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Dissident Heart 
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 Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 11:02 am Post subject:
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geo: There's probably some irony in putting a link to a consumable good at the end of this post, and one that attempts to brand a simple philosophical concept with Christian ideology. Whatever.
I don't see it as "branding", but as an example of how one religion, Christianity, understands and pursues lifestyles of compassion and simplicity...thus the title of the book, Simpler Living, Compassionate Life. I don't think an "ideological free" approach to anything is possible. Nor do I see simplicity as a simple philosophical concept...it certainly involves ideology and philosophy and, well, everything that goes in to a particular way of living: relationships, technologies, habits, attitudes, etc.
And, anyone involved in environmentalist activism has to face the irony of working to change the "system" while being wired to the mainframe and dependent upon the whole shabang of contemporary global capitalism and its many tributaries. This is another element that religious environmentalism brings to the discussion: there are many ways to express the "good life" and pursue what is beautful and true and the purpose of human destiny...we are not limited to one global economic model that must determine our politics, culture, agriculture or kinship relationships. |
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Dissident Heart
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| Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 11:38 am Post subject:
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DWill: The change required is a drastic one, though, and I'm not confident that any of the established denominations would really want to take their congregations in this direction.
I think most institutions and organizations are subject to the same criticism...at least as far as being resistant to drastic change. Legal, academic, banking, political, industrial, military and religious structures all must face drastic changes...and I think they are all exhibiting varieties of denial, avoidance, minimization and outright lies in response to our very real ecolocial threats.
The good news is there are many (perhaps not enough) who are working to change. Here are some ways that different religous congregations work to go green...Greening Congregations in the Seattle and Puget Sound region:
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| Sacred Earth Ministry Team, Bethany United Church of Christ, Seattle (WA) Part of Bethany UCC's mission statement reads, "We are called to honor creation and build relationships with the created world that are life-giving and justice-producing. We are called to share our vision with other so we can make a reality this vision of justice and peace for the whole web of life." One example of the efforts to fulfill this mission, the Sacred Earth Ministry Team has led the revitalization of Bethany Garden. Once a City of Seattle Pea Patch, the organic garden was underutilized and not well maintained. Now the site features a children's garden, Food Bank garden, and members of the Bethany and Beacon Hill community nurture garden plots there. |
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Earth Corps Group, East Shore Unitarian Church, Bellevue (WA)
East Shore strives to live by the Unitarian Universalist principle: “to affirm and promote … respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.” In keeping with this principle, this past April a group from the church helped to organize, then marched and demonstrated in, the “Earthwalk” event in Seattle. Also in April, the church held their annual Earth Day service with a special presentation on the Earth Charter and conducted another service in August with testimonials from dedicated activists in the church on what they do and why they do it. On an on-going basis, they serve shade-grown/organic coffee at all services and functions and sell energy-efficient, Compact Florescent light bulbs one Sunday per month. The church is also currently helping to plan a lecture and weekend workshop with Joanna Macy for March 2003. |
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Greening Congregations Task Force, Fairwood Community United Methodist Church, Renton (WA)
The work of Fairwood’s Greening Congregations Task Force spreads into almost every nook and cranny of the churches life: from hikes, to worship services, to a bike-and-walk to church Sunday, to doing an energy-efficiency survey with every member in the congregation, to rolling up their sleeves to help restore local watersheds. |
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Fauntleroy United Church of Christ, Seattle (WA)
Fauntleroy's dedication to creation care has encompassed making earth-friendly choices on the road, at the table, and in the home. Some of their crowing achievements include a Care More, Car Less Sunday where more than 100 people carpooled, walked, used the bus or biked to church; supporting sustainable agriculture by purchasing food from a local, organic farmer; a Food and Faith Sunday, including switching to Fair Trade, shade-grown, organic coffee; participating in the April 2007 Step It Up March for climate change solutions, cosponsored by Earth Ministry; and promoting less toxic home and yard maintenance. To top it off, Fauntleroy is exploring faith and environment classes as part of the church's adult education program. |
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First Congregational United Church of Christ, Everett (WA)
First Congregational now has a creation-care covenant that the entire congregation has signed and “owns.” Their “Creation Keepers” group has helped to design an Earth Day worship service, done tree plantings, supported the Heifer Project, and promoted shade grown coffee. |
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Georgetown Gospel Chapel, Seattle (WA)
The Chapel sits as an oasis in the industrial core of Seattle with its vegetable and flower gardens that nourish both human and other-creature neighbors. Among the many ways in which the Chapel works to (quote) “replenish the earth” is through their concrete actions to confront global warming – a dedication that won them an EPA Energy Star award for excellence in energy efficiency in 1999. |
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Langley United Methodist Church, Langley (WA)
In 1993 Langley UMC passed a congregational statement declaring, “Our purpose is to affirm that all God’s creation is sacred and to rediscover our interconnections with that creation in ways that will protect and heal the environment.” After over ten years of building relationships around this mission, and many efforts to live it out, Langley now has a “covenant group” – and the blessing of the entire congregation – to actively shape congregational life around this mission. |
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Magnolia United Church of Christ, Seattle (WA)
As part of a goal-setting process, Magnolia UCC chose three areas of focus: education and youth, caring for creation, and stewardship of facilities. Sunday school themes reflect the church's dedication to environmental stewardship. The weekly newsletter contains "greening tips". They have facilities-wide requirements for energy efficiency, including requiring compliance from wedding planners and other outside uses of the building. Members also hold an annual "care fair" to inspire the wider congregation with new environmental ideas. |
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Creation-Care Action Group from Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ, Seattle (WA)
Plymouth is one of Seattle’s most prominent churches – largely due to the fact that the congregation actively participates in helping to bring about social and environmental justice (their tireless work to help eliminate homelessness in Seattle, is but one example). As another example, they have been one of the congregations most dedicated to restoring the health of the Duwamish River. Their ongoing involvement in especially helping to restore Hamm Creek has been a blessing to the salmon that annually return there, as well as surrounding human communities for whom this SuperFund site is their backyard. Plymouth is also known throughout the community for its vibrant worship life. The Creation Care Action Group has helped to infuse worship with a creation-honoring focus. Their Earth Day worship service in 2002 was a magnificent example of this: this intergenerational service was filled with dance, earth-care readings from children, forums with local environmental leaders, a car-free emphasis, creation-celebrating music, advocacy opportunities, and even a plant exchange. |
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Richmond Beach Congregational United Church of Christ, Shorelin (WA)
Richmond Beach UCC added an important phrase to their Congregational Covenant as a Community of Faith, "We strive to live in harmony with nature, respecting and honoring the gifts of God's creation." Because of this growing commitment, they have chosen to carry out several activities that make their congregation green. They have brought creation care as a theme into their worship services. They have implemented recycling and developed an education plan for all facility users. They reduce the use of excess paper and books in their children's education program. Every November, they hold a Gentle Giving Fair focusing on Fair Trade and environmentally-friendly gifts for the holidays. Additionally, they publish a quarterly newsletter, One World, to give congregants earth-friendly tips and ideas. |
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Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church, Seattle (WA)
St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church has successfully woven creation-awareness and care into their existing ministries. When members of their Palestinian sister church visited, St. Andrew's Environmental Group led a meditative day hike on Mount Rainier. St. Andrew’s incorporated locally-grown, organic food into their monthly “Jubilee Dinner” – attended by about 150 people per month) who hunger for community and other for basic human needs. St. Andrews members have also been very active in a number of eco-justice issues throughout the years, while never forgetting to holistically incorporate these issues into their worship life together. |
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Ecology/Spirituality Group, St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral, Seattle (WA)
As an example of their greening vision and work, St. Mark’s Cathedral included “care for creation” goals in the cathedral’s strategic plan, so that such care is incorporated in the vision for the cathedral’s life over the next decade. The group also initiated two study groups using Earth Ministry’s publication Simpler Living: Compassionate Life and sponsored a six-part series titled “The Global Economy, Justice, and You.” On Earth Day 2002 the group, along with the cathedral’s Garden Volunteers and youth, worked to clean up the “greenbelt” that adjoins the cathedral. |
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Saint Paul's Episcopal Church, Seattle (WA)
Folks at St. Paul’s Episcopal have also engaged in creation-care for many years. Their ongoing work includes important “household-keeping” efforts such as: serving and promoting organic, fair-trade, shade-grown coffee; using of china cups and plates and cloth napkins; initiating a comprehensive recycling program; and creating a “green space” within the church for all members to learn about the most current environmental resources and events. The church has also undergone a comprehensive energy audit with Seattle City Light – the resulting retrofits puts the congregation on a path for greater energy efficiency and reduction of their contribution to global warming. The church, which is located blocks from the Seattle Center, also deconstructed one of their large parish buildings and replaced it with a new green space – a new urban oasis. |
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Seattle First Baptist Church, Seattle (WA)
For many years, Seattle First Baptist members have embodied the following mission: “We are called to open our eyes to the profound mystery of God’s creation and to vision for ourselves and others a new world in which nature is reclaimed, nurtured, and celebrated for future generations. We pledge ourselves to seek and follow ways to live lightly, with love and respect, for this precious earth, our home.” Such light, loving, and respectful living has taken the form of adopting a portion of Thorton Creek and spending Saturdays clearing out invasive plants. Some members also spend their Saturdays cleaning up a portion of their most immediate neighborhood on Capitol Hill. These Partners help to provide support and funding for the Duwamish People as they preserve their own cultural and ecological heritage; host community gatherings with visionaries like Terry Tempest Williams and Wendell Berry; host environmental fairs, retreats, and educational series; and so much more. |
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Snoqualmie United Methodist Church, Snoqualmie (WA)
If you were to visit Snoqualmie UMC, a couple of things would stand out to you. First, their explicit curricula expresses a rich ecological ethic in both education and worship. Both children and adults use creation-oriented curriculum. Second, their implicit curricula - what you see in their pea-patch; in their commercial-grade dishwasher that allows them to use china at all functions instead of paper or plastic; their use of Fair Trade, organic coffee; and so on - also expresses their worldview that caring for people is integrally connected to caring for all of God's creation. |
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Suquamish Community Congregational United Church of Christ, Suquamish (WA)
For many years the church has included the following words in their mission statement: “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.” The church’s Colleague was initially drawn to the church because of this statement. Now as a member, the Colleague helps to foster creation-care through meditative hikes, worship opportunities, energy efficiency measures, and much more. |
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| Sacred Earth Group, University Congregational United Church of Christ, Seattle (WA) University Congregational has brought creation-care into many aspects of their church life including participating in several ecological restoration projects, bringing earth-friendly decisions to the process of renovating the church building, incorporating earth elements into the Sanctuary, starting a CSA project, and integrating creation-care into their Sunday school curriculum. |
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University Lutheran Church, ELCA, Seattle (WA)
University has a long history of efforts like serving Fair Trade/shade grown/organic coffee; public advocacy for clean, renewable energy; and going to lengths to improve their energy efficiency. Who are these good people, and why do they do what they do? In their own words: “We are young and old. We are multi-racial. We strive to be faithful stewards of God’s creation, to care for our neighbors, and to work for justice and peace in our community and in the world.” And in striving to be faithful stewards, folks at University Lutheran do a really good job of having fun along the way. For example, in 2004 they hosted a festive, intergenerational “Celebration of the Earth” with song and dance, exhibits of arts and crafts, and Rain Forest refreshments. (University Lutheran is located at 1604 NE 50th St., Seattle, 98105; phone: [206] 525-7074. |
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geo
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| Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 11:59 am Post subject:
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| Aaaaagh! Please stop with the mission statements!!! |
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Dissident Heart
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| Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 1:06 pm Post subject:
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geo: Aaaaagh! Please stop with the mission statements!!!
These aren't only mission statements. They include examples, activities, events involved in the greening of congregations in the Seattle, Puget Sound region. And they show, in relation to DWill's concern, that there are religious communities taking concrete steps to embrace an environmentalist ethic.
Below are some very interesting resources that different congregations are using to help gude their greening process:
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| Environmental Guide for Congregations,Their Buildings, and Grounds http://www.webofcreation.org/Environmental%20Guide.pdf This guide is directed to congregations that already have property and buildings. There are other excellent guides for congregations engaged in building programs. This guide is meant to give you all the concrete and specific suggestions necessary to lessen significantly the ecological imprint made by the building and grounds presently under your care. Everything about the buildings/grounds and all the practices of those who use them have an impact on the environment. The purpose of this guide is to make you aware of these impacts and to offer choices that will render our property and practices friendly to Earth. |
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Bottom Line Ministries that Matter http://www.nccecojustice.org/bottomline.htm
Whether large or small, urban, rural, or suburban, most congregations use energy for lighting, heating, or cooling in order to conduct the variety of program ministries and worship events that are an integral part of church mission. Almost every congregation across the country is powered and heated at least in part by coal, oil, or natural gas. The fossil fuels used by congregations have been rising in price and impacting church budgets. Their use also adversely effects human and environmental health. This report addresses:
- The costs and savings by state for congregations that invest in clean -energy and energy efficiency
- Ways that judicatories can pool resources to invest in clean energy and encourage energy efficiency
- The Christian call and moral obligation to protect God's creation and address global warming and pollution through proper energy stewardship
- Resources needed to take the next steps toward saving money to spend on church mission while caring for creation |
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Training Manual For The Green Congregation Program http://www.webofcreation.org/FinishedCompleteGC.pdf These materials are designed to train a small group of lay people and clergy to bring care for creation into the full life and mission of your congregation. You may use this manual in different ways, doing some or all of the processes and projects suggested here. For the program to work well, you may want to follow the steps suggested and the principles
recommended. In brief, the following steps represent the procedures to become a Green Congregation.
1. Gather a small group of people (2 to 8 ) to serve as a Green Team.
2. Become familiar with the Green Congregation program.
3. Inform/involve the pastor(s)/staff as to your interest and commitment.
4. Approach the church governing board for authorization to proceed.
5. Develop an Action Plan for the congregation in several areas
a. Worship
b. Education
c. Building and Grounds
d. Discipleship at Home and Work
e. Public Ministry
6. Work with the appropriate committees/ individuals to carry out the Action Plan.
7. Promote with members your identity as a congregation that cares for creation.
8. Meet regularly (monthly) to follow the Action Plan and to develop new projects.
9. Consider a congregation project to benefit the community/ city of location
10. Find structural ways to assure the long term life and activities of the Green Team
11. At some point, apply to be certified as a Green Congregation and request that the
governing board adopt the Green Congregation Mission Statement. |
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Frank 013
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| Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 2:34 pm Post subject:
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Things are moving fast on this thread…
Anyway I was at grenade launcher, chemical weapon and baton training all day today so I haven’t had a chance to post.
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George
Agreed. And another important distinction, at least for me, is in realizing that the activities of church members generally have nothing to do with the policies and practices of the institution. |
I agree to this as well and is why I think that most of those people are reachable through reason and evidence even when some church leaders and institutions may not be.
Later |
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DWill
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| Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 6:20 pm Post subject:
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| Dissident Heart wrote: |
The good news is there are many (perhaps not enough) who are working to change. Here are some ways that different religous congregations work to go green...Greening Congregations in the Seattle and Puget Sound region |
The change needed is drastic, yet it is true that if we are not to have change forced on us, the change must usually occur incrementally. So the evidence presented here of churches taking small steps has to be credited, it seems to me. Whether in the end such measures can ever be sufficient we don't know. As vehicles to mobilize people into action, churches might be doing the best job out there. I say this simply because of not having examples at hand of similar efforts by non-religious organizations. If anyone has such evidence, he or she should give it.
DWill |
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Frank 013
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Saffron
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| Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 6:52 pm Post subject:
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| Campuses across the USA are sinking money into green buildings and other green practices. The school my daughter goes to (George School, Quaker High School in Newtown, PA) is building a green library/study center, they have a garden that contributes food to the dinning hall, a portion of the food for the dinning hall comes from contracts with local farms and some are organic, and all waste food is collected in special receptacles to be composted for the garden. |
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Frank 013
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DWill
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| Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 8:17 pm Post subject:
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Hi Frank,
It was the aspect of mobilizing people, and changing hearts and minds, that I was trying to get a fix on. Of course, there are numerous public and private sector projects focused on the environment, a small sample of which you've provided. And some of them may do the mobilizing I mentioned. I just wonder whether the churches might potentially have an advantage in their positioning. I am not trying to be argumentative here, but to look at the matter dispassionately.
DWill |
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Frank 013
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| Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 8:35 pm Post subject:
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DWill
I just wonder whether the churches might potentially have an advantage in their positioning. I am not trying to be argumentative here, but to look at the matter dispassionately. |
I understand completely…
If you want to change people’s behavior the laws must ultimately be changed… The secular institutions are in a much better position to do this because they have a better understanding of the problem.
In addition religions must first combat their own traditionalism before a behavioral change can be accomplished.
IMO
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| Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 8:48 pm Post subject:
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The neurological necessity for belief will transcend any amount of logical buffeting as it should because of its ubiquity. There is much good in religious institutionalism, mainly the alternative they provide to another more boisterous groups and street gangsterism.
Religion is very pluralistic and so it is very difficult to buffet on anything less than very loose logical. But I will say this: in the true ideology of religion should there be no distinction between the organization and the individual, in the mystics view are we not all living through the design of a higher purpose?
What type of religious man, under the same Gods that gave me a life as to him dare draw a line between us and say that what is developing on my side of the line is somehow disconnected from the goings on behind his poorly traced line in the sand.
What is the point of going on and on about all the good religious organizations are doing when what should be discussed is what we should all be doing in our shared humanity?
Posting ad nose um about this distracts from a reasonable and, more importantly, readable debate.
And worse it leaves those who respond little more substantive ground to start from.
The role religion plays in environmental issues? The same as my role in giving advice to a child at the corner store on the benefit of recycling while I make my consumer choices, where I work, and where I donate charity.
I have seen nothing but lofty advertising, and convoluted mysticism and for what?
Certainly not clarity on an important issue.
This thread has become no less than a trivial copy and paste match with precious little filling given out to sop up the voids left in empty arguments.
I agree that religion as an institution is in a very good position to influence change, no question about that. But can it? Would the patrons of church X find the message less palatable if it actually meant taking the road not in glory but in service of a higher purpose. (No pun intended)  |
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Frank 013
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