Churches asking members to give up plastic for Lent

Chocolate, alcohol and Twitter are some of the popular indulgences many Christians give up during the period of Lent leading up to Easter. But this year, some churches are encouraging congregants to give up plastics.

Dozens of Pennsylvania churches near Pittsburgh that belong to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America are encouraging their churchgoers to forgo commonly discarded single-use plastics. Each week, parishioners will be encouraged to give up a different item: shopping bags, drinking straws, water bottles, Styrofoam and food wrappers.

The Rev. Sarah Rossing, pastor of St. James Evangelical Lutheran Church in Youngstown, Pennsylvania, said the idea originally came from a similar challenge that the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh issued this year to reduce dependence on single-use plastics such as grocery bags and Styrofoam plates.

“It’s a way to think about it as more than just a personal thing, like chocolate or alcohol that’s enjoyable,” Rossing said. “This is asking people to give up convenience ... and be more intentional with things and the Earth.”

Lent began on Ash Wednesday and runs during the weeks leading up to Easter Sunday, the day Christians celebrate their belief in Jesus’ resurrection, which many churches this year will mark on April 21. Lent marks a period when some Christians reflect on the biblical story of Jesus’ time in the desert, where he fasted and prayed before his eventual death. Many Catholics and some Protestants give up something during Lent.

Last year, the Church of England urged its worshipers to give up single-use plastics, distributing a calendar with environmentally-themed Bible verses and suggestions on how to avoid using plastics. This year, the church is encouraging congregants to go on “litter pilgrimages” where congregants walk together, pray together and collect litter.