Sacred Grounds Project
The Sacred Grounds Project brings together pastors and lay leaders to transform the church grounds we love and the congregations who love them into Ecologies of Grace that heal creation and encounter Christ.
You are invited to join other congregational leaders in a pilot program led by Eric Howell. We will take a close look at our church’s grounds, consider these special places in the context of social, theological, and environmental challenges, engage thoughtfully with biblical and theological creation care resources, and plan for initiatives in our own contexts and capacities.
We will meet once/month on zoom from September - February. Reflections and initiatives that arise from The Sacred Grounds Project will be featured at the CBF Texas Spring Gathering in April 2026!
Tentative Dates, all meetings at 7 pm CT
September 2 See: Take a Close Look
October 7 Consider: The Big Picture(s) in the World
November 4 Contemplate: Meeting God, Even at Church
December 9 Imitate: Toward Becoming Geographies of Hope
February 3 Look Again: New Eyes for Ecologies of Grace
Spring Possible SGP retreat
April 17-18 CBF Texas Spring Gathering
Eric Howell is Pastor of DaySpring Baptist Church in Waco, Texas, where he has served since 2008. Prior to DaySpring, Eric pastored congregations in Virginia and North Carolina and served with CBF’s Open House Ministries in Homestead, Florida.
Eric is a graduate of Texas A&M University with a degree in industrial engineering, Duke Divinity School with the Master of Divinity degree, and Oblate School of Theology with the Doctor of Ministry degree in Christian Spirituality. The focus of Eric’s research at Oblate was the intersection of the spirituality of St. Francis, Baptist life, and care for creation.
Eric is the author of Under the Francis Tree: A Practical Theology of the Church’s Grounds in the 21st Century (Smyth & Helwys, 2025). Eric teaches Creation Care and Spiritual Practice in the Theology, Ecology, and Food Justice Program at Truett Theological Seminary. He also serves on the CBF Missions Council. He and his wife, Jenny, lead pilgrimage trips to Assisi, Italy. The next journey is June 2026.