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Creation Care Network E-news
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Dear friends,
Welcome to our second monthly CCN e-news. No, that’s not a typo for CNN. “CCN” stands for Creation Care Network, which includes everyone reading this newsletter. If you haven’t done so already, please subscribe!
This Wednesday, October 4, the Church celebrates the Feast of Francis of Assisi, the day that our diocese embarks on our annual
Season of Creation
. This special season, which extends through the end of November, encourages us to deepen our relationship with God through the natural world and to pray and take action to heal the fraying web of life.
Do you sometimes feel depressed or worry about the future? Do you feel jittery about the nuclear standoff with North Korea? Are you stressed by too many emails or too much to do? Whatever difficulties you’re coping with, I hope you will let God minister to you through the natural world. God is ready to speak to you through wind and trees, to address you in the harsh cry of geese flying overheard, and to greet you in the shining strands of a single spider web. Maybe one of the best things you can do for yourself during Creation Season is to make a commitment every day to spend five or ten minutes letting God find you as you gaze, listen, and wander outside, with no agenda except to be available to God.
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Wondering what else you and your congregation can do this season? Visit the pages on
Act
,
Advocate
,
Learn
, and
Pray
. We’ve got plenty of ideas!
Here is some other good news:
1. A Lawrence House intern, Shalom Kristanugraha, is working with us this year to support the diocese’s ministry of Creation care. Welcome, Shalom! Thank you for your ministry and leadership!
2. “Listening to Native Voices: Standing Rock is Everywhere” will be a truly memorable event, bringing together hundreds of people to celebrate Chief Arvol Looking Horse and other First Nations leaders as we celebrate St. Francis Day on Saturday, October 7, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. at
Agape Community
in Hardwick, MA. Come early, bring your own lunch, and, if you like, bring apples or other finger food to share. Bishop Doug Fisher and I will lead some of the prayers.
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3. At our diocesan convention on October 28, delegates will consider a resolution, “We Are Still In.” Sponsored by the Social Justice Commission and your Missioner for Creation Care, the resolution pledges support of the goals of the Paris Climate Accord and calls on the Church to make moral decisions about energy use, to preach about climate change, and to be bold in proclaiming the urgency of the climate crisis in the public square and at the local, state, and federal levels.
This is an important resolution that makes a strong statement both to our selves and to the world about what Christian discipleship looks like in a time of climate disruption.
Our sister diocese, the Diocese of Massachusetts, will consider a similar “We Are Still In” resolution at its own convention a week after ours.
I pray that across Massachusetts, the Episcopal branch of the Jesus Movement will speak will one voice to say that, when it comes to the Paris Climate Accord, WE ARE STILL IN!
I urge you to
read the resolution
. If you are a convention delegate, I humbly ask that you support the resolution. If you are not a convention delegate, I hope that you will reach out to your delegates and ask them to support it.
4. On Saturday, November 11, I will lead an all-day retreat on Christianity and environmental justice. The retreat will be held at a peaceful and beautiful spot, Rolling Ridge Retreat & Conference Center in North Andover. It will bring together Christians from across a wide range of denominations who want to pray, learn and connect with each other as we answer God’s call to hear the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor. Please come, and carpool with other members of your church. For information and to register, visit
here
.
As you know, my website is
RevivingCreation.org
. I invite you to visit, take a look around, and sign up for blog posts.
If you would like me to preach or speak at your church, please drop me a line (
[email protected]
).
In the meantime, as St. Paul wrote to his friends in Philippi: “I thank my God every time I remember you” (Phil. 1:3).
Blessings,
(The Rev. Dr.) Margaret Bullitt-Jonas
Missioner for Creation Care
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Opportunities for Engagement
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LEARN + PRAY
Listening to Native Voices:
Standing Rock is Everywhere
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Come listen to Chief Arvol Looking Horse of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe (and many other indigenous leaders) speak a
bout our relationship with the earth!
Bishop Doug Fisher will be offering prayers, and the Rev. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas will be presenting the Steward of God's Creation Award to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe on behalf of the NRCCC. Admission is
free for all.
Arrive early by 9am for street parking, and BYOL (bring your own lunch). For more information you can find the Facebook event
here
and the visit the Agape Community site
here
.
When:
Saturday, October 7, from 10am to 4pm
Where:
Agape Community, 2062 Greenwich Rd, Hardwick, MA 01082
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Join in with various faith leaders and learn about practical and actionable ways to decrease your congregation's carbon footprint and save money in the meanwhile! On October 15, the First Church of Christ Longmeadow is hosting a workshop about energy efficiency for c
lergy, lay leaders, and building & creation care committee members
of congregations across all faiths. Two
attendees per house of worship
are encouraged to attend. Workshop fee is $20. Register
here
by October 11. For more information visit the church website
here.
When:
Sunday, October 15, from 1.30pm to 5.30pm
Where:
First Church of Christ Longmeadow, 163 Longmeadow Street, Longmeadow, MA
01106
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LEARN + PRAY
10th Annual Interfaith Conference on Climate Change: Transforming Prayers Into Passionate Action
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Rhode Island Interfaith Power and Light
is hosting an evening of dinner, networking, learning, and local action featuring Tim DeChristopher and musician Bryan Cahall.
his educational conference promises to help inspire us to cultivate the deep resilience necessary to face our climate crisis, together! Check out the event's Facebook page
here
. For more info about the presenters and to register (by October 8th!) go
here
. Admission is $30 for the general public and $10 for students.
When:
Monday,
October 16,
5.30pm to 9pm
Where:
Providence College, 251 Huxley Avenue, Providence, RI 02908
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Do you know how much energy is your house is using? ener-G-save may have the answer. Utilizing thermal imaging technology, ener-G-save, a "philanthropically funded energy efficiency pilot project in the Pioneer Valley,” aims to educate homeowners in the Pioneer Valley about the state of their home energy use. Last month, ener-G-save
scanned a number of neighborhoods in Pioneer Valley towns (go
here
to see if your town participated!),
and
s
ent postcards to individual homes to kick
-
start awareness of household energy use.
Click
here
to find out whether or not
your house has been thermally imaged.
In addition to providing free assessment, ener-G-save also makes it easy for folks follow up and take action to make their homes more energy efficient. Call their hotline number (413-279-9141) or fill out their
online form
to
"access pre-screened contractors and financial incentives through utility and state programs
to determine which kind of work and which financial help makes the most sense in each particular case." You'll be glad you did!
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ADVOCATE + LEARN
An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power
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An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power
is an account of the decade following the release of Al Gore's 2006 film
An Inconvenient Truth.
The film, which aired worldwide this past August, follows the "inspirational idea that while the stakes have never been higher, the perils of climate change can be overcome with human ingenuity and passion."
This October, DVD and Blu-Ray versions are set to be released--and this is where opportunities to get involved arise!
Host a screening
at your church, and use the
Sabbath resource guide
to help kick start a discussion alongside. Join the conversation on social media by using the
#BeInconvenient
hashtag and
pledge
to choose, speak out, and vote for climate justice.
Purchase and read
the supplementary action handbook. And of course, be sure to share with friends!
Check out the official film site
here
.
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If you've enjoyed this newsletter, please feel free to forward to one or two friends you think may also be interested! Blessings.
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MBJ Photo credit: Tipper Gore, 2014
Spider Web Photo credit: Robert A. Jonas, 2017
Standing Rock Protest Photo credit: John Duffy, 2016
Arctic Refuge Photo credit: Jan Reurink , 1994
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