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Your Congregation | Greening Resources | Broader Religious Outreach
Broader Religious Outreach
Greening
Ideas
Denominational Outreach
Getting Started
Resolutions
and Statements
Regional,
Denominational Events
Other
Denomination-wide Activities
Ecumenical and Interfaith
Outreach
Getting
Started
Ecumenical
and Interfaith Activities
Practical Resources
Greening Ideas
Once you have begun to foster creation awareness and
care in your congregation, you may want to consider ways to impact broader
religious structures. You can
bring about creation-honoring opportunities on these broader levels in many
ways. Below, you’ll find a
few ideas and resources for involvement with denominational, ecumenical, and
interfaith bodies. Please refer
to the dimensions (e.g., Worship, Education, Environmental Advocacy, etc.)
on our Greening Resources menu page for
other "getting started" ideas and resources that may apply to
these broader efforts.
Denominational
Outreach
Getting Started
· You may find it helpful to become familiar with creation-honoring statements and Internet links that exist within your denomination. Go to our Denominational Statements on Creation Care page for examples.
· There are many ways to start working with your broader denomination. For example, you may want to have a meeting with a church leader or someone who serves as a liaison between your congregation and denomination. From this conversation, you may be able to get a sense of how to work with your denomination on drafting a creation-honoring resolution, or sponsoring a creation-honoring event or activity.
If you already serve as a liaison between your congregation and your denomination (e.g., as a delegate to Annual Convention, General Assembly, etc.), consider how you might use your role to impact various denominational publications, functions, and statements. Whether you serve as this liaison or just know someone who does, consider some of the following as possible areas for greater creation awareness and care.
Resolutions and
Statements
As with those who work to transform their congregational
mission statements, some people effect broad changes by helping to make
sure that denominational resolutions and other statements reflect an
awareness and concern for God’s creation. The two examples in the box below come from people who
recently helped to pass a creation-honoring statement within regional,
denominational bodies. Both had
direct access to the denominational bodies (i.e., they were representatives
at Yearly Meetings, Diocesan Conventions, or Synod Assemblies).
This access and support from denominational leaders and other members
helped each to pass their creation-honoring statement.
Such statements can have far-reaching impacts in the
worship, education, and general practices of congregations throughout their
regions and denominations. At
the national level, most mainline denominations already have some sort of
creation-awareness/care statement. You
will find many samples of these statements on our Denominational Statements on Creation Care page.
You may want to refer to these statements if you choose to work on a
local, denominational resolution or mission statement.
Two
faith-based experiences …
Creation-honoring
Denominational Statements
Sharon Wilson, a Colleague from St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Seattle, helped to craft and pass the following resolution (in 1998) through the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia (WA):
“…Resolved, that this 88th Convention of the Diocese of Olympia affirms that the health and sustained well-being of all God’s creatures, the plants, and the ecosystems in which they live is an appropriate and urgent concern for the Christian Church; and therefore be it
“Resolved that this 88th Convention of the Diocese of Olympia encourages the people of this Diocese, and indeed all Christian brothers and sisters of every denomination, to earnestly and urgently seek effective ways in which we as a society and as a species can alter the manner in which we treat the earth, so that the wounds which we have inflicted can begin to be healed.”
a
In
2000, Jeanne Rehwinkel, a Colleague from University Lutheran (ELCA) Church
in Seattle, helped to draft and pass a resolution regarding the causes of
global warming and the synod’s appropriate response to this crisis. Eleven pastors and nine church councils co-signed the
resolution; it then went to the Northwest
Washington synod convention where it passed.
It reads:
“Whereas our religious traditions teach us of our connection to the earth and of our responsibility to be stewards of God’s creation; and …
“Whereas accelerated climate change violates the integrity and sacredness of creation by causing the extinction of species, the destruction of habitat, the inundation of low-lying lands by rising seas and increasing temperatures …
“Whereas the chief responsibility for the greenhouse gases which cause global warming lies with industrialized nations whose consumptive behaviors come at the expense of those who live in poverty …
“Be it resolved that as congregations and worshipping communities of the Northwest Washington Synod of the ELCA we commit ourselves to:
(1) A process of study and discussion concerning the threat of global warming.
(2) As congregations and as individuals we examine our practices of energy consumption and explore means for reducing energy use.
(3) In the worship life of our congregations we give thanks for the bounty of creation, confess our misuse of God’s gift of creation, and lift up intercessions for all forms of life on the planet.
(4) That congregations join with each other and with Lutheran and ecumenical organizations committed to actions that will reduce the threat of global climate change.”
Regional, Denominational
Events
Another way to foster creation awareness/care in your denomination is to help plan and host a local or region-wide event. Such an event can help people throughout your denomination feel connected to one another in their common desire to care for God’s creation. This can birth relationships and joint efforts that will magnify your congregation’s own work. It can also help make your denomination a more pervasive presence in bringing about ecological wholeness in your region. For tools in planning such an event, refer to our pages on Worship, Education, Community Education and Safe Dialogue Forums, and others from the Greening Resources menu for ideas and resources.
Other
Denomination-wide Activities
Congregations, across a denomination, may decide that
they want to work on a creation-care effort.
For example, many congregations within a particular denomination
might dedicate themselves to restoring natural areas in their respective
regions, practice financial stewardship consistent with creation-care,
engage in a national eco-justice advocacy effort, or become more energy
efficient. For tools in
planning such activities, you may want to refer to our web pages on Institutional
Life and Community Outreach,
and others for ideas and resources.
One denomination’s experience …
“Presbyterians for Healing Creation” Event
For Earth Day in April 2000, the Synod of Alaska-Northwest and several local presbyteries of the Presbyterian Church (USA) held a “Presbyterians for Healing Creation” event. This worship and educational event was initiated by the Social Justice and Peacemaking Committee of the Seattle Presbytery and the synod office. The planning group also included local clergy, church members, and Earth Ministry staff. The group gave themselves a year to plan for the event and met monthly to brainstorm, discuss details, and pray that their vision and efforts would yield a transformative event. The day of the event arrived and so did more than one hundred Presbyterians from throughout the region. Many people were encouraged to discover that they weren’t alone in their love and concern for creation. An air of fellowship filled the event, especially around worship and lunch times. Workshop sessions included: “Getting Youth Involved in Environmental Issues,” “What Churches Can Do,” “Global Awareness of Concerns of the Presbyterian Church (USA),” “Celtic Spirituality,” “Alternatives to Toxins in Our Daily Life,” and others. People came away with a strong sense that they could effect change in both their individual and congregational lives – and some resources to help do so. The event has led to a variety of efforts from study classes, to sermons that include creation-honoring themes, to ecological restoration events, to a similar synod-wide event in 2001.
Ecumenical
and Interfaith Outreach
Getting started
· There are countless ways to start working with other congregations and faith-based groups. One simple place to start is to consider whether your congregation already has relationships with other congregation/faith groups. For example, does your congregation hold a joint Thanksgiving service with another congregation? Do you partner with other congregations to host a shelter for people who are homeless? Some of these pre-existing partnerships may be natural ones upon which to build a creation-honoring event or activity. If you’re not aware of such partnerships, ask your congregational leaders and others in your congregation about them.
· If you have friends in other local congregations/faith groups who share your creation interests, consider working with them to start a collaboration from the ground up. This may mean that you, your friends, and your respective congregational leaders may want to meet together periodically to explore possibilities for collaboration.
·
Discover whether or not your congregation (or denomination) is
already a member of broader faith-based coalitions (e.g., state-wide church
associations, National Council of Churches of Christ, etc.).
Then explore who (if anyone) serves as a liaison person between your
congregation (or denomination) and these coalitions.
You can contact this person and begin a conversation opportunities
for potential partnership with other congregations/faith groups through the
coalition on a creation-honoring event or activity such as one of the
following:
Ecumenical and Interfaith Activities
Many of our Greening
Resources web pages may be helpful as you engage with other
denominations and religious groups. For
example, you can draw upon the Education
page to form a study group or design a meditative day-hike with other
congregations in your area. Or
you could draw upon the Worship
page to plan for a community-wide worship service, such as a blessing of the
animals or Earth Day service. Ecumenical
groups may also choose to join together for worship, education, and advocacy
on a specific issue, such as economic justice.
To plan for this type of event, many of the previous sections may be
helpful starting places, especially the Community
Education and Safe Dialogue Forums page.
One community’s experience …
An Ecumenical Conference on Economic Justice
In November 1999, the Church Council of Greater Seattle, The Washington Association of Churches, Earth Ministry, and other related congregations and organizations held a conference entitled “What Does God Require of Us? A Conference on Global Economic Justice.” The conference took place at St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral just weeks before the demonstrations that surrounded the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) meeting in Seattle and “Jubilee 2000.” The hundreds of people of faith who attended this conference came away with a better understanding of the global economy and a deeply felt call to promote socially and ecologically just practices within this economy. Many of these people joined with over 50,000 peaceful demonstrators to voice prophetic opposition against current economic systems. Many continue to work diligently with others to promote fair trade products, a living wage for all workers (e.g., farm workers), just and sustainable forms of agriculture, and other economic-justice efforts.
Interfaith efforts can require an even greater degree of leadership and commitment to respect diverse perspectives. Such efforts tend to be highly effective when people from various faith groups speak from the context of their own traditions, rather than trying to speak for others. With this said, it is equally important that members of faith groups work to foster genuine respect for other faith groups and to listen to different points of view and sacred stories. Such respect and listening enhances worship and education, and can lead to advocacy, hands-on efforts, and other meaningful partnerships. Other nation-wide and international interfaith collaborations seek to highlight various traditions’ teachings on Earth-care and to foster joint action out of these teachings. You will find examples of such collaborations listed below.
One interfaith experience …
Interfaith Power and Light
Interfaith Power and Light (IPL), based in San Francisco, helps “individuals and institutions of the Episcopal Church further the stewardship of Creation, [by establishing] an energy conservation program in the Episcopal Church and [sharing] it with the interfaith community.” Congregations that decide to be a part of IPL sign up to buy energy from nonpolluting, renewable sources in states where they are able to do so; get free energy audits; and work to do energy efficient retrofitting on their buildings. Those congregations that purchase green power (in a deregulated electricity market) are able to form an “aggregate,” giving them the ability to negotiate with power companies for favorable prices and more new sources of “environmentally friendly” power. By the end of 2001, sixty-one churches (mostly in California) had joined IPL in purchasing “green” power, and twenty-seven congregations had installed solar panels on their buildings.
Practical Resources
· Click here for Puget Sound-area resources.
· For an extensive list of ecumenical and interfaith groups, go to our Para-faith Organizations page.
· The National Religious Partnership for the Environment (NRPE) is comprised of creation-care organizations representing the Jewish community, the US Roman Catholic Conference, Evangelical churches, and mainline Protestant denominations.
· The North American Coalition for Christianity and Ecology (NACCE) is an ecumenical organization, “established in 1986 to encourage the many strands of Christian tradition in the work of healing the damaged Earth, out of a common concern and love for God’s creation.” They produce the bimonthly newsletter Earthkeeping News, which helps connect congregations, highlights nationwide Christian “Earthkeeping” efforts, and points to resources and local activities.
· The Forum on Religion and Ecology (FORE) works with various religious groups to articulate various views on the role of humans within the “Earth Community.” Their area of expertise lies in ongoing education and dialogue forums.
· For working with a variety of ecumenical and interfaith organizations, you may want to check out The Biodiversity Project’s excellent resource, Building Partnerships with the Faith Community: A Resource Guide for Environmental Groups. Although intended for leaders of secular environmental groups, it contains very helpful resources for building relationships with other faith communities (e.g., a section called “Outreach Approaches and Tone”). It also offers a variety of activities (e.g., media outreach, lifestyle education programs) in which your congregation could partner with other faith groups, and many other helpful resources for doing so.