Five General Agencies of the UMC are joining together this year to commit to Net-Zero Carbon Emissions* in their operations and as a resource for the whole denomination. We look forward to their initiative and the harvest of responsible stewardship of the earth’s resources that it will produce in years to come. For more information, take a look at this YouTube resource from our denominational agencies: https://youtu.be/2sZZI8V-Zpc
What a
timely agenda as we approach Earth Day
2021, Tuesday, April 20. Though not a program of the UMC,
“Earth Day” is an annual reminder that this planet urgently needs protection,
care and respect. Founded in 1970, it now engages 190-plus countries around the
world in that quest. It is a clarion call
for public consciousness and political action. (www.earthday.org)
From the creation of the world recorded in the Book of Genesis, God’s people are called to “work the garden and also to keep it.” (Genesis 2:15) “Keeping” it requires care and wise stewardship of the planet’s resources for all to enjoy. Our Earth is not to be exploited for monetary gain.
Carbon
emissions, greenhouse gases, climate change are a byproduct of industrialization
and commercial enterprises of the wealthiest nations. We are reaping a baleful
harvest of increasingly dire climate disasters as a result. The poor, disenfranchised
and marginalized peoples of the world become the most harmed victims of these
disasters, as they often live in the most undesirable and vulnerable places.
The Social Principles of The United Methodist Church call us to “recognize the responsibility of the Church and its members to place a high priority on changes in economic, political, social and technological lifestyles to support a more ecologically equitable and sustainable world, leading to a higher quality of life for all of God’s creation.” (2016 UM Book of Discipline, paragraph 160)
And from the
2016 Book of Resolutions (#1044 “Caring
for Creation: Our Call to Stewardship and Justice”) we read “As United
Methodists we therefore are called to participate in God’s healing of creation
through acts of personal, social and civic righteousness. Proclaiming and modeling a new lifestyle
rooted in stewardship and justice, we work toward the day when all God’s
children respect and share in the goodness of creation.”
So what does
this mean for us personally and in our local churches? We can’t solve all the
problems of the environment, but we can all do something to help make it better.
Sometimes the enormity of the planet’s climate crisis causes us to overlook the
power of the small but vitally important things we can do.
According to the General Board of Church and Society’s “Faith and Facts: Environmental Justice,” we can all personally take action in the following ways:
- Reduce: buy less stuff.
- Reuse: pack a “no-waste” lunch using reusable containers instead of disposables; find innovative ways to repurpose old products.
- Recycle: Paper, glass, aluminum and plastic.
- Refuse: Do not use or accept plastic bags when you make purchases. Bring reusable bags with you.
- Rethink: How much is enough? Once you decide you need an item make sure it was produced in a way that is both earth-friendly and worker-friendly.
We can all
do these simple things. Our churches are
also places where numerous environmental protective practices can be employed
and taught. In her book, Seven Simple
Steps to Green Your Church, author Rebekah Simon-Peter invites churches to
form a “Green Team” that analyzes the systems in the church building that can ultimately
be adapted to lower its carbon footprint.
Along with
recycling practices, churches can install energy efficient forms of heating,
cooling and lighting. They can create community gardens and encourage “green”
practices in the kitchen and office—for example, the use of non-toxic cleaning
products.
Most
importantly, we can be teaching these principles and practices to our church
members and our young people. That way, we can begin to create a culture of Creation-Care that can encourage
Biblical principles of stewardship—stewardship of God’s Creation—far into the
future.
I encourage
you to do something new in your personal life and at your church that can
demonstrate your commitment to “keeping the earth” and respecting God’s amazing
gifts bestowed upon us.
*Net zero means achieving a balance between the greenhouse gases
put into the atmosphere and those taken out. ... This state is also referred to
as carbon neutral; although zero emissions and zero
carbon are slightly different, as they usually mean that no emissions were
produced in the first place.
Also see:
- Help to celebrate Earth Day
Churches looking to plan a service around Earth Day, April 22, can download free resources from the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries. Many churches pick a Sunday in April to mark the occasion and create awareness around environmental sustainability. The resources include an Earth Day sermon, litany and Scripture reading via video or text. Download Earth Day materials - Monday, April
19-Saturday, May 1
Online course: Hope and Justice for Creation - UMC Book of Resolutions Energy Policy Statement (2016)
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