I participated in a learning and a worship experience with Evangelist Susan Oxley today who shared insight into Earth Stewardship, Sacredness of Creation and Climate Change. Susan is a member of the North America Climate Justice Team, an ad hoc committee of Community of Christ members; and Susan is also a former Apostle and current Evangelist. Susan brings a powerful voice and passionate focus to these sacred matters.
Susan shared an important TEDx talk on climate change denial by Patrick Belmont.
Patrick Belmont is a hydrologist and geomorphologist. His research has advanced understanding of how landscapes and rivers change over time and the implications for water quantity and quality, flood risk, water resource management, and ecosystem health. Much of his current work focuses on predicting the impacts of climate change, with an emphasis on how continued increases in wildfire are likely to impact water supply and fish populations in Utah and the Intermountain West. Patrick obtained his PhD in Earth and Environmental Sciences at Lehigh University in 2007 and spent two years as a post-doctoral researcher in Civil and Environmental Engineering at University of Minnesota prior to starting at Utah State University. He spent the 2016-2017 academic year in residence at the National University of Ireland, Galway.
Resources for Congregations
One of the newer resources available for pastors, congregation financial officers, building committees and all those who care for our church facilities is the green congregation checklist. This helps our congregations to live more fully into the vision of Zion and the peacable kin-dom of God by living in community in a more sustainable, climate-friendly way. Following Jesus, the peaceful One, means being at peace with the earth and living both corporately and as individuals in a more climate friendly way.
We took action today to order a thermostat for the Lamoni Heartland Mission Center office that will allow us to conserve energy and do more to reduce carbon emissions into the atmosphere.
As individuals and families and communities, we can also take action to live more sustainably. These Earth Day coloring sheets can be used at any time of year to help teach children about sustainability. (Remember, you can even teach children to use digital tools to color these sheets without printing them out.)
The Community of Christ Earth Stewardship Team makes the “Consider the Earth” resource available to help individuals and congregations focus on important climate justice issues. In fact, a whole variety resources on the topic of earth stewardship or climate justice are available and recommended on the world church website.