French River Lutheran is one of two congregations of the NE MN Synod in 2021 who applied for and received a seed grant from the EcoFaith Fund. The EcoFaith grant program equips congregations to fulfill God’s call to be stewards of the earth for the sake of the whole creation by providing seed money for specific ministry initiatives. Your donations to the EcoFaith Fund make these micro-grants and other initiatives of the EcoFaith Network possible.

The French River Lutheran Church congregation, on the shore of Lake Superior between Duluth and Two Harbors, Minnesota, is seeing with new light! The church will utilize energy-efficient alternatives to meet needed infrastructure upgrades. LED bulbs will replace old lighting throughout the church, including the larger bulbs needed to light the sanctuary. Over time, the church will benefit from lower electricity costs, freeing up money for ministry. Of course, the new lighting will benefit God's larger sanctuary outside the doors of the church building by reducing our carbon footprint. The recent re-roofing of the church also allowed French River Lutheran to install insulation on the roof where previously there was none. Other environmentally beneficial things have and are happening at the church. Several Boy Scouts from the troop hosted by FRLC have done their Eagle Scout projects on church grounds, including the installation of bat houses and a rain garden that holds the runoff coming off the church roof.

Additional spaces for rain gardens have been designed into a new parking area and are awaiting their new vegetation. A majestic, old-growth cedar forest on church property borders the French River, and a nature trail, created by Eagle Scouts, provides joy to nature lovers. Another new facet of eco-activity at FRLC is hosting an outdoor/nature-oriented pre-school run by recent Environmental Education college graduates. The church also participates in traditional eco-friendly practices, such as utilizing non-disposable coffee cups, recycling paper, and composting coffee grounds.

Part of the Synod EcoFaith Network grant will fund educational signage, inside and outside the church. We want members and visitors to know that the church uses LED lighting to share this aspect of our stewardship, and outdoor signage may be placed near the rain gardens to educate about how this practice helps preserve the water quality in our lakes and streams. The old-growth forest composed of white cedar is a rare forest type native to Northern Minnesota. French River Lutheran may place another sign near the trail to explain the particularities of this unique forest type and the ecological benefits of forest cover in general.

French River Lutheran is blessed!

Our location on the mouth of the French River is exquisitely beautiful. And, when we fulfill our calling as God's faithful stewards by making God's building more eco-friendly and protecting the beautiful river, forest, and lake God has entrusted to our care, we show by our actions that we don't take this blessing for granted.

We want to thank the Northeastern Minnesota Synod EcoFaith Network for the grant and challenging French River Lutheran Stewards to share what we are doing to inspire others to see the light and converted.