|
Earthday
Sunday 2010 resource
available for order or download
Washington, January
7, 2010 -- The 2010
Earth Day Sunday Resource, Sacred Spaces and an Abundant Life: Worship
Spaces as Stewardship is available now to help congregations prepare for
and celebrate stewardship of God’s Creation in their house of worship.
Click here
to download a copy from the web.
Click here
to request a (free) hard copy.
For
more information on the topics covered in this resource, click
here.
Excerpts from the resource:
|
Dedication to God: Sacred Spaces as Ministry
The people of Israel gave free will offerings for the
building of the temple, recognizing that all they had already belonged
to God (1 Chronicles 29: 11-14). The sanctuary of the congregation—the
place we build to worship and glorify God—truly belongs to God. When
we choose to maintain and run our
religious
facilities, our sacred places of worship and ministry, in ways that
honor God, we remember that we are but stewards of these sacred spaces
that belong to God.
Good s tewardship of our sacred spaces—whether they be
a small rural church, a camp and conference center, a religious
school, an urban ministry run out of rented building, or a large
suburban church—involves ecological stewardship, fiscal discipline,
and social justice responsibility.
Good building stewardship includes, but isn’t limited
to:
• Energy efficiency and conservation
• Reducing toxic materials and products
• Water conservation
• Land and habitat conservation
Energy efficiency and conservation.
By reducing
energy use, you can reduce air pollution and carbon emissions as well
as reduce the church’s operating expenses, leaving more funds for
mission. Since a majority of U.S. electricity is generated from coal
and gas (non-renewable energy sources), energy use not only creates
pollution and harms God’s Earth, but also harms God’s people. Coal
mining causes adverse health impacts for workers and communities
living near the mine, including lung disorders such as black lung and
asthma. Communities surrounding oil refineries suffer from skin
irritations and lung disorders such as asthma.
Energy conservation is a significant way to be a good
steward of Creation, practice good fiscal stewardship, and help
vulnerable populations from adverse health impacts.
Simple ways churches can reduce energy:
• Install programmable thermostats
• Weatherize church buildings
• Lower the temperature of your hot water heater
• Replace broken appliances with energy efficient models
Click
here to download the entire resource.
|
NCC News contact:
Philip E. Jenks, 212-870-2228 (office), 646-853-4212 (cell) ,
pjenks@ncccusa.org
|
