Christians and The Environment
1 May 2007
We had a great meeting with our church community, Sunday night as follow up to as series on the environment/social justice/consumerism that we have been through over 5 Sundays.
At the meeting we focused on identifying the key areas for us to engage in as a church ministry for environmental issues, and suggested these:
1. Footprint: CO2 reduction, of the church and individuals.
2. Education: Aspects of training, education, discussion, learning, web resources, and counsel for church members and our community to learn about and make changes.
3. Products: Research and advice to church family and wider church on ways to use consumption (i.e. beneficial products), and reduce consumption of products.
4. Lobbying/Politics: A role for transformation of our local community, engagement in local politics, and awareness of politics of environmental issues.
5. Whole Life Discipleship: The ongoing process of integrating all of these areas as part of our discipleship, and church discipleship.
6. Community Projects: Opening our church projects and initiatives to the local community, and joining in existing local initiatives.
7. Accountability: Having staff and trustees of church produce policies and procedures that keep the church accountable and support these values and practices.
At our next meeting in June, we will set some goals, choose the first lots of activities we are going to pursue, and see who take forward these ideas and form our environment ministry team.
So for any of you involved in this in a church community, or had experience of environmental issues, any key areas you think we missed out?
Tagged: Christian-Living, Environment, Ethics, Resources
9 comments
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Comment by David
5.14 pm on 1 May 2007
Hey Jason,
Good stuff!
One thing we want to do is get involved somehow with a sectarian environmental organization. It give us a chance to build relationships with those ‘outside the church’, and because they already have the passion, resources, and knowledge, it can make us – as Revolution and others – more effective in this cause.
Comment by Jason Clark
10.20 am on 2 May 2007
Do you have anyone in mind to approach?
Comment by brett jordan
6.12 pm on 1 May 2007
Hot air from the pulpit?
Comment by brodie
9.36 am on 2 May 2007
Jason – That’s a great list and it’s good to see that your wanting to do things together in this area as a church community. You could add under footprint the whole idea of reducing our footprint in terms of the resources we use, in other words a call to simplicity. You might also want to think of how as individuals and a church you can reuse stuff and recycle. Here’s a couple of examples – don’t use plastic bags from the shops, carry your own bag for putting the shopping inthat you can use again and again. Use the blank side of “scrap” paper for notes, drafts etc.
Comment by Jason Clark
10.21 am on 2 May 2007
Thanks Brodie, we’ll be doing all those under the recycle/reduce area, thanks mate.
Comment by Lyn
11.04 am on 2 May 2007
Hi Jason,
I just wanted to say that I’m really encouraged to hear that Sutton Vineyard has been looking at environmental issues. This is a subject which really gets me fired up, as I feel on the whole the church is ignoring the issue. Rick Meigs has a good post on this a few weeks ago, which there are lots of suggestions on, you can find it here http://blindbeggar.org/?p=486
:)
Comment by Jason
6.09 am on 3 May 2007
Thanks for the link Lyn, and encouragement. Jason.
Comment by Tom Allen
7.34 pm on 2 May 2007
WE have found it particularly helpful to have a “supplier policy” which means that we look at all goods and service which we are being supplied with with eco lenses – this extends to our extensive building work contracts having eco clauses in it – so lime based mortar rather than cement etc etc. What has impressed us is how firms have suggested ideas to us which reflects how business is becoming eco aware.
Tom
Comment by Jason
6.10 am on 3 May 2007
Hi Tom, that’s a great notion, we’ll do likewise. Jason.
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