Summer 2010 Edition
News
 Tragedy in the Gulf: An Eco-justice Prospective - An oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, 2010 marked the beginning of the worst oil spill disaster in U.S. history. While it might be difficult to process all of the details of the oil spill, it’s encouraging to know that the faith community is reaching out to help with the response. As people of faith, we are called to encourage our leaders to stay strong in the journey ahead. We can continue to pray for those in harm’s way and for those who are working tirelessly to stop the oil from spreading. Click here for more.
 Free Park Days and Reflections on the Land: God’s land and my time on it provide me with the tools to continue and thrive in my ministry. Our hikes remind me that the land experiences the seasons, that it changes with the advent of a new day and a new night and that the animals who live on this land depend on the cycles and seasons that are a vital part of God’s Creation. These creatures are dependent on the land and the natural changes that define a place and on the presence of land to be fruitful and multiply. Click here to read more and learn about the National Park Service’s “free park days.”
McCormick Offers Certificate in Environmental Ministry and Leadership: Beginning in August of 2010, McCormick Theological Seminary will be offering the Certificate in Environmental Ministry and Leadership Designed for pastors and leaders of religious and nonprofit institutions seeking to integrate ecological justice and care for God’s world into their communities and core missions, the program consists of a series of two and one-half day sessions held at McCormick’s Hyde Park campus on Chicago’s South Side. Sessions are scheduled for August and October of 2010, and February and May of 2011. Click here for more information.
A Lesson from the Gulf Oil Spill: We are All Connected - By Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church
The Huffington Post: June 22, 2010 Click here to read the article.
Sins Against Nature and God: We Are All Accountable for Ignoring the Global Consequences of Environmental Exploitation By Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew
The Huffington Post: May 10, 2010. Click here to read the article.
Oil Spill Prompts Environmental Soul Searching – By Nicole Neroulias Religion News service
The Baptist Standard: June 17,2010. Click here to read the article.
Rx for Mother Earth: How the Planet’s Health is Affecting Our Own by Rebeckah Simon-Peter: In the face of a desperately ill Mother Earth that’s also sickening life on earth, what’s a church to do? Click here to read more.
United Methodist's Called to go "Deep Green": The call to be “deep green” means getting at the root causes of poverty, disease, violence and environmental degredation. Click here to read the article in the United Methodist Newscope.
Get Engaged
 Stewardship Opportunities for Maryland Congregations
The NCC will be giving presentations to Maryland congregations interested in learning how to be good stewards ofGod’s Creation in the Chesapeake Bay. Learn more about the theological and scriptural calling to stewardship of Creation. Discoverpractical ways your congregation can care for Creation by installing rain gardens or rain barrels, improving the energy efficiency of your church buildings, or conserving water. Presentations can be tailored to meet the needs of your congregation. Contact Lizzie at elizabeth@nccecojustice.org if you would like to have a speaker give a presentation at your church. Click here for resources for congregations in the Chesapeake Bay.
 Calling on Women of Faith to Make Cosmetics Safe: Did you know that there are over 11,000 untested chemicals in our personal care products such as lead in lipstick and formaldehyde in kid’s bubble bath? Click here to add your name to the growing signatures of women of faith asking Congress to get toxic chemicals out of personal care products.
Add to your summer reading list Not Just a Pretty Face. Join a teleconference with author Stacy Malkan on October 8th at 5pm PST, 6pm MST, 7pm CST, or 8pm EST. Email Chloe Schwabe at chloe@nccecojustice.org to sign up for the teleconference or for more information.
Events
“Earth Democracy” - Lecture by Dr. Vandana Shiva
The Riverside Church, 490 Riverside Drive, New York, NY, USA July 7, 2010
For More Information, contact: thecssr@gmail.com
“Thomas Berry and the Great Work of Our Time”: Summer Institute at Sophia Center in Culture & Spirituality, Holy Names University, Oakland, CA, USA, July 15-18, 2010
For More Information, visit: http://uniquewebdesignandprinting.com/sophia/summerInstitute.html
 The Eco-Stewards Program - Tending the Garden: A Faith Response to Protecting & Restoring Mountains, Communities & Relationships May 16-23, 2010: Young adults (ages 18-30) spent time in beautiful southernWest Virginia, wherethey delved into the complex environmental issues surrounding mountains, coal, land use, and sustainability andconsidered how theseissues invite us to deepen our relationship with God and with each other -- to live more simply, to consume less, and to join in a dynamic Christian movement to care for the earth. Click here to learn more about the Eco-Stewards Program. Many of the participants stayed in the area to do summer internships. Click here to read their blog.
Resources
Gulf Coast Worship Resources
Prayers for the Gulf - Click here for a bulletin insert and resouce for congregations to facilitate a prayerful response to the Gulf oil disaster.
A LITANY FOR THE SEA AND ALL ITS CREATURES
Inspired in Psalm 136 & Mark 16:15
By Rev. Neddy Astudillo (06-2010) Click here
Hymn: O God, the Great, Wide Seas are Yours
MELITA 8.8.8.8.8.8 (“Eternal Father, Strong to Save”) Biblical references: Genesis 1-2:4 Tune: John B. Dykes, in Hymns Ancient and Modern, 1861. Text: Copyright © 2010 by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette. Click here
New Eco-Justice Resources Available from the ELCA.
Hunger Toolkits: Hunger Education toolkits will help you design, host, and lead a learning experience on hunger or hunger-related topics including climate chage. Click here.
Climate Change and Hunger in Nicaragua: Watch the video an download the accompanying discussion guide, As long as the earth endures.
“Greening Church Culture: A Guide to Adult Christian Environmental Education and Formation Curricula: This resource evaluates existing curricula and directs future curriculum developers to consider innovation in several crucial, often controversial, content areas. Click here to learn more.
Let There Be Stuff: a six-session curriculum that helps Christian teenagers explore the relationship between their consumption, their faith, and the health of God’s planet. Click here to learn more.
Film Series – Earth Bound: Created + Called to Care for Creation
EarthBound is a journey beyond the rhetoric into God’s rich and complex creation. The series takes Martin Luther’s breakthrough understanding of Justification and Vocation and explodes it across God’s magnificent creation. Click here to learn more.
An Ethics of Biodiversity: Christianity, Ecology, and the Variety of Life by Kevin J. O'Brien: This bookoffers a set of tools for students, environmentalists, and people of faith to think critically about how human beings can live with and as part of the variety of life in God’s creation. Click here to lean more.
|
