Greening Your Church -- 5 workshops offered in Colorado In mid-August, Eco-Justice Ministries is offering a series of training sessions for geographic clusters of churches in Colorado. We'll be providing resources, perspectives and encouragement about "greening your church" -- both for churches just getting started, and for those with established programs. < read more ... > A special Denver event on climate change - August 14 The Poverty of Global Climate Change: Impacts on the Church is a presentation by Cassandra Carmichael, director of the National Council of Churches' eco-justice program. She will share information on how global climate change is impacting core church ministries such as hunger, refugee resettlement, and disaster relief. < read more ... > Earth Day Resources For 2006 -- Our friends with the eco-justice program of the National Council of Churches have prepared resources on the theme of Through the Eye of a Hurricane: Rebuilding Just Communities. The materials that can be downloaded from their website includes information on Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, basics on environmental justice and our lifestyle choices, sermon starter, bulletin insert, adult study and youth education ideas. (Registration is required before you can download the NCC materials.) < visit the Earth Day page of the NCC website > For 2004 -- The Lectionary texts for the Sunday after Easter always include the account from the Gospel of John about "Doubting Thomas." Our resources relate doubting and believing to today's environmental crisis. We helped develop a litany on that theme that was distributed to all United Church of Christ congregations in the USA. We also posted an Earth Day sermon using that text that our Executive Director, Peter Sawtell, delivered in 2001. < "God Speaks, Earth Speaks" Litany > (PDF, you'll need Acrobat Reader to open the file) < Peter Sawtell's sermon, "Seeing, Believing & Acting > In 2003, we pointed congregations to the worship and advocacy resources on the theme of water that had been developed by the National Council of Churches and the Earth Day Network. For those in the Denver, Colorado, area, we sponsored an ecumenical worship service on Earth Day, also building on the water theme during the region's continuing time of drought and water restrictions. In 2002, Eco-Justice Ministries developed a set of worship resources on the theme of All Things In Common, building on the lectionary texts for April 21. Worship Resources The set of worship resources includes a call to worship, sermon outline, quotations, a prayer, and suggested hymns. Bulletin Insert: "The Oceans: a threatened part of our global commons" (PDF file) We prepared a bulletin insert that provides depth and relevance to the worship theme. The insert is also suitable for use in congregations that are not using the Having All Things In Common theme. The front side gives information about the importance of oceans for life on this planet, and describes problems related to over-fishing and poor stewardship. The back side lists sources for more information, lists reputable ocean conservation groups, and details ways of taking action, both politically and personally. The insert reveals how issues about oceans and fisheries are important to all people, not just those living in coastal areas. The insert was prepared for Eco-Justice Ministries by Rev. Deborah Streeter, the Director of Upwellings Ministry of Environmental Stewardship, Monterey, California. She is a volunteer guide at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, a member of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council, and a UCC minister. We are deeply grateful to Deborah for sharing her extensive knowledge and insights. Reflections for Advent and Christmas The month of December is a time of special preparation and celebration in Christian churches. The seasons of Advent and Christmas, though, are not usually times when the church pays much attention to ecological themes. Through the years, our weekly commentary, Eco-Justice Notes, has often lifted up ways in which that perspective is at the heart of our familiar seasonal texts and traditions. < see a special index of these articles ... > Rocky Mountain Regional Conference A major environmental conference, Tending the Garden, Cultivating the Commons: Faith-Based Approaches to Shared Environmental Challenges will be held in Denver November 4-5, 2005. The event is co-sponsored by the Eco-Justice Program of the National Council of Churches and Eco-Justice Ministries. National and global leaders in the religious environmental movement are featured presenters. Two specific issues will be highlighted – stewardship of public lands (a matter of special concern in this part of the United States) and global climate change. < read the full conference description ... > Step It Up -- action on climate change On Saturday, April 14, 2007, rallies were held in over 1,000 communities across the US, calling for strong action to address global warming -- an 80% reduction in carbon emissions by 2050. Eco-Justice Ministries co-sponsored an event in Denver that focused on faith communities. < read more about the April event... > < see pictures from the event ... > < read Peter Sawtell's opening message ... > Elections, 2004 We strongly urge all adults in the United States to be informed and responsible voters, applying the values and ethics of their faith to the important choices at stake in this election. The National Council of Churches have published ten Christian Principles in an Election Year, with a helpful study guide. The principles outline positions of faith and ethics that have deep historical and theological roots. We encourage the wide use of this document in US churches. Eco-Justice Ministries is supporting two ballot initiatives in our home state of Colorado that have strong eco-justice implications -- Amendment 37 for renewable energy, and Initiative 4a for expanded public transportation. < more information and bulletin inserts ... > Climate Change Campaigns Eco-Justice Ministries was a very active participant in the Colorado Interfaith Climate Change Campaign. For a number of reasons, that campaign came to an end in late 2001. Eco-Justice Ministries has continued to organize church leaders and advocate on this issue. The Training Event for the Colorado Campaign Information on the event held October 24-25, 2001, and the Colorado Religious Leader's Statement June, 2002, Climate Action appeal In May, 2002, a report from the US Environmental Protection Agency acknowledged the reality of global warming, and detailed likely effects of climate change in the US. Eco-Justice Ministries called on church leaders to build on the media splash around the report as an opportunity for political action and public awareness. This page has numerous suggestions for action, and links to a variety of resources. Ministry in a Time of Drought In the summer of 2002, the Rocky Mountain West -- as well as other parts of the US and the world -- was in a severe drought. Drought is a situation that calls for churches to practice water conservation, and to be attentive to special needs in pastoral care and social justice. It is also an occasion where churches can raise larger questions of eco-justice relationships. We developed resources on Ministry in a Time of Drought to help congregations be faithful, relevant and effective through ministries that pay heed to the dry times. Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Shortly after the terrorist attacks in September, 2001, a legislative amendment was offered which would attach the entire Republican Energy Bill to the Defense Authorization Bill. If this amendment had been adopted, drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and other sensitive areas would have been mandated. We posted and affirmed a statement (Drilling in ANWR Morally Wrong in this Time of Crisis) that had been issued by Lutheran, Episcopalian, UCC, and Presbyterian policy offices. On October 2, 2001, the Senate voted unanimously to defeat the amendment. Endangered Species Act The Endangered Species Act is one of the central pieces of environmental legislation in the United States. Bills now in the US Senate threaten to weaken the act significantly. Please call your Senators right away and demand a strong ESA! < read more ... > Thanks, Presbyterians! In May, 2003, Eco-Justice Ministries was honored with a Restoring Creation Award from the national membership group, Presbyterians for Restoring Creation (PRC). The award was presented at the group's annual meeting, held in Denver during the Presbyterian General Assembly. The recognition from PRC for our "creative witness" in the three years since the founding of Eco-Justice Ministries is a matter of considerable pride! Many thanks to our good colleagues in the faith-based movement for environmental wholeness with social justice < Peter Sawtell's "Reflections" at the PRC luncheon >