Thousands of seedlings find new homes each year through Tennessee Tree Day, a statewide initiative organized by the Tennessee Environmental Council that provides native trees to residents at a small cost. Designed to promote conservation, reforestation, and environmental stewardship, the annual event equips communities to plant and care for trees that will benefit generations to come. At First United Methodist Church in Murfreesboro, this effort has become more than a distribution site. It has become a ministry of stewardship, service, and community connection. This will be the third year that church volunteers of all ages work side by side for several hours to package and hand out over 500 tree seedlings to local residents. The process is intentional and hands-on. Many ask eagerly when the next Tree Day will be. Preparing for Tree Day becomes more than packing seedlings. It becomes a shared act of service that strengthens relationships and reminds participants that their work will benefit neighbors and future generations. This did not happen by accident. The passion of one volunteer has helped this program thrive.

Leading this effort is retired forester Neil Letson, whose lifelong passion for trees has found new purpose in retirement. A graduate forester, Neil spent 40 years working in natural resource management in Alabama. Forestry was his profession, but even more, it was his passion. When he retired and moved to Tennessee, he knew he wanted to remain involved in caring for the land. When the opportunity arose for the church to serve as a Tennessee Tree Day pickup site, he found it difficult to say no. What began as a simple question has grown into three years of organized distribution, volunteer mobilization, and meaningful ministry.

For Neil, caring for creation is not simply environmental work. It is an expression of faith.

“God’s creation is a blessing to us and is essential to life and serving one another. We are called to be stewards of the earth,” he said.

He believes that as United Methodists, we have an obligation to care for the earth and its ecosystems for future generations. Protecting the resources that sustain life is not optional. It is faithful stewardship. “Without them there is no life, and there will be human suffering beyond what we can imagine,” he said.

That conviction is visible in the way Tennessee Tree Day unfolds at MFUMC. Residents across the community place orders in advance for specific native tree species. In the weeks leading up to Tree Day pickup, volunteers gather at the church to prepare hundreds of seedlings. They sort orders by species, wrap each tree carefully, and bundle them for distribution. On pickup days, families and individuals arrive to collect their trees, often staying to ask questions about planting and care.

Neil’s leadership continues well beyond distribution day. He organizes multiple pickup opportunities and personally ensures that every order reaches its intended home. When one participant missed pickup due to an unexpected cancer treatment, the church held his trees until he could come to pick up his order. No trees go unplanted. Remaining seedlings are placed in Tami’s Trail, a 0.3-mile circular wooded path on the church grounds that offers space for reflection, prayer, and connection to God’s creation

For Neil, this ministry is about connection as much as conservation. It strengthens relationships within the church and builds bridges across the wider community. He believes that if more churches became pickup sites, it would expand ministry in tangible and relevant ways. When communities see congregations actively engaged in creation care, it draws people closer to faith and deepens their connection to both God and neighbor.

Neil also sees this work as an example of how lay people can use their professional experience as ministry. “Knowing what your gift is and sharing that with others is essential,” he said. Retirement, in his words, means the importance of staying in the race. He simply chose to keep running.

Through Tennessee Tree Day, Neil continues to use the gifts God gave him. His forestry expertise, organizational skill, and steady compassion are not left behind in retirement. They are rooted in faith and growing God’s kingdom one tree at a time.

Neil’s story is a reminder that ministry does not belong only to pastors or staff. It belongs to every believer willing to offer their gifts in service to God and neighbor. Whether your experience is in forestry, finance, teaching, organizing, or hospitality, your skills can become sacred when placed in God’s hands.

Reserve Your Native Trees Now Through March 8th, 2026

What gifts are you sharing with your church? We would love to hear your story. Connect with other Tennessee-Western Kentucky United Methodists who are using their gifts to serve through the TWK 연결 지도.