DaySpring Baptist Church - Waco, TX

Christians Caring for Creation Names DaySpring Baptist Church of Waco, Texas as its 2025 C3 Church of the Year 

Charlotte, NC — Christians Caring for Creation (C3) is pleased to announce that DaySpring Baptist Church of Waco, Texas has been selected as the C3 Church of the Year for 2025. Each year, C3 recognizes a congregation that demonstrates exceptional leadership in caring for God’s creation through faithful action, creative stewardship, and community engagement. 

DaySpring Baptist Church has long embraced the biblical call to care for the earth through an intentional and integrated approach to sustainability, worship, and community life. Their church grounds, worship life, and educational ministries reflect an understanding that creation care is central to Christian discipleship.  The church was designed to serve as a retreat center for groups and individuals seeking spiritual direction. 

DaySpring views its property as holy ground, much like the ground on which Moses stood when God called him to lead God’s people out of bondage. Recognizing their land as sacred, the congregation feels called to care for it faithfully as they fulfill God’s mission in the world today. This caring for the land is expressed through three key commitments: 

• Sustainable: DaySpring seeks to reduce its carbon footprint through clean energy sources and composting. 

• Natural: Nestled along a creek, much of the campus has been intentionally left in its natural state, earning a Natural Habitat designation. 

• Intentional: The few cultivated areas on the property include a field for picnics and play, a community vegetable garden where food is grown to share, and a recently designed labyrinth for meditation. 

  
  

DaySpring has created prayer trails which meander through an oak grove and along a flowing creek, featuring sacred spaces such as the Psalm 23 Trail and St. Julian’s Circle. Their gardens are maintained with organic practices and enriched through the church’s composting system. Native Texas plants are featured in the flower beds, supporting the local ecosystem and providing educational opportunities for the congregation. 

In recognition of these practices, the church’s property has been designated a National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitat, affirming its commitment to providing a nurturing environment for native plants and animals to thrive. 

Upon receiving word of DaySpring’s recognition as C3’s Church of the Year, Pastor Eric Howell said, 

 “We are so very grateful for this recognition by C3. It encourages us in our desire to know, love, and bear witness to Christ through our care for this special place. We continue to discover how the church’s grounds—ours and so many others—are places of encounter, learning, and healing in the travails of our lives and all creation.” 

C3 celebrates DaySpring Baptist Church for its faithful witness to the goodness of God’s creation and for modeling how a local congregation can integrate environmental care into every dimension of its common life. Their approach—rooted in simplicity, reverence, and community—offers inspiration to churches across the nation. 

About Christians Caring for Creation (C3)  Christians Caring for Creation is a nonprofit network that equips and encourages congregations to live out their faith through active care for God’s creation. Each year, C3 honors one congregation whose leadership and example serve as a model for others seeking to integrate earthkeeping with Christian mission. 

About DaySpring Baptist Church Founded in 1993, DaySpring is a Baptist Church in the Contemplative Tradition located in Waco, Texas. DaySpring has an ecumenical spirit, a Baptist heritage, and a local identity. The church is affiliated with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and is known for its commitment to spiritual formation, hospitality, and creation care.