NCC Eco-Justice Working Group -- Capsules: Summer 2004

Summer 2004

Indigenous Environmental Network held its 13th Annual Protecting Mother Earth gathering. June 17-20, Elk Creek Resort, South Dakota.

Annual Thomas Berry Award and Lecture was held May 11 at the Interfaith Center of New York. Contact Jonathoan Cerullo at 212-685-4242.

The North American Coalition for Christianity sponsored"Bringing the Church Back Down to Earth: How Progressive Christians Embrace Ecology," a conference held June 25-27 in St. Paul, MN. Click here for information.

The Witness online newsletter produced by the Episcopal Church dedicated its April 22 issue to eco-justice issues.

United Congregational Methodist Church (Salamanca, NY) produced a six week study on "Reconciliation: Repairing our relationships with God, each other and our planet." For an outline of the program, contact Rev. Bob Thomas at bobuc2@juno.com or 716-945-2120.

Read the spring Green Sanctuary newsletter from the Unitarian Universalist Association.

Eco-Justice Working Group

Church of the Brethren

Environmental Justice Office of Presbyterian Church (USA)

Presbyterian Washington Office

Episcopal Ecological Network

Greek Orthodox Church in America

Luthern Earthkeeping Network of the Synods

Reformed Church in America

United Church of Christ

United Methodist Board of Church and Society

Sign the Prayer Petition!
Call for Politicians to Protect God's Creation
God asked us to “tend the garden” and to leave God’s creation whole and healthy for generations to come. We need political leaders who will honor God’s command and commit to being better stewards of our air, water, wild lands and wildlife. At a time when environmental problems are on the rise, we need leaders who will keep our promise to protect God’s creation. We are asking people of faith to pray for a change — a change of heart and direction — and sign our Prayer Petition. (Click here to view NCC's Christian Principles in an Election Year.)

Prayer Petition: The Earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it. During this Season of Change, we pray that our elected public servents will heed God's Call to preserve and protect God's Creation. Sign the petition!

People of Faith Protect God's Forests
People of faith are speaking out to protect our nation's forests in response to the proposal by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to replace the Roadless Area Conservation Rule. This proposed rulemaking would eliminate all federal prohibitions against new roads in designated roadless areas in U.S. national forests that are currently free of new logging roads. Join us in speaking out by signing our Faith Letter to Protect our National Forests.

Maryland Hosts H2oly Water Event
MidAtlantic lay leaders and clergy gathered in Annapolis, Maryland, to focus on water issues from a faith perspective during H2oly Water: Source of Life, June 25-26, and a Clergy Training on June 28. More than 60 people attended both events, which were sponsored by Maryland's Interfaith Coalition on the Environment and the National Council of Churches. The green gathering features inspirational services led by Rev. Brenda Girton-Mitchell, "green" building tours, hands-on workshops, and presentations by Dr. Matthew Baker, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, and John Flood, Chesapeake Bay Foundation's Conservationist of the Year. Click here for more information about this or other Water Events.

Creation Care Awards Deadline Extended
The National Religious Partnership for the Environment will be offering Creation Care Awards for congregations and faith-based organizations that have carried out an environmental program, activity, event, or project. Awards range from $150-$500. To apply, click here.

Island Nation Connections
by Vy Nygen
In the vast Pacific Ocean lies a small island called Tarawa, home to roughly 20,000 people. This island serves as the capital of Kiribati, a nation of 33 islands and 80,000 people. Many people from the northern hemisphere have never heard of Kiribati, never the less its capital, Tarawa. Amazingly, this island is filled with beautiful palm trees and sunshine, a paradise that is truly one of God's creations. Click here to continue.

Congregational Update:
Amherst Congregation Celebrates God's Earth
by Betsy Krogh, First Congregational of Amherst, UCC
This year we continued our Earth-themed programming: we held a Stations of the Earth service on Good Friday, an Honoring the Earth Sunday worship service April 25, and in May are offering a four-week Adult Christian Ed series based on the Global Action Plan's Eco-Team program. Also, we now have reframed our traditional Church fair in November with the theme of recycling - "Celebration without Proliferation" (since we sell mostly used clothes, "white elephants", used books, used children's toys and consumables like jellies and baked goods). We are eager to get ideas of other ways our congregation and members canact to heal and defend the Earth, based on our faith understanding of the sacredness of all God's Creation.

To submit news from your congregation, or for information on ways to make your congregation more environmentally friendly, click here.

NCC Anti-Logging Efforts in Hondoras
Two top staff members of the National Council of Churches USA were part of a delegation of prominent U.S. citizens that accompanied a recent "March for Life" against illegal logging and related corruption in Honduras and helped win a meeting between Father Andrés Tamayo, who organized the march, and Honduran President Ricardo Maduro. The Rev. Dr. Bob Edgar, NCC General Secretary, and Dr. Tony Kireopoulos, Associate General Secretary for International Affairs and Peace, spent June 30-July 2 in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, as part of the 10-member delegation organized by the Center for International Policy, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group.

Advocacy Alerts and Legislative Update
Oceans: In early June, the House passed the Commerce, Justice and State appropriations bill (H.R. 4754) by a vote of 397-18. The House ignored the recommendations of two national reports on oceans that urged increased funding for oceans protection, and instead slashed the budget for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration by $543 million from last year's level. Hardest hit were programs for ocean and coastal conservation and fisheries management.

Climate Bill Update: Sen. McCain (R-AZ) and Sen. Lieberman (D-CT) failed in their attempt to have the Senate vote a second time on their Climate Stewardship Act (S. 139), which would enact mandatory controls on emissions that cause global warming. The senators filed the global warming bill as an amendment to an unrelated bill on class action lawsuits (S. 2062), but Senate Majority Leader Frist (R-TN) used a parliamentary procedure to block any floor votes on amendments. Sen. McCain and Sen. Lieberman have vowed to continue pushing for votes on the global warming bill until it passes the Senate, but they may not find another opportunity before the Senate adjourns this year.

Water: In light of the growing shortage of clean water in the developing world and the international trend toward the privatization of water systems, U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) and 32
co-sponsored Water for the World Resolution, which was introduced
in the U.S. House of Representatives and calls for water to be regarded as a public good and fundamental human right.

From the Desk of . . .
by: Cassandra Carmichael, NCC eco-justice program director
Sitting in my office, which is located in the heart of Capital Hill in Washington, DC, it can be challenging to be patient and hope filled amid all the politics. So, with summer in full swing, I did what any urban professional would do--I fled to my parents rural home in coastal North Carolina. Time and again I am pleasantly surprised when a simple walk among the trees and along the water's edge can bring me both peace and energy to continue to follow God's calling. I'm not one to avoid going to the well more than once, so I went back to North Carolina (this time in the western region) to soak in more of God's good earth. I hope that you have found the time and space this summer to breathe in God's goodness and to celebrate and appreciate God's wonderful creation.

"Celebrate God's good works." --Luke 11:33 (RSV)