Faith
and the
Environment
St. Paul's is exploring what it means to be good stewards of the earth! The Worship Committee planned and led a celebration of Earth Day on June 27, 2010, which focused our attention on the beauty and power of the Earth, God's commission that humans serve as good stewards of creation, and stories of individual and institutional faithful action in support of the Earth.
The Stewardship Committee led a spirited, intentional conversation after the Earth Day service on the topic of “Faith and the Environment.” The conversation
- invited us to reflect on what it means to be stewards of God’s creation;
- called us to consider what we can each do to become better stewards, including a commitment to one new action; and
- challenged us to consider ways that we as a church can go deeper in this process of caring for our environment.
Click here for detailed notes from the conversation.
This page provides tips and links to some of the resources that the Worship Committee found helpful in the process of developing the worship service. We invite you to share your own links to great books, articles, or websites. Please send your electronic resources to the administrative ministries staff at: office@stpaulsithaca.org.
What You Can do TODAY:
· Take your own plastic bags to the grocery store
· Write letters to the appropriate people
· Carpool to church
· Turn water off while brushing your teeth
· Buy a gadget which screws onto the end of the kitchen faucet. The attached lever turns the water off. Water temperature stays constant
· Compost
· Buy local food
· Buy shade grown coffee. Look for shade grown on the package. In some places this is the only place migrating birds can land because all the other trees in the area are cut down
· Recycle leftover cardboard roll from toilet paper and hand towels
· Start a Nature Group for children, adults, or both
· E-mail good ecological ideas to friends and family
· Tompkins County Recycling & Solid Waste (607-273-6632)
Website Tips:
Global Stewards
Going Green: Environmental Tips for Your Family
EPA Environmental Tips
About My Planet: Green Tips
SimpleLiving.net
In Context: Quarterly of Human Sustainable Culture
Earth911.com
Be ResourceSmart
The Story of Stuff
United Methodist Resources:
Festival of God's Creation (Earth Day) 2009, 2010
God's Renewed Creation: Call to Hope and Action
Gulf Coast Resources for Prayer and Action
Religion, Spirituality, and Ecology Resources:
Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology
Christianity and Ecology (Yale Forum)
Buddhism and Ecology (Yale Forum)
Spirituality and Ecology articles
Integrative Spirituality website
New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG)
Book Resources:
Changing Human Nature: Ecology, Ethics, Genes, and God, James Patterson
The Christian Future and the Fate of Earth, Thomas Berry
Earth Prayers from around the World: 365 Prayers, Poems, and Invocations for Honoring the Earth Elizabeth Roberts, (1991)
The Ecology of the New Testament: Creation, ReCreation, and the Environment, Mark Bredin
The Fishbowl Principle, Bruce Gendelman, Robert B. Miller, and David Taus
Getting a Grip 2: Clarity, Creativity, and Courage for the World We Really Want, Frances Moore Lappe, (2010)
The Great Work, Thomas Berry
Green Deen: What Islam Teaches about Protecting the Planet, Ibrahim Adbul-Matin, foreword by Keith Ellison
Natural Saints: How People of Faith are Working to Save God's Earth, Mallory McDuff
Poetry by Mary Oliver in collections from 1963-2009
The Sacred Universe: Earth, Spirituality, and Religion in the 21st Century, Thomas Berry
The Sustainability Revolution: Portrait of a Paradigm Shift, Andres R. Edwards and David Orr
The Universe Story, Thomas Berry and Brian Swimme
Voluntary Simplicity, Duane Elgin (1981)
Worldwatch Institute, State of the World 2010: Transforming Cultures: From Consumerism to Sustainability