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Eco-Prayer Guidelines
Eco–Prayer Guidelines offers suggestions for eco-prayer and good will intentions. They describe eco-prayer principles and explain why praying and positive intentions are important. Their 9 principles are listed in the guidelines and more information on the definition of eco-theology. -
7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess
Overwhelmed by the excess in her own life, Jen Hatmaker and her family set out on a project they called “Seven.” Highlighting seven areas of excess, they committed to living a little more simply every month. Originally published in 2011 and updated in 2017, 7 has been utilized for book studies in many Christian faith communities. For those overwhelmed with the task of implementing creation care in their own lives, Hatmaker’s memoir tells of her family’s practical and faith inspired experiment. More information about Hatmaker’s project can be found on her blog. -
Justice for Each Generation
Justice for Each Generation started with the landmark case, Juliana v. U.S. Twenty-one youth had filed a lawsuit against the United States government for its role in causing climate change and violating their right to life, liberty, and property, while also failing to protect essential public resources. They are calling for sermons from youth and adults of all faiths as a collective statement that sends a signal to the rest of society. -
A Prayer for Labour Day
As Labor Day approaches, it is important to remember to relax and enjoy a day free of work. Godspace (https://godspacelight.com/about/) has offered a prayer to give thanks for the hard work of laborers and communities, and to reflect on gratitude, mercy, service, justice, and the beauty of creation through God’s work. This prayer is adapted from a prayer found on the Christ Church Ontario website. -
For Love of Lavender
For Love of Lavender is an account of how Christine Sine, creator of Godspace and writer for Evangelical Environmental Network MOMS, encountered God through the beauty, fragrance, and abundance of the lavender in her garden. Reflecting on her garden informs her of God's work and calls to mind numerous bible verses, including Proverbs 27:9: The heart is delighted by the fragrance of oil and sweet perfumes, and in just the same way, the soul is sweetened by the wise counsel of a friend. Christine also mentions how to use these lessons to teach children. -
Faith Based Farms
Faith Based Farms is a webinar about families and communities from across the United States demonstrating their faith through farming. Colm Flynn, a freelance reporter, conducted his research by traveling from New Jersey, to Wisconsin, and to Michigan. During his journey, he enjoyed conversations with a range of diverse individuals and faith-based groups. -
The Villa Farm
The Villa Maria, located in Villa Maria, Pennsylvania, describes itself on their website as the following: "Operating on 759 acres, the farm of Villa Maria Community Center is an integral part of the heritage of the Sisters of the Humility of Mary. The farm serves as a symbol of the struggle and sacrifice of a small group of women who settled on the Lawrence County land in 1864 and succeeded in establishing a viable, productive farm when others before them had failed. Land management at the farm is based on spirituality, sustainability, simplicity and the preservation of all local life systems." The greenhouse is open seasonally along with a produce market that sells the food grown. -
Columbus bonds with Ghana sister city through agriculture project
Roman Catholic Cardinal Peter Turkson spoke at Mershon Auditorium at The Ohio State University in 2015. The proceeds from his talk with OSU President Michael Drake were used as matching funds in a grant from the Initiative for Food and Agricultural Transformation (InFACT) discovery theme program. The proceeds funded an agricultural exchange between Accra, Ghana, and Columbus, Ohio. -
We Are What We Eat
The 214th General Assembly (2002) Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) approved the following report titled We Are What We Eat. This report focuses on how people can influence the agriculture revolution with regard to sustainability, stewardship compassion, and community. The final section provides suggestions for activities and studies that congregations can engage in with regard to food production/consumption. -
Going Vegan for Lent can Orient us towards Christ's calling
Elyse Durham writes that it is becoming increasingly common for people to give up meat for lent, and makes note that many of the farming practices we use today are unnecessarily cruel. In addition, the consumer culture in America tempts Christians to live lives of greed instead of virtue. Karen Swallow brings up the idea of "reducetarianism," simply considering the amount of meat you consume and its implications for the environment. Fasts and veganism are suggestions for Christians who want to move away from a life of over-consumption. -
Profile: Rev. Dr. Heber M Brown
Rev. Dr. Heber M. Brown is a Baptist pastor in Baltimore, Maryland. Brown is committed to social development and has been instrumental in the creation of several programs in the Baltimore area. These include Orita’s Cross Freedom School, of which he is the founding director, and the Black Church Food Security Network. The latter works to support the accessibility of food by linking historically African American congregations with urban growers and Black farmers. Brown has received a number of awards recognizing his work, including the Ella Baker Freedom Fighter Award and the Food Justice Award from the Baltimore City Office of Civil Rights. -
Tomorrow (Sept. 1) is World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation: Pope Francis calls on believers and unbelievers to care for our common home
Thursday, September 1, 2016, has been declared a shared World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation by Catholic and Orthodox Christian communities. This year, Pope Francis issued a video invitation to prayer in which he calls believers and unbelievers alike to work together to care for our common home. In August of 2015, the pope issued a letter
(https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/letters/2015/documents/papa-francesco_20150806_lettera-giornata-cura-creato.html) declaring Sept. 1 as an annual day of prayer for the care of creation, joining the Orthodox Church, which has been doing so since 1989. Citizens are urged to pray and join a local prayer service, or if no local service is offered, representatives from Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox and Episcopalian churches will offer an online prayer service (https://seasonofcreation.org/2016/08/25/sept-1-online-prayer-service/) at 8am US EDT. -
Today is registration deadline for Columbus Diocese Creation Care Conference on Oct. 8
The Columbus Diocese is offering a day of reflection, inspiration, study, and sharing of resources to help Columbus area Catholic communities respond to Pope Francis’ environmental urgings in his recent encyclical, Laudato Si: Caring for Our Common Home. The conference: “Enlivened by Laudato Si’: We Care for our Common Home: Our practical response to care for God’s creation” will be held at the Martin De Porres Center in Columbus from 10am-2pm on Saturday, October 8.
The conference will feature creation care team building sessions, spirituality and worship, education, sustainability information for energy savings, and advocacy to care for creation and the poor. Dr. Greg Hitzhusen of the School of Environment and Natural Resources at Ohio State will deliver a keynote address. -
Science Mike to speak tonight at Broad Street Presbyterian
Event Announcement:
Columbus Broad Street Presbyterian Church and the Presbytery of Scioto Valley Commission for Nurture and Outreach will host Science Mike on Friday, October 14.
Mike McHargue is the host of two podcasts, Ask Science Mike and The Liturgists. Mike, an amazing and popular communicator, will be recording an episode of Ask Science Mike during his evening presentation at Broad Street PC.
Tickets are $15 and are available from: www.findinggodinthewaves.com/tour
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Profile: Rev. Pat Watkins
The Reverend Pat Watkins is a missionary with the General Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church. He is guiding a new, globally-focused United Methodist Ministry with God’s Renewed Creation, based at Global Ministries and also closely related to the Council of Bishops. While faith has traditionally looked at relationship with God and relationships with other people, he began to see a relationship between faith and the created order. Please click the link below to read more about Reverend Watkins: -
Profile: Melanie Harris
Dr. Melanie L. Harris is Associate Professor of Religion at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, TX . There, she teaches and conducts research in the areas of Religious Social Ethics, African American Religion and Environmental Justice. She is a GreenFaith Fellow and co-director of Earth Honoring Faith with Ghost Ranch Education and Conference Center. Dr. Harris is currently a member of the Board of Directors of KERATV/Radio in Dallas and facilitates contemplative retreats as a licensed Spiritual Director. She is the author of Gifts of Virtue: Alice Walker and Womanist Ethics (Palgrave), as well as coeditor of the volume Faith, Feminism, and Scholarship: The Next Generation (Palgrave) and editor of Ecowomanism: Earth Honoring Faiths (Brill).
Along with Dr. Jennifer Harvey, Dr. Harris conducts workshops about racial justice, womanist ethics and environmental justice. She has presented to audiences in the AME, United Church of Christ, and Baptist church traditions. -
New Community Project Creative Arts Page
The New Community Project created a creative arts page to offer resources for justice, peace, and care for creation. In the caring for creation section, there are skits, checklists, and worship resources all centered around this topic. -
Earth Ministry Songs and Hymns
Earth Ministry has been a leader in engaging faith communities in environmental stewardship and advocacy. They have created a list of songs and hymns from various artist that are related to God's gift of creation. The list was compiled as a resource for creation-honoring worship services. -
The Regeneration Project
The Regeneration Project was created as the parent project of Interfaith Power&Light. It is meant to help deepen the connection between ecology and faith and to help people of faith recognize and fulfill their responsibility for the stewardship of creation. They do so through educational programs for clergy and congregations -
Skits & Readings - Creative Arts and Educational Resources
Worship resources on the themes of justice, peace, and care for creation curated by the New Community Project. This is a list of activities to engage and educate students on christian and sustainability teachings. -
A Buddhist Perspective on the Eco-Crisis from David Loy
This short video consists of David Loy discussing the Buddhist perspective on the Eco-crisis. He begins by describing anata, the belief that all things are constantly changing and there can be no such thing as a permanent self. He then talks about dukkha, which is the idea that human experience is short-lived and suffering results from excessive desire. These ideas come together to describe the Buddhist idea that there is no “self.” Loy maintains that, “our sense of self is usually haunted by a sense of lack.” This sense of lack and false sense of “self,” create issues for people that can be related to consumerism, the Eco-crisis, and more. -
The Worship of Nature
The Worship of Nature is a poem by John Greenleaf Whittier published in 1867. The poem describes nature and forests as a holy place and Whittier makes a comparison to it being an altar. He describes the winds as hymns of praise and the blue sky as the temples arch. -
Environmental Theology in Sikhism
The Sikh scripture declares that the purpose of human beings is to achieve a blissful state and be in harmony with the earth and all creation. They believe that humans have drifted away from that ideal and that this crisis is in need of an immediate and urgent solution. The crisis requires going back to the basic question of the purpose of human beings in this universe and an understanding of ourselves and the Divine creation. -
Environmental Statement – Reformed Church in America
In 1982, the Christian Action Commission of the Reformed Church in America (RCA) released a document titled “Care for the Earth: Theology and Practice.” This was given to General Synod, who then passed several resolutions outlining the Reformed Church in America’s stance on environmental issues. The Action Institute wrote the article below that discusses the resolutions that were passed. -
Laudato Si' and the U.S. Catholic Church Recordings
"The 2023 Laudato Si’ and the U.S. Catholic Church (June 14-July 27, 2023) national conference, is part of a biennial conference series co-sponsored by Creighton University and Catholic Climate Covenant to equip and inspire Catholics to more deeply integrate Laudato Si’ and its creation care teachings into the U.S. Church. The purpose of this year's conference is to encourage a greater understanding of the Laudato Si’ Action Platform’s seven goals – Response to the Cry of the Poor, Ecological Economics, Adoption of Sustainable Lifestyle, Ecological Education, Ecological Spirituality, Community Resilience and Empowerment, and Response to the Cry of the Earth – and encourage Catholic individuals and groups to enroll in the Platform, providing them with a clearer path for accomplishing each of the goals through speaker presentations."