Festivals, Appeals, & Season of Creation
Multifaith Voices for Creation and the Planet this Week
My weekly(ish) needed a supplement this week for all the good things going on to address climate, creation, and environmental justice by people of faith this week. This week is also the second week where many Christians are celebrating the Season of Creation. (find more on the weekly)
One Million Trees. The Mennonite Mission Network is working to plant one million trees, a campaign they hope to complete by 2030. In August, the Q’eqchi’ Bezaleel Mennonite Educational Center together with the Glesia Nacional Evangélica Menonita Guatemalteca planted 367 of that million in Alta Verapaz. Reported this week from Goshen News, Indiana, Greening the faith: Students plant avocado trees in Guatemala.
Collaboration for resilience, restoration, and clean up. The Disciples of Christ at Harbor Christian Church and Sacred Places Institute have joined with UC Irvine and neighborhood, conservancy, and justice organizations to collaborate on solutions to climate threats and impacts. From UCI News, UC Irvine leads regional project to reduce climate change risks in California. $5.5 million effort will prioritize community engagement, environmental justice.
Rosh Hashanah is September 15-17! Happy New Year to those who celebrate! For some congregations, creation and environment will be part of the celebration. From Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle, Congregation Shalom seeks a better Earth and Congregation Emanu-El B’ne Jeshurun’s Susan Cosden says we missed the mark on caring for the Earth. They will practice tikkun olam in conservation and stewardship.
Ancient Prayer and Wisdom. For generations, the people of Pakistan practiced prayers and rituals that arose from a life among the Himalayan, Karakorum, and Hindu Kush glaciers. As the glaciers melt, the water that has sustained people and agriculture is threatened. As part of practices of resilience, an ancient ritual is revived. From NPR, A glacier baby is born: Mating glaciers to replace water lost to climate change.
Congregational Worship & Mission. Six congregations have been selected from the Episcopalian Church and the Anglican Church of Canada to form a partnership where liturgy, mission, and religious practice address the climate crisis. From the Episcopal News Service, Six North American congregations selected for new climate-related worship and mission partnership.
New Creation Care Team. Not just new, but heralded with great joy! The Archdiocese of Louisville celebrated its brand new Creation Care Team this week. From The Record, Central Kentucky, New ‘creation care team’ provides resources for Season of Creation.
Supporting Hunger and Relief. Thompson United Methodist Church in Thompson, Iowa, is organizing a CROP walk to benefit Church World Service. One of the areas of focus for the event will be climate change. From The Clinton Herald, Clinton, Iowa, 2023 CROP walk scheduled from Sunday, October 1 at Thomson United Methodist Church.
Environment and Janmashtami. The Janmashtami festival was last week, September 6-7, and Hindu devotees wished happy birthday to Krishna (Happy Birthday!) and shared prayers and well wishes. A couple specific connections with environment and engagement in the news included, from the Hindustani Times, DJJS's grand Janmashtami Mahotsav to also have chanting, prayers for G20 summit's success. And a more practical collaboration between faith and community, reported in Fiji One News, where a Hindu Priest participated in environmental training to support recycling and waste management during the Krishna Janmashtami festival, PRF urges religious leaders to raise awareness on environmental-related issues.
Prayers for G20. As preparations are being made for the G20 summit in New Delhi, faith leaders are also gathering and preparing to speak and be visible at the summit. They are calling for an international effort toward a new framework of economy and finance that puts the vulnerable first. From Lutheran World Federation, Appeal to G20: Safeguard our children’s future.
Two Day Summit. The Church in Wales believes addressing the climate crisis is so important it is organizing a two day climate summit. The Archbishop of Wales, the Most Revd Andrew John, announced the summit as an opportunity to gather collaborative community of stake holders and organizations to solve challenges. They will free up considerable financial resources for the effort. From Church Times—Church in Wales puts tackling climate crisis at heart of strategy.
Laudato Si Organizing. Catholic Leaders the world over are speaking out for care of this earth, especially during the Season of Creation. In Myanmar, from The Tablet, Church leaders demand ‘ecological justice’: Cardinal Bo: “Never in history have so many millions suffered for the egoistic enjoyment of a few.” And in the Philippines, from The Herald, Philippine churches open ‘Season of Creation,’ call for accountability Christian Churches in the Philippines marked the start of the month-long observance of the “Season of Creation” with a call for justice for communities affected by development aggression. Faith leaders called out corporations and the government for ongoing socio-ecological degradation, calling for repentance and change.
African Climate Summit. A siblinghood of faith leaders rose at the Africa Climate Summit to demand justice. From Religion News Service, At African climate summit, faith leaders join demands for climate justice. ‘Matters of climate change cannot be politicized, reduced to economies,’ said a Lutheran priest, but instead should be ‘treated as a matter of life and death.’ The show of prayer and solidarity brought Christian and Muslim together for common cause and the declaration that “Destroying the planet is haram.” Religious leaders stood together, and also released a statement together. From ACI Africa, Deliver on “long-overdue” Climate Finance: Africa’s Religious Leaders to Global Community. Watch the Video & Statement from Laudato Si Africa.
Find the faith-round up for Season of Creation week one here: a news & resources round up to showcase and celebrate week one of the Season of Creation.
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