of city land that was open and manicured and seldom used. In agreement with the Lacombe City Council they made a plan to return this 1.7 acre piece of land, to aspen parkland. They did this with the help of native trees, shrubs and grasses. 

The desire of the team was to create a place of healing and hope, with a wandering path, in a sanctuary that can also be a learning space - to observe and appreciate the wonders of nature- for people of all ages. Another important directive was to bring the land back to its original state by generating an ecosystem that attracts birds, bugs and other animals. Thus began the learning of what the original state was. 

Aspen parkland is a transitional biome of prairie grassland and boreal forest. Most of this area at the present time is farmland, but in its native state, the landscape was characterized by trembling aspen, oak groves, mixed tall shrubs, and intermittent fescue grasslands. So now how can we recreate this in a small 1.7 acres plot? 

The planning for this project was big and involved many steps. Living Lands Landscape and Design played a valuable role in this. Their purpose is to co-create green spaces to support biodiversity and preserve environmental integrity. In planning this it was important to choose native species that will attract birds, be pollinators, be drought resistant plants, and plants that will survive for many years to come.

After much planning, dates were set to plant all the trees, shrubs and grasses. This was done over two weekends in early June of 2025. There were a whopping 175 volunteers who came to help plant the trees and shrubs.  

The vision and mission of St. Andrews states that a priority is to nurture the faith community to be involved in the greater community of Lacombe. The many volunteers is a testament to the welcoming and open kind of community that St. Andrews is and how they are living out their vision and mission.

The greater city of Lacombe and the City Council were very supportive of this project and very much involved. An agreement was made with the parks department of the City of Lacombe to care for the sanctuary over the summer months; to make sure the plants were well watered and the paths were mowed. Weeding and general cleaning (inserting snags, rocks and stumps to invite biodiversity) are on-going activities.

This initiative has been well received by the community members in Lacombe, Alberta. There is excitement as this plant life matures and as pollinators and bird life discover this revitalized green space. The underutilized piece of land is now on its way to be used by many as a respected space for continued life of many. This project is a great example of faith and practice.