TODAY! THURSDAY, DECEMBER 14, AND THE SECOND THURSDAY OF EACH MONTH, 6:30–7:30 P.M., online via Zoom  

Join fellow parishioners in these monthly Climate Conversations to learn about practical ways to reduce your impact on the environment and to discuss your ideas. Participants also share insights on how they take action to care for God’s creation and mitigate climate change. Our themes for the next several months are:

Join us for Conversations on environmentally friendly Zoom on the 2nd Thursday every month. Join using this link (same link each month).

THIS SUNDAY, DECEMBER 17, 10:10 A.M., Bloedel Hall

Winter solstice brings the first day of winter and a return of more sunlight. Drawing from a selection of poems connected to the season, parishioner and English professor Doug Thorpe will join with members of the 20/30s group to guide us in a time of reading and reflection to discover creation care themes. A slideshow of light-inspired photos from Saint Mark's parishioners will also be shared.

Book Discussion: Christ of the Celts by John Philip Newell

THREE THURSDAYS: JANUARY 18, JANUARY 25 and FEBRUARY 1, 6:30–8 P.M., via Zoom 

We will journey into the heart of Christ’s presence in the natural world, and His love as it dwells in our own human nature. Facilitator Elizabeth Clark-Stern will draw on her experience in pilgrimage to Scotland in 2022 to bring forth the poetry and depth of Newell’s book. In addition to a having a wonderful connection to Care for Creation, Christ of the Celts is on the reading list for those going on pilgrimage to Ireland in the summer of 2024. The discussion will be on three consecutive Thursday evenings on Zoom, 6:30–8 p.m., January 18 and 25, and February 1, 2024. If you are interested in participating, please contact Elizabeth at: ecstern@yahoo.com

THIRD TUESDAYS, usually via Zoom 

NOTE: There will be no meeting in December 2023. Meetings in January, April, and October 2024 will be in person in Cathedral House Room 210. Other meeting will be online-only.

Starting in January 2024, the meeting time will move to 7–8:30 P.M.

Everyone is welcome to join the Saint Mark’s Creation Care Ministry meeting on the third Tuesday evening of every month via Zoom. Notes from past meetings can be found here.

Finding Hope in a World of Climate Change [Sunday, October 8]

The Creation Care Ministry hosted a Sunday morning forum that asked the question: How do we cultivate a deepening, evolving relationship with God that gives us the strength, vision, and courage to face climate changes in our world? About 25 parishioners gathered to explore practices of the Spirit, and actions we can all take to nourish the planet. A complete video of this forum is now available here.

Download Prayer Practices to Nourish Primordial Hope shared at the forum.

A Visit to Brier Patch Farm [Sunday, November 19]

The series of Climate Conversations have now been offered monthly for a year and a half, beginning June 2022! Video, slides and other resources from past conversations can be found here. Particular highlight from the past 18 months include the conversation with investment profession Penelope Jackson from November 2022 titled Investing with Your Values, the informative presentation on Recycling by Olivia Kirby of Recology from April 2023, and the recent discussion titled Celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas with a Creation Care Mindset from last month.

The Christmas season often seems delightfully busy. While it’s easy to get wrapped up in the excitement of this wonderful season and all our activities, it’s also important to slow down, take time to reflect and focus on making Christmas truly meaningful.

It is indeed a busy season, even more so than before. Preparations for Christmas that used to start after Thanksgiving now start earlier. Invitations to Christmas parties and events seem to start flowing in in early November, along with announcements about concerts and plays and other events that we may want to attend. Black Friday sales that used to start the day after Thanksgiving now begin earlier, with deals announced even in early November and Cyber Monday extending the shopping. Sales and shopping can continue right through Christmas Eve. Christmas carols start to fill the air and airwaves. It’s time to figure out where to find a tree and what decorations to get as well as where to place all that we have. It’s easy to get wrapped up in all that’s happening, race along and rarely stop.

At church, announcements about the wonderful Christmas events and concerts are also out by mid-November. Around Thanksgiving, a complete schedule of cathedral events and liturgies for Advent and Christmas is already available, Advent-themed activities such as an evening series starts in late November, before Advent, and reminders keep flowing in for a Gift Market and the "O" Antiphons liturgy as well as other delightful events. The start of Advent, in early December this year, really kicks activities into high gear.

Amidst this busyness, it is essential to take time first thing in the morning, or midday, or at the close of day to focus on three essential parts of Christmas so that we make it even better.

First, Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Christ, who came for our salvation. The simple place He was born, without common comforts or extravagant decorations, was perfectly sufficient for the shepherds and the wise men to celebrate His birth. We can take time every day during Advent to reflect on the simplicity and profundity of this momentous event as well as what it means for us.

Next, we can set aside “islands of time” during each day to reflect and prepare. The reflection can include reading, prayer or simply quiet time. Preparations can include planning carefully for activities so that we are less stressed, scheduling time carefully rather than being constantly busy, and considering what to buy or do so that our activities reflect our values and priorities rather than being dictated simply by what happens upon us.

And finally, we can care for creation in all our activities. Creating decorations from nature, putting up fewer and lower-energy lights, choosing gifts such as experiences or higher-quality items that last longer, cooking the right amount of healthy foods and using less meat rather than preparing processed foods and wasting leftovers, and traveling less, are just a few of the many actions we can take (more ideas here) to help ensure that caring for God’s creation is at the center of our activities.

A prayer from a recent Climate Conversation is indeed apt. “I pray that I keep a balance this season, keep my buying in perspective, not spend more than I need to, not give in to the pressures of this world, not equate love with money spent, and find for each person a gift that will bring joy into their life.”

—by Richard Hartung

Beyond considering locally made, Fair Trade and "experience" gifts, you can also seek more sustainable wrapping options. Old maps or road atlas pages make great wrapping paper, as do paper bags and the comics section of the newspaper. Just dress it up with some reusable ribbon. And when you've unwrapped the gifts on Christmas, know that in Seattle and many other communities, you can recycle wrapping paper (unless it has glitter or velvet accents on it). Just remove any large pieces of tape and put in the recycling bin. Don't forget to save bows and ribbon for reuse—they are not recyclable.

The Episcopal Church has sent a delegation to the annual United Nations Climate Conference of Parties (COP), the annual United Nations Climate Summit, for the past 9 years. This year's delegation was made up of representatives from around the world, including two from our own Diocese of Olympia: John Kydd, Diocesan Missioner for Climate Care and Climate Justice, and The Rev. Rachel Taber-Hamilton, Rector of Trinity Parish, Everett.

You can learn about the work of the Episcopal Church delegation here, framed by a call to shift from the traditional “think globally and act locally” towards “Think and Act: Globally and Locally.” The site has information about the wrap-up session tomorrow, Friday, December 15 at noon Pacific Time. All are encouraged to attend; register to participate using this Zoom link.

Finally, plan to join the Saint Mark's Creation Care ministry on Tuesday, January 16 at 7 p.m. in person in Room 210 or via Zoom, when The Rev. Lisa Graumlich (former COP delegate, professor of Environmental Science, and newly-ordained Deacon) will provide a debrief about COP28.

The Creation Care Ministry Story Sharing Project allows parishioners to share stories about actions they are taking related to Creation Care, as a way for parishioners to share their good work and encourage others to help reduce climate change. You can read Volume 1 of the stories here and Volume 2 here. Stories can be about any action you take to care for creation and mitigate climate change. Stories can be in the form of a short essay, a video, a photo album, an infographic or a podcast. Sharing stories helps others to learn and be inspired. Find more about sharing your story here.

The colors of fall are giving way to frost and filtered light in the Greenbelt. We are working with the Green Seattle Partnership and Forest Stewards Robert Hayden and Joey Baumgartner to support the recovery and restoration of the 9-acre woodland. Following a three-year hiatus, volunteers from the Seattle community and Saint Mark’s participated in four work parties this fall to remove invasive ivy, blackberry and other non-native weeds and trash. Joey and Robert provided a wealth of knowledge and practical advice about distinguishing native from non-native plants, removing ivy and blackberries, and the long-term goal of establishing a conifer canopy. Robert and Joey will be planning additional work parties through the winter months, and we will provide updates. If you have questions, please contact Saint Mark’s Greenbelt Work Party Volunteer Coordinator Guy Oram or Kathy Minsch at: creationcare@saintmarks.org

The community at Saint Mark’s continues to have a positive impact on the environment. The Carbon Tracker provides a snapshot of what our community has done. Visit the website here, scroll down, and select "Olympia Diocese" to take a look at the current status of the carbon tracker for our diocese, our cathedral, and other communities in the region. Click on GET STARTED at the top of the page if you have not yet signed up.

Grains, beans, nuts, fruit, and vegetables all have a very low impact, less than 5 percent of the impact of beef and lamb. Cheese, pork and shellfish are about a third of the impact of beef and lamb. Poultry, fish, eggs and milk are just under 20 percent of the impact of beef and lamb. Beef and lamb are the most carbon-intensive foods. Beef creates nearly 7 pounds of CO2 for a 4 oz. serving. If you replace beef or lamb with low impact foods like beans, grains or nuts for a family of four once a week, you can save emissions equivalent to nearly 1,500 car miles. If you replace them with poultry, fish or eggs once a week, the impact is closer to 1,200 car miles.

Watch for Creation Care Prayers for each Sunday in Advent in the Saint Mark’s weekly cathedral newsletter.

Two videos from the Composting Workshop on October 7 can be seen here.

A collection of resources and references is available at the Creation Care page of the website of The Episcopal Church here.