As the weather warms, students begin migrating outside, hammocks reappear, spikeball nets reclaim lawns, and tolfers wreak havoc. This week, that time outside comes with intention.
The Stewards of Creation club is hosting its annual Earth Week, a series of events designed not just to get students outside but to help them rethink how they engage with the world around them.
“Our mission is to cultivate a right relationship with creation at Taylor,” Talli Frame, a sophomore sustainable development major and president of the club, said. “So we do events related to environmental advocacy, but also just for people who enjoy being outside.”
The balance between action and enjoyment, faith and environment, is at the heart of the club. What began as a smaller, less active group has grown into a community deeply invested in both creation care and campus engagement.
Senior communication major Von Herring, current vice president and former president, has a deep investment in this club. During her freshman year, along with her friend and recent graduate Joshua Groeling, she plugged in and became an active part of rebuilding the club by changing how things work and affecting the dynamic.
“We really wanted to push the idea that creation care is important and that it’s something Christians have always been called to care about,” Herring said.
Earth Week reflects that vision. Throughout the week, students can participate in a range of events, from a wilderness picnic and nature walk to recycled-craft nights and sidewalk-chalk gatherings. For those looking to get their hands dirty, opportunities like highway trash pickup and invasive species removal offer tangible ways to serve.
Herring expressed the desire to make this week both fun and impactful: not just getting together but actually doing things that show service and leadership for creation.
Other events aim to reach beyond campus. The club is partnering with Indiana Wesleyan University to host a sustainability table at an Earth Day fair in Marion and to host a plant sale with a creation care focus.
Still, one of the most anticipated events of the week is something simpler: a worship night by Taylor Lake.
“It’s focused on praising God for the beauty of creation,” Frame said. “Not worshiping creation itself, but giving glory to the Creator.”
For many members, that distinction is key. The club emphasizes caring for the earth is not separate from faith, but deeply rooted in it.
“To tend the garden is one of the oldest commands God gave us,” Sophie Peshek, sophomore environmental science major and a member of the club, said. “I think we’ve forgotten that sometimes. This is a way to actually do something. To make a tangible difference you can touch with your hands.”
That emphasis on action is echoed by Hunter Mason, junior sustainable development major, who sees Earth Week as both meaningful and accessible.
“It’s a way to worship God and practice obedience to His command to care for creation,” Mason said. “But it’s also just fun. It’s a chance to be outside, to be with people, and to do something good.”
Ultimately, Earth Week is about more than a schedule of events. It’s an invitation: to step outside, to pay attention, and to recognize God’s creation as more than just a backdrop to daily life.
As spring settles in, Stewards of Creation is offering students a chance not just to enjoy the season, but to engage with it: intentionally, communally, and with care.
“Even if you’re not super passionate about it,” Peshek said, “just come hang out with friends. You might find it more inspiring than you think.”
