Earth Care: Prayers For the Gulf

The slow-motion tragedy of the gulf oil spill lays bare our collective failure as caretakers of God’s good creation. While unknown thousands of barrels of oil leak into the rich and diverse ecosystem of the Gulf of Mexico, how are we as Christians called to respond? While it is easy to express anger and cast blame at the companies who owned, operated and profited from the deep sea exploration, we must also reflect on our own complicity through our endless demand for cheap oil.

So much remains unknown: How long will the oil flow into the gulf? How far will the oil slick spread? How damaging will the spill be to fragile wetlands and the flora and fauna in the region? How will the spreading oil slick jeopardize the future of thousands of watermen and those who depend on the Gulf for their livelihoods?

In the face of these uncertainties, we turn to the One who is certain – the One whose creative and recreating power is stronger than any of our human folly. May we heed the call of the Scriptures, humble ourselves and pray that God will forgive our sins and heal the land.

Please keep the Gulf of Mexico, the spill, the Gulf Coast, and all of God’s creation in your prayers as we deal with what some are calling the worst environmental disaster of our time.
Read more at www.umc-gbcs.org/gulfcoast

How to treat our earth

Scripture gives insight - By Bishop Richard Wills Jr.

The first mandate given to humanity in Genesis after God created and pronounced creation good was for humans to take dominion over it and rule over it wisely. As stewards of God's creation, we must care for all the earth and place the value of creation over the temptations of power and greed.

Read more . . .

Earth Week Update #5 - Stewardship

Think about your relationship to this Earth which has been your home, and will continue to be for you and your descendents. What will be your own personal “stewardship legacy” regarding this magical and amazing sphere? Will you be a part of leaving it cleaner and more abundant, or will you be a part of the continuing degradation of its water, air, soil and other resources?

Together we can make a difference. Earth car is not something for someone else to do someplace else. It is for us where we are, at home, at work, at church and wherever we go.

The General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church
The Economic and Environmental Justice Program calls the church and society into a greater faithfulness to the biblical vision of wholeness and justice for all of God’s creation. From global warming and environmental racism to worker justice and poverty eradication, the program seeks to restore right relationships among ourselves, others and the created world.
http://www.umc-gbcs.org/site/c.frLJK2PKLqF/b.2808983/

Earth Ministry
Earth Ministry works in partnership with individuals and congregations to respond to this great moral challenge through education, modeling sustainable lifestyle choices, and organizing for social change through environmental advocacy. While rooted in Washington State, our resources are utilized across the U.S. and internationally
http://www.earthministry.org/

20th Annual St. Louis Earth Day Festival - Sunday, April 26, 2009
Every year, St. Louis Earth Day stages what has become the oldest and largest Earth Day celebration in the Midwest on the forth Sunday of April in historic Forest Park. This premier event draws more than 25,000 attendees and 250 vendors through common interests in environmental education, celebration, and stewardship.

http://stlouisearthday.org/

Earth Week Update #1: Why We Care

This week we celebrate Earth Day. On Sunday morning at Lafayette Park UMC we dedicated a new tree on Lafayette Ave. a reminder of our commitment to the environment.

From the General Board of Church and Society - UMC:
The crisis facing God's earth is clear. We, as stewards, have failed to live into our responsibility to care for creation and have instead abused it in ways that now threaten life around the planet.

"The earth lies polluted under its inhabitants; for they have transgressed laws, violated the statutes, broken the ever-lasting covenant." - Isaiah 24, NRSV

The scientific consensus is clear that human activities are leading to a warming of the surface temperatures of the planet and the effects of this warming are being felt now and will be felt more intensely in years to come.

As a matter of stewardship and justice, Christians must take action now to reduce global warming pollution and stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters around the world whose land, livelihood and lives are threatened by the global climate crisis.

- From the General Board of Church and Society - United Methodist Church