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Your Congregation | Colleagues | Colleague Sharing 1997&98
Colleague
Sharing 1997 & 98:
"What's Happening in Congregations"
Notes from 97 & 98 Earth Ministry Colleague Consultations
Calvary Presbyterian, Enumclaw, WA.
Offering a four-week series called “God So Loved the World” for the
adult education class between services. Their future plans include:
“Unplugging the Christmas Tree” later in the fall and a future
eight-week series on “Simplicity as Compassion.” The church has
asked Earth Ministry to provide speakers/facilitators for the topics covered
in sessions 2, 3, and 4.
Rolling Bay Presbyterian, Bainbridge Island, WA.
Currently offering a five-week Earth Ministry Speakers Series, September
21-October 19. Earth Ministry worked with the Rolling Bay colleague to
develop this series, calling on speakers from the Speaker’s Network
Catalog. Call Earth Ministry if you would like this kind of help
(Seattle area).
Grace Episcopal, Bainbridge Island, WA.
Offered a Sunday outdoor activity session for middle schoolers, once a month
this past summer. For adults the vicar joined parishioners for “Walk
Talks” last spring on Wednesdays, 1-3.
University Congregational, Seattle, WA.
Offered a Voluntary Simplicity Study Circle in July, using Cecille
Andrew’s material.
This summer all the Sunday school classes participated in the “Heifer Project” which “helps hungry families feed themselves and care for the earth”. This project offers a good opportunity to address the concept of sustainability.
A “Share the Harvest Table” has been very successful this summer. Members with surplus garden bounty supply the table on Sunday mornings. Other members pick up the flowers and vegetables, and make a donation which goes to Northwest Harvest (feeding program).
A group is planning a trip to Iona next fall. They will be using speakers on Celtic Christianity from the Earth Ministry Speakers Network in preparation for their trip.
Woodland Park United Methodist, Seattle, WA.
Their Sunday School classes participated in the “Heifer Project”.
Future plans: They have acquired the guide for the video Keeping the Earth (shown at our last consultation in April and very well received) and plan to have six sessions in adult Sunday school class early next year. They also want to use it with the United Methodist Women’s meeting.
The youth group donated $125 to Greenlake Park for a tree. To save money and trees the church is encouraging use of monthly instead of weekly giving envelopes, and uses those left over (with numbers and dates crossed off) for pew envelopes.
St. Marks Cathedral, Seattle, WA.
The Book Club read Biophilia Hypothesis and The Reinvention of
Work. Future plans include: a church worm bin (because St.
Mark’s generates a lot of garbage) and a spring plant sale (members make
starters of favorite plants in the fall), with proceeds being donated to an
environmentally conscious organization.
St. Madeline Sophie, Bellevue, WA.
A new, small group called Earthkeepers has been formed as an offshoot of the
series on Creation Spirituality with Alexandra Kovats, which was very well
attended. (Earth Ministry provided mailing labels for their
geographical area.) They are still looking for a definitive focus.
Their Earth Ministry colleague spoke to the group about how they organized a
group at Faith Lutheran in Leavenworth. Earthkeepers gets a notice,
etc., in every bulletin.
The church plans a St. Francis Day Blessing of the Animals.
United Methodist, Langley, WA.
The pastor has planned an ecumenical Blessing of the Animals. The
Colleague reports that the large bulletin board that she has been filling
with Earth Ministry and other pertinent environmental materials during the
last two years (which was at times a chore) is now “really blossoming”,
as others in the congregation are adding other pertinent items of interest.
The Colleague was asked to do a resource table for their Methodist Series in
Social Principles. Future plans: to get Simplicity as
Compassion into the church agenda.
Trinity Episcopal, Seattle, WA.
The Colleague is “it” as far as a group goes in her urban church.
Still, there was enough interest for nine people to coalesce around the Simplicity
as Compassion curriculum, meeting May through July. They still
plan to do the eighth session. The Colleague keeps a bulletin board of
Earth Ministry and other pertinent materials (including something on erosion
related to their parking lot). Future plans: hopes to get
creation-centered topics into adult education and to use the video Affluenza
with discussion on a Wednesday evening.
Note: Earth Ministry is purchasing a copy of the video Affluenza: The Cost of High Living which includes a guide for group discussion.
St. Andrews Episcopal, Seattle, WA.
Offered a four-part informational series on Voluntary Simplicity in their
Sunday adult education classes, featuring Cecile Andrews, Mike Schut, and
Evy McDonald (all listed in Earth Ministry’s Speaker’s Network Catalog),
and a video “Break Forth into Joy” (available in Earth Ministry’s
Resource Collection).
Sixteen people signed up for the follow-up study series on Wednesday
evenings using Earth Ministry’s curriculum “Simplicity as Compassion”.
The St. Andrew’s Preschool recently celebrated a “Blessing of the Worm Bin” in the sanctuary with clergy officiating and parents attending. The written prayers of the children were very special. (See the May ‘97 “Earth Letter” for an article about this event.)
Woodland Park United Methodist, Seattle, WA.
Started recycling in their church building. It all began when the
youth group started recycling newspapers. Several individuals have
organized to take the materials home for pickup. Some people are using
their compost on the church gardens. Others are bringing their used
margarine tubs for packing up pot luck leftovers.
St. Madeleine Sophie Catholic, Bellevue, WA.
Currently offering four sessions on Creation Spirituality, featuring speaker
Alexandra Kovats, CSPJ, which will deal with such topics as creation
mystics, creation and the Bible, and eco-justice.
A Vacation Bible School series focused on ecology, using “The Lorax” by Dr. Seuss.
Faith Lutheran, Leavenworth, WA.
Their Earth Stewardship Group is one of the ministry focus groups in their
church. They have sponsored one event per month:
low-on-the-food-chain potluck, column in the newsletter offering
environmental tip, such as how to recycle, “Sermon on the Mount” picnic
which included a sermon on a mountain, wildflower walk, gardening lecture
series, recycling in the church, garden at the church (share food), biblical
theme garden, trail maintenance project.
The Colleague shared their group’s brainstorming process for deciding what their group will do. They ask: What is most timely? Most fun? Most effective? about each of their brainstormed ideas. Each person votes by placing three stars representing the three questions beside their choices. She said it is interesting that the winning ideas get votes from all three categories.
Christ Episcopal, Tacoma, WA.
Started recycling in their church, including bulletins and glass.
Admiral Congregational, West Seattle, WA.
Sponsored a five-part series using the video Greening of Faith
(available in Earth Ministry’s Resource collection) and an ongoing
voluntary simplicity study circle which has used Earth Ministry’s
curriculum Simplicity as Compassion and is currently using Cecile
Andrews’ column in the Seattle Times.
They are planning a whole day of Earth-centered activities in May. The colleague says he is in ongoing conversation with their pastor about what the church needs, which helps determine where they put their efforts.
St. Andrews Episcopal, Port Angeles, WA.
Offered a study group between services using a Methodist curriculum on
forest issues and an evening group using the Household Ecoteam Workbook,
which they found to be practical and helpful (available in Earth
Ministry’s Resource Collection). The Colleague lobbied for church
members to buy a share in a CSA (community supported agriculture) and to
donate part to the local foodbank.
St. Andrews Episcopal, Seattle
A member of their congregation received a grant for starting an organic
garden on the church grounds. She is involving the pre-school kids and
their parents, youth groups, and the Earth Stewardship Group from Holy Names
Academy in working the garden. The food will be donated to Teen Feed
in the University District. The project has provided rich ecumenical
and multigenerational connections and the opportunity for youth from St.
Andrews to serve the needs of their homeless peers.
Suquamish Congregational Church
Kathy was struck by two paragraphs in her church’s mission statement:
“Following the example of Jesus Christ, we strive to heal the broken, to
feed the hungry, and to provide service through outreach and involvement,
seeking wholeness, justice and righteousness for all people. As
stewards, we are called to be a caring people, living in harmony with the
environment, respecting and honoring the gifts of God’s creation.”
In order for the church to explore more fully what that means in the actual life of the church, they have formed a small Earth Stewardship group (as a part of World Ministries) with the following mission: “Strive for justice and peace toward all creation through bringing information about the issues to the congregation, inspiring the congregation to action, and reaching out from the congregation to the world”. They are exploring ways to create more interest and awareness of creation and stewardship through educational programs and monthly newsletter articles. They have sold “Caring for all Creation” T-shirts and plan day hikes.
First United Methodist Church, Mt. Vernon
Cheryl has organized two showings of Affluenza in small groups, and
several families have also borrowed it. The video has brought lots of
reactions, and Cheryl welcomes the thinking it has sparked. They have
also had a study class on voluntary simplicity. She plans to have a
column in the church’s bi-weekly newsletter to draw kindred spirits and to
plug in Earth Ministry’s resources.
St. Clements Episcopal, Seattle
Offered a Simplicity as Compassion (Earth Ministry’s curriculum)
course for five Friday nights during Lent, combined with a soup and bread
supper and later Taize service. They plan to make opportunity for the
group (which averaged 16) to continue after Lent. A good feature of
the curriculum, making it easy to use, has been the rotation of weekly
facilitators.
They also offered Sunday forums on Care for Creation during Lent, using the video Keeping the Earth, Earth Ministry’s booklet Eating for a Better World, and George Gilchrist from Earth Ministry’s Speakers’ Network. Of interest at the session on food was a large basket of produce from Pike Place Market. Each piece of produce was labeled, indicating its origin.
St. John’s Episcopal, Olympia
Have been offering a Simplicity as Compassion adult education class,
drawing from Stuff, by Alan Durning of NW Environment Watch, (the
sections on coffee and tennis shoes), Earth Ministry’s Simplicity as
Compassion, and material from the NW Earth Institute.
Tracy (Christian Education Coordinator) described a highly successful “Giv-a-rip for Nature”, a “Day of Giving to Mother Nature”, celebrating the first day of spring. The program involved adults and children around hands-on projects using recycled and natural materials for bird feeders, Easter baskets (with real grass), nylon grocery bags, and a “mud and worms” snack.
First United Methodist, Seattle
Offered a Lenten study and simple supper on Wednesday nights, using the
video Curing Affluenza (six sessions).
Calvary Presbyterian, Enumclaw
Using Simplicity as Compassion curriculum for adult education class
augmented with three speakers from Earth Ministry’s Speakers Network.
They are planning an all-church retreat for three days in Eastern WA and
plan to bring in an earth-centered intergenerational focus. They have
plans to involve the children in a community garden a few blocks away from
the church.
Plymouth Congregational, Seattle
There is an ongoing Earth and Spirit group at Plymouth. After
announcements about the Earth Ministry sponsored Community Supported
Agriculture in the church newsletter, it looks like they will have enough
participants to share pickup responsibilities and to use the church as the
pickup site on Sundays.
St. Thomas Episcopal, Medina
Plans for Earth Day include speakers from the Nature Conservancy at the
adult forum, an education program on earth stewardship for grades K-5, and a
middle and high school conservation cleanup project with Student
Conservation Corps and EarthWorks NW. An adult program in March will
be “Earth-friendly Lawns and Gardens” with a green lunch salad bowl, and
in May, a walk through the Arboretum and poetry writing reflection
afterward.
The ongoing core group of Earth Keepers has shifted from having a planned program at their meetings, to meeting every three months to plan three months ahead, connecting with various areas of church life. They try to offer some program of interest each month, and have found that food is a big attraction.
Several Colleagues requested copies of “The Lord’s Prayer” from the New Zealand Book of Common Prayer.
Eternal Spirit,
Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver,
Source of all that is and that shall be,
Father and Mother of us all,
Loving God, in whom is heaven;
The hallowing of your name echo
through the universe!
The way of your justice be followed
by the peoples of the world!
Your heavenly will be done by all created beings.
Your commonwealth of peace and freedom
sustain our hope and come on earth!
With the bread we need for today, feed us.
In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.
In times of temptation and test, strengthen us.
From trials too great to endure, spare us.
From the grip of all that is evil, free us.
For you reign in the glory of the power that is love,
now and forever. Amen.