The Eighth Annual GIPPY Awards were celebrated in true fashion last week as folks gathered, desserts were enjoyed, thoughtful words shared, and trophies were awarded. Most importantly, everyone was inspired to return to their respective congregation and continue this important work. Many thanks to First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta for hosting us. Fifield Hall was filled with close to 100 faithful stewards of God’s earth. Rabbi Moti Rieber shared stories of success and challenge with his environmental work in Kansas and witnessed to the power of advocacy. The upcycled trophies were taken home by these worthy winners:
Kirkwood United Church of Christ (Atlanta) – Light Award for excellence in worship and education for implementing their denomination’s Mission 4/1 Earth program.
Columbia Theological Seminary (Decatur) – Trailblazer Award for inspiring work with their Eco-Atlanta Explorations Class
All Saints' Episcopal Church (Atlanta) – Trailblazer Award for greening their annual parish picnic and making it fun and sustainable for all generations.
St. Luke's Episcopal Church (Atlanta) – Congregation of the Year for excellence in embracing sustainability in a variety of ministries throughout the church.One significant difference this year was GIPL's Power Award winner. We decided to celebrate the power that one person has to affect change. GIPL honored Myrtle Lewin of Ahavath Achim Synagogue (Atlanta) and dedicated Trees Atlanta volunteer. As a worthy Power Award recipient, Myrtle brought together GIPL & Trees Atlanta to plant trees on MLK Day and organized a Tu B'Shvat Seder as an interfaith gathering to celebrate the Jewish New Year of the Trees.It is our joy to celebrate these faithful stewards of God's good creation and draw attention to their worthy efforts! Future blogs will share each ministry’s award-winning story so stay tuned. Until then, keep on the earth-honoring journey and let us know how GIPL can further support your efforts to care for Creation as a witness to your faith. You can always reach us at
info@gipl.org.
The Eighth Annual GIPPY Awards were celebrated in true fashion last week as folks gathered, desserts were enjoyed, thoughtful words shared, and trophies were awarded. Most importantly, everyone was inspired to return to their respective congregation and continue this important work. Many thanks to First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta for hosting us. Fifield Hall was filled with close to 100 faithful stewards of God’s earth. Rabbi Moti Rieber shared stories of success and challenge with his environmental work in Kansas and witnessed to the power of advocacy. The upcycled trophies were taken home by these worthy winners:Kirkwood United Church of Christ (Atlanta) – Light Award for excellence in worship and education for implementing their denomination’s Mission 4/1 Earth program.Columbia Theological Seminary (Decatur) – Trailblazer Award for inspiring work with their Eco-Atlanta Explorations ClassAll Saints' Episcopal Church (Atlanta) – Trailblazer Award for greening their annual parish picnic and making it fun and sustainable for all generations.St. Luke's Episcopal Church (Atlanta) – Congregation of the Year for excellence in embracing sustainability in a variety of ministries throughout the church.One significant difference this year was GIPL's Power Award winner. We decided to celebrate the power that one person has to affect change. GIPL honored Myrtle Lewin of Ahavath Achim Synagogue (Atlanta) and dedicated Trees Atlanta volunteer. As a worthy Power Award recipient, Myrtle brought together GIPL & Trees Atlanta to plant trees on MLK Day and organized a Tu B'Shvat Seder as an interfaith gathering to celebrate the Jewish New Year of the Trees.It is our joy to celebrate these faithful stewards of God's good creation and draw attention to their worthy efforts! Future blogs will share each ministry’s award-winning story so stay tuned. Until then, keep on the earth-honoring journey and let us know how GIPL can further support your efforts to care for Creation as a witness to your faith. You can always reach us at info@gipl.org.