In November, 2021, First Mennonite Church in Indianapolis, Indiana, planted 55 trees on church property. Led by the congregation's Creation Care Crew, the project transformed a piece of the lawn to wildlife habitat that will better capture carbon dioxide, beautify the property, and help reduce standing storm water in the neighborhood. 

Steve Thomas, U.S. coordinator of Mennonite Men and certified arborist, provided some initial guidance on this project. The crew of 28 volunteers planted primarily native trees with the addition of some non-native fruit-bearing trees, the produce of which can be used or shared by congregation members. A portion of the trees planted will line the future path toward a memorial garden, which is the next phase in the congregation's property update plan.

To date, over 33,500 trees have been planted through the JoinTrees campaign. To learn more about JoinTrees and how you and your community can get involved, visit www.mennonitemen.org/jointrees.