Canticle of the Turning

by Clare Brauer-Rieke

Ever since I first heard it, Canticle of the Turning has been one of my favorite hymns. Inspired by a traditional Irish melody and Mary's beloved Magnificat, the lyricist has captured beautifully what it means to be in Advent:

My soul cries out with a joyful shout that the God of my heart is great, And my spirit sings of the wondrous things that you bring to the one who waits. You fixed your sight on the servant's plight, and my weakness you did not spurn, So from east to west shall my name be blessed. Could the world be about to turn?

Advent has often been explained to me as a time of waiting: "We are waiting for the baby Jesus to be born," for example. I remember that, as a child, this was quite the let-down-- waiting to hear the end of a story you already know is not engaging. It does no justice whatsoever to the palpable tension of the season. Advent is not a time of waiting; it is a time of anticipation, expectation, an electric buzz in the air that reminds us that something great is afoot. It is a misleadingly quiet and reflective time, and for that I have always loved it more than any other liturgical season (or secular season, for that matter). We the church are like Mary, pregnant with a tremulous hope for change.

Though I am small, my God, my all, you work great things in me. And your mercy will last from the depths of the past to the end of the age to be. Your very name puts the proud to shame, and to those who would for you yearn, You will show your might, put the strong to flight, for the world is about to turn.

As we sing the words of this hymn, we are reminded of our own doubts, insecurities, and smallness. Yet, for me, the miracle of Christmas is this: There seem to be few figures from history or literature as humble as Mary, in either demeanor or circumstance; but, it is she who bears Christ into the world. I hear it often, but register it infrequently: however ordinary or irrelevant we may feel at times, the work of the Sacred in us -- the work that we do -- makes us extraordinary. We draw strength, vitality, and purpose from the Spirit that inspires us to act.

My heart shall sing of the day you bring.
Let the fires of your justice burn.
Wipe away all tears,
For the dawn draws near,
And the world is about to turn.

As this season of Advent continues, I invite you to carry -- as I do -- Mary's refrain in your heart. Her words are as relevant now as they were two thousand years ago, gaining increasing significance as we engage a century in which major changes are taking place every day. We are on the accelerated path to radical reformation in our world. In this way, Advent is a time of pregnant expectation for the revelation of the living and present Christ in each of us.

This Advent season, tell your children: the world is about to turn.

The Responsibility Is Yours

by Jeanne Krahn, Guest Blogger

This is going to be your greatest holiday season ever! You're all "hepped up"! Stuck in yet another sales line, you fidget for 20 minutes. Exasperated you sigh, "No time for this! Cookies to bake, cards to write, gifts to wrap, house to vacuum, 10 foot tree to trim, what do we feed guests coming early?"

On your mark, get set . . . Whoa! Is this what the holidays are all about? Whose birthday is it anyway? At this very time when Christians celebrate the birth of the Christ Child, our commercial society fires both barrels attacking our values and our very souls. Our consumer society has symbols with the power to fragment the meaning of our holidays. The groans and complaints of many who dread the holidays is sad. They seem to have pushed from their minds the true meaning of Christmas, of that special child in the Bethlehem manger. It was never His intention that we turn His birthday into a time of strain and pressure. Scrooge wasn't the only one to find Christmas disappointing and even depressing. How easy it is to fall into the competition of holiday activities.

STOP! Look inside and think about what the season means to you. We first must be conscious of what stresses us out and what enhances the meaning for us. If we look back in our lives the special times remembered are not about things but experiences with family and friends. Christmas is a love feast but it also can become a test of relationships. Old sibling competitions come anew. Seemingly everything is measured and because so much is emotionally invested in Christmas many have high performance anxiety. Who doesn't envision their families gathering as warm and congenial as a Norman Rockwell scene? Where is that great old fashioned idyll? Mostly in everyone's imagination, yet the emotional sustenance we are really seeking is attainable.

Years ago, the Lutheran Standard had some good ways you and I can help place Christ back in the Christmas manger:

1) Let Advent be Advent! Let it be a time to prepare for the celebration of Christ's birth through prayer, study and reflection. Let us not dwell on the pressure of trying to get everything done in order and let the holidays flow. People are more important than things.

2) Restore meaningful gift giving practices. Find creative ways to gift each other that are personal, more simple, more homemade, more thoughtful and considerate of the earth's resources and people. Don't give a gift that doesn't reflect your values! You do not purchase love and friendship with lavish spending. If you don't like commercialism, then don't join the very forces you find disturbing.

3) Touch the lives of the poor and needy. In our own area there are so many places to help, give gifts and food, volunteer your time, etc. Make your advocacy a year round program. Rechannel 25% of your gift-giving dollars to people who really need it this year. Offer presents that will continue Christ's work. Try to shop at the many stores now who give continually a percentage of their profits for social concerns, justice and cultural survival programs, nature conservancy, etc. I know it's difficult to shift your focus from what you want for Christmas to what God wants - not just during Advent and Christmas but throughout the whole year, but try.

Remember, the holidays will never let you down, only you let yourself down. The responsibility is yours. This is a great time of year. I try, I tire, I cry but I love it: A holiday of joy, love, peace and happiness; Angel voices proclaiming, "Peace on earth, good will toward all." Listen! It's not difficult to hear and feel, really, if we just remember that Christmas is all about faith, love, wonder and miracles - things that can only be understood by the heart.

Have a merry heartfelt one!

The Act of Thanksgiving

by Clare Brauer-Rieke

With few exceptions, and for understandable reasons, most of us have come to think of Thanksgiving as a day. For example: Thanksgiving Day this year is Thursday, November 26th (12am-11:59pm). Like many others, I plan to travel to be with my family so that we can all sit down to a bountiful harvest meal and eat more than we should. Afterward, feeling a little lethargic, we will all exchange stories and laughter (except for my unapologetic grandfather, who will leave us to watch football as he does every year).

Intuitively, I understand the connection of Thanksgiving with lots of food and family: we are grateful for bounty, in both life-sustaining food (that which sustains our body) and life-sustaining love (that which sustains our spirit). But I think that when it comes to praise and thanksgiving we may be cheating ourselves out of all the other things for which we should be grateful. The day takes precedence over the thanksgiving itself, and we lose ourselves in the requisite crazy-making that is lots of food and family.

Conversely, if the act of thanksgiving is more important than the day, joyous contemplation takes priority over the stress of family and preparing a feast. The point of Thanksgiving shifts from "I am so thankful for this surplus of food that I will eat it all, overstuff myself, and then fall asleep because of the turkey overload" (or to be fair to those who prepare the food, "I am so grateful that my kids came home from college/my grandchildren came all the way over from Kansas to be with me that I will prepare the best Thanksgiving feast ever, and it shall be perfect"), to something a little different. So, I offer my Thanksgiving reflection:

I am thankful that I have the capability to recognize grace in my life.

I am thankful that I am empowered to realize what is enough and what is too much; I am educated about the world, its need, and the need of its hungry poor.

I am thankful that my presence, my love, and my laughter are more important to my family than anything I could cook for them. Our time together can be joyful and not stressful.

I am thankful to the earth for its bounty, and for the opportunity I have to express my praise for creation in thoughtful consideration of what I consume this Thanksgiving.

I am thankful for complexity.

I am thankful for simplicity.

I am thankful for this community of believers that seeks to nourish, sustain, and protect the creation of which we are part-- a people who will give back.

Happy Thanksgiving.

A Sustainability Journey

By Deanna Matzen

This last Saturday morning, over 60 friends and members of Earth Ministry gathered to hear Rev. Alan Storey give a talk on his Sustainability Journey, which began after meeting Earth Ministry staff, board members, and friends at Holden Village in July of 2008.

We all fell in love with Alan at Holden Village, so it was a great honor and privilege to hear him speak again. As a pastor in South Africa, his depth of experience with people at the margins of society and in the middle of one of our world's greatest injustices -- Apartheid -- give him an incredibly unique perspective on the gospels. This perspective resonated with and challenged me to the deepest core of my being.

Since Alan's teaching is so profound, and not everyone was able to attend the gathering, I wanted to share with you a few of the things that struck a chord with me.

To start, Alan gave us the framework for his faith. At the risk of completely botching it, I'm going to summarize it as this, "God is love; God is life." The whole of the Bible, if read in this context, is brought to life with new meaning. One of his examples was the Beatitudes. I spent time during church yesterday sitting with the Beatitudes and was moved to tears. "Blessed are those who mourn," Alan said, "because you see that there is no life where there should be life." God wants life in this world and those who mourn see what is missing. "Blessed are the gentle [merciful]...for they do not bring death." "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they are the children of God." God does not want death. God wants life. I challenge you to sit with the Beatitudes in this context and find yourself mourning with God and be set free to work with God to bring forth life in this world.

As Alan read the Bible after his time at Holden, the frame of environmental stewardship brought new meaning to him. For example, he invoked the image of manna in the desert as a reminder that sustainability is taking enough for today and not storing up and hoarding for the future. For those who have more than they need are taking from those who do not have enough. This is the heart of sufficiency. He then told us about a book he had read on the old testament, culture, and agriculture that contrasted the land of Egypt with the land of Canaan. Egypt was a land of great fertility with the Nile River and irrigation channels where food grew easily. Canaan was a hill land with rocky soil. The Hebrew people had to conform themselves to the land in Canaan in order to receive what they need to survive. They couldn't force the land to change or give more. They had to depend on the land in a whole new way. They had to learn to live within the limits of the land. There would be enough, but it would take a change in attitude and relationship to the land.

Alan not only shared with us his new way of seeing the scriptures, but gave us a new agency for hope by invoking the image of the burning bush, "When you go to speak to the leaders of the coal and oil industries, know that you have the power of the God of renewable resources with you - 'The bush was ablaze with fire yet it was not consumed.'" Wow! How often we forget the power of our God!

We hope to bring some of Alan Storey's insights to you in the Spring Issue of Earth Letter. Stay tuned!

Listen to Alan's Bible Study at Holden Village in July 2008

Celebrating an Eco-Halloween

by Clare Brauer-Rieke

I've heard of eco-friendly Thanksgiving and Christmas, but I confess, Eco-Halloween is a new one for me. It makes sense, if you think about it -- how often are our little trick-or-treaters walking around (or being driven around) in little plastic costumes and masks, carrying around plastic candy bags full of individually-wrapped candies?

There are many suggestions online for making your Halloween more earth-friendly:

1) Reuse or rent costumes, or craft creative costumes from old clothes, sheets, or recycling (For example, I'm definitely going to be the Paper Bag Princess; for those who don't know the reference, The Paper Bag Princess is a great children's book about a feisty princess who discovers an unconventional "happily ever after.")

2) Use your (obviously organic) pumpkin wisely! Roast the seeds, use the pulp to make pie, compost your Jack-O-Lantern when you're done.

3) Walk, rather than drive, when you trick or treat (or when you take your kids trick or treating).

4) Consider this a grocery shopping trip -- you would use cloth bags then, right? Encourage kids to use cloth or canvas candy bags when they make the rounds.

5) Decorations are also often bad news on the environmental scene. Skip the plastic and styrofoam this year; GreenMuze.com suggests decorating with things from your garden like fallen tree boughs, pinecones, cornhusks, apples and a pumpkin. "A scary ghost can be made from a simple white sheet with a face drawn using a non-permanent pen," they continue. "The sheet can be washed at the end of the evening. Scary music and soy (not petroleum based) candles help create spooky, but environmentally friendly Halloween ambiance."

6) The worst offender in my opinion -- individually wrapped candies. Not only are they not healthy for children (not a news flash), they generate a lot of trash once the candy is gone. This is a tricky one to which to seek alternatives. The unfortunate truth is that, for safety reasons, kids are encouraged-- fairly, probably-- not to accept unwrapped or homemade treats, unless the family knows the giver personally. There is the option of handing out non-edible treats, like Halloween-themed pencils, but the risk is run of handing out trinkets that will be thrown away anyway. Be creative in seeking solutions here!

What none of these eco-friendly Halloween sites mention, that I have seen, is that the very way we approach Halloween may need a fundamental shift.

Halloween can be a fun and festive celebration, but is usually culturally disconnected from its origins and subsequent history. With its beginnings attributed to the ancient Celtic festival Samhain, a day on which it was believed the boundary between the worlds of the dead and the living were blurred, Halloween has further stemmed from the Christian tradition of All Saints Day, a day designated by the pope as one to remember past saints and martyrs. Perhaps it would be worthwhile for ourselves and for the earth to remember Halloween's more sacred and reverent roots. Maybe if we start by considering the question "In our fun and festive celebrating tonight, how can we best honor the memory of those who have gone before us?" the rest will fall into place.

A 350.org Event!

Earth Ministry Gathering:
Food, Climate Change, and the Church

October 24, 2009; 9:30am-12pm
Ballard First Lutheran
2006 NW 65th St, Seattle

Please join us at our Earth Ministry Gathering: Food, Climate Change, and the Church on October 24 for an engaging and enriching 350.org event.

The day's events will include:

• The official introduction to Caring for All Creation: At the Table, an updated and greatly expanded version of Earth Ministry's popular curricula; this resource provides detailed resources for creation-oriented worship services focusing on sustainable agriculture and healthy eating
• An interactive presentation about the link between climate change and our food production, transportation, and consumption
• An opportunity to share with one another about the successes and challenges of stewarding God's creation in our home churches (For those new to Earth Ministry, this is an ideal time to learn more about the Greening Congregations process and lived ministry)

Afterward, please join us for our potluck lunch and bring your favorite food or drink produced within 350 miles of your home: delicious artisan breads or gourmet cheeses from your local farmers market, apples from eastern Washington, Walla Walla or Willamette wines, a fresh salad made from your personal garden's bounty-- feel free to be creative!

Your RSVP allows us to plan for seating and resources. Thank you!

*If you're interested in doing more for 350.org, please join others from Earth Ministry and come to the Seattle Center Fountain on October 24 by 3pm to be arranged to spell out 350. Photographers will take pictures of the 350 from above at 3:50pm. Participating groups include CoolMom, Climate Solutions, Seattle Parks, Seattle Climate Action Network, WSU Climate Masters, Seattle Green Schools, and many others promoting great ways for you to take climate action now-- learn more here!

No Impact Week: Consumption and Trash

by Clare Brauer-Rieke

I confess that when I signed up for No Impact Week, I was not really anticipating challenging myself. Undoubtedly, I leave a significant impact on the earth due to my lifestyle; however, I am a volunteer who doesn't make enough to be much of a consumer, I already give priority to unprocessed and low-on-the-food-chain groceries, I live close enough to work to walk, etc. It felt a little bit like cheating to even sign up. That's how amazing I am. I don't really need to do these little challenge weeks.

Right.

No Impact Week with the Huffington Post began on Sunday with a commitment to lower consumption. "The first challenge," according to the No Impact guide, "is about doing more with less. . . . [When] you kick your shopping habit, you'll save money, have more time to spend with your family and friends, discover more space in your house, and maybe-- just maybe-- you'll discover that less really IS more." Sounds fair enough to me. Like I said, I don't have enough money to go shopping, so that should be pretty easy.

There's a problem, though, and it is one that I have recently discussed with a friend of mine who is a pastor in Oregon. Over lunch, she shared with me her interest in approaching the idea of consumerism as an addiction, as legtimately or seriously as one would consider alcoholism or drug addiction. Truth be told, we have no real idea of how out of control our consumerism is, in large part because it is a cultural as well as individual addiction. I may fancy myself to be holding back when I don't buy a pair of really cute boots at Target, but the truth is that I already have half a dozen pairs of shoes more than I need at home. Forget today-- holding back needed to happen quite awhile ago. Or consider that a movie I thoroughly enjoyed and want to own recently came out on DVD. Reflecting on the DVDs I do now own for that reason, how many times have I actually watched them since buying them? And even more depressingly, how soon before DVDs are obsolete, fading from fashion like the VHS?

Fittingly then, today's theme is trash. "Ninety-nine percent of the stuff we harvest, mine, process, transport-- 99 percent of the stuff we run through this production system is trashed within six months," says Annie Leonard in "The Story of Stuff." Ouch. It's easy to convince ourselves that trash is unavoidable, but is it? The challenge is out there. Most of what I'm throwing away, I bought. Did I need to buy it? If I did (unlikely), could I have bought it used or with less packaging? Now that I'm debating throwing it away, have I considered all ways I could reuse it, or fix it if it's broken?

Honestly, considering these things, makes me feel . . . happier. Rather than feeling restrictive, there is something freeing about evaluating my addiction to consumption and beginning to consider ways to pull out of it. There is something oddly comforting about the realization that I don't have to make as much trash as I do. Really, from here, it's up to you and me.

The Hidden Truth of Plastics Recycling

By Deanna Matzen


This blog post is long overdue. The seeds of this blog started at an event I spoke at in April 2007, when a pastor of a small church located in the foothills of Mt. Rainier said that his church members didn't want to institute recycling because it all gets sent to China. Then this spring, while at a church softball game, a friend started complaining about Seattle's new recycling laws and how it all goes to China anyway. To both of these comments, I asked if they meant electronics recycling not plastic, paper, glass, etc. They both indicated they were sure that regular recycling materials were sent to China.


As one who loves to research and one who does not like to be wrong, I filed this question away until I had time to dig into the depths of the internet. My first step was to ask my coworker, Jessie. She thought as I did that they were referring to electronics recycling. It wasn't until July of this year that I finally took the time to skim the internet and it is only now that I have time to write up my findings. My first search attempts produce a lot of results on electronics recycling in China or the wonderful efforts of the Chinese to recycle plastic bags. As I scrolled through pages of results, I finally came upon the article, "The Problem with Plastics: Recycling Overseas Poses Risks to Workers Doing It Here Just Doesn't Pay" by Emily Gurnon posted on Mindfully.org.

What I learned was quite surprising. But before I get into the details of the most shocking and interesting facts, I just have to say that reading this article didn't dissuade me from wanting to recycle despite the fact that it's not as great as it's made out to be. What this article did make me want to do is this: avoid buying plastic at all because it's not just an environmental value, it's a human health and rights issue.


Okay, back to the facts. Here are some of the striking things I learned from Emily Gurnon's article.

• "The recycling of plastic has a dark side — one little known to most consumers. The majority of the plastics we recycle, regardless of type, end up in China, where worker safety standards are virtually nonexistent and materials are processed under dirty, primitive conditions. And the economics surrounding plastic recycling — unlike those for glass and aluminum — make it a dubious venture for U.S. companies."
  


• "What is clear is that plastic recycling presents myriad problems. In addition to safety and environmental questions, technological and economic hurdles have complicated plastics recycling efforts in the United States. The result: Plastic containers get turned into new products at a much lower rate than glass bottles or aluminum cans. The can you recycle today, for instance, will make its way back to the supermarket shelf in just six weeks. Because of health concerns, a plastic bottle will never become another plastic bottle. Recyclers often have a hard time making ends meet because the demand from manufacturers for recycled plastic — and, consequently, the money paid for it — is considerably less than for virgin material."
  


• "Even if recycled under the best of conditions, a plastic bottle or margarine tub will probably have only one additional life. Since it can't be made into another food container, your Snapple bottle will become a "durable good," such as carpet or fiberfill for a jacket. Your milk bottle will become a plastic toy or the outer casing on a cell phone. Those things, in turn, will eventually be thrown away.""
  

Reading this article makes me really mad. It makes me question the recycling system we have in place and where all of Seattle's recycling is going. I once tried to take an environmental science class I was teaching on a field trip to our local recycling center, but wouldn't you know it, they don't offer tours. You can tour dumps, waste water treatment plants, and composting facilities, but you can't tour the recycling center. I wonder why? Because we might learn the dirty truth?

Interestingly, one of our local NPR stations had a story this summer about an MIT project that was seeking to track where our trash goes. They were using volunteers in Seattle to GPS tag items in their trash to be tracked through the system waste removal system. They asked the question, "Why do we know so much about the supply chain and so little about the 'removal-chain'?" Good question, MIT. As consumers of supply and removal chains, we should demand more transparency and we be more mindful about how much stuff we consume!

Let's Not Beat a Dead Horse

by Clare Brauer-Rieke

For those who were unaware, October happens to be National Vegetarian Month. While one has to imagine that this arbitrary designation was recent, it is hard to discuss vegetarian and vegan diets without feeling like you're beating a dead horse. Very few people, it seems, have not had "the conversation" about vegetarianism. Whether triggered by a coffee-table copy of The Omnivore's Dilemma, a son or daughter who comes back from freshman year of college quoting Peter Singer, or any other number of sources, the word is definitely out there.

The 101-version is that there is definitely a spectrum, rather than polarity, of human eating habits. If not an omnivore (literally "one who eats everything"), one might be a pescatarian (one who abstains from eating animals except for fish and seafood), pollo vegetarian (one who abstains from eating animals except for chicken), pollo-pescatarian (you do the math), ovo-lacto-vegetarian (the fancy way of saying non-vegan vegetarians, or vegetarians who consume milk and eggs), or vegan (one who consumes no animal products of any kind). Some people are vegetarian or vegan for a few months or a few years; others make it a lifelong commitment. To further complicate matters, many factors play into people's decisions about what they eat, including economic means, treatment of animals and related ethical concerns, environmental considerations, personal health, and perhaps most basically, tastes or desires.

It's a dizzying world of eating habits, but there it is. In contemporary society, it seems that everyone has some preconceived notion about those who eat differently than they choose to eat (or who eat the same way for different reasons). Almost everyone, at some point, feels judged for their choices regarding food. One way or the other, many people feel strongly about their own choices and competitive or antagonistic toward others.

Enough! As a faith community, we are to live in koinonia-- while one should remain true to their personal ethics, there is much room for empathy and flexibility in building-- rather than tearing down-- relationships with one another. So, while I am aware of the irony of this phrase in this context, let's not beat a dead horse. I'm not writing to influence how you eat. Eat in a way that is spiritual, ethical, healthful, and joyful for you. All I ask is that in your decisions to eat the way you do, hold both yourself and others accountable with charity, compassion and respect.

Winners of our Sermon Contest!

On September 26, 2009, over 100 members and friends of Earth Ministry celebrated the Feast of St. Francis with a celebratory evening of worship featuring a sermon contest at University Lutheran Church. In this year's contest, four finalists were selected to present their inspired messages calling the Christian community to action on behalf of God's good creation. Each sermon presented was unique and provided a different perspective on the ways we can be called to care for creation through our faith traditions. We all appreciated their words and took them to heart.

The winners of this year's sermon contest were selected by the attendees of the event who voted with their dollars. Two awards were presented, the Franciscan Philanthropist Award, to the contestant whose sermon raised the most money in support of Earth Ministry's work and mission, and the People's Choice Award, to the contestant who received the most number of votes regardless of the amount of money donated. The two winning sermons will be published in the Winter Issue of Earth Letter and all four sermons can be read on our website.

Congratulations to Elizabeth Freese, winner of the Franciscan Philanthropist Award, and Rev. Anne Hall, winner of the People's Choice Award!

Thank you to each of our participants for sharing your insightful and thought-provoking creation care sermons. We were blessed that all four of them could join us to honor the spirit of St. Francis of Assisi. And many thanks to all who entered the contest this year. The judges had a difficult time narrowing their choices to just four finalists and the final votes were very close as the audience determined the winners.

In addition to the sermon contest, the University Lutheran worship team provided beautiful creation-themed music for the evening and thirty-three Greening Congregations were recognized and blessed in their good work.


This year we welcomed a record 11 new congregations to the Greening Congregations Program:

Bellevue First United Methodist Church, Bellevue, WA
Edmonds United Methodist Church, Edmonds, WA
Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Mercer Island, WA
Flagstaff Federated Community Church, Flagstaff, AZ
Kirkland Congregational United Church of Christ, Kirkland, WA
St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, Port Angeles, WA
St. Augustine's-in-the-Woods, Freeland, WA
St. James Catholic Cathedral, Seattle, WA
St. Margaret's Episcopal Church, Bellevue, WA
St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Port Townsend, WA
Wooden Cross Lutheran Church, Woodinville, WA

Congratulations to our newest Greening Congregations!

While the votes were being tallied from the sermon contest, those gathered viewed the touching film, "Irreversible, Irreplaceable" from the Wildlife in a Warming World DVD, which is available for free to churches through Earth Ministry.

Thanks to all who attended and supported Earth Ministry. We raised over $4600 in support of religious environmental stewardship!

We Need Your Vote!

Earth Ministry's Celebration of St. Francis
Creation Care Sermon Contest

September 26, 2009; 4-6pm
University Lutheran
1604 NE 50th St, Seattle

The work and mission of Earth Ministry is made possible through the generous financial support of our members, colleagues, and church partners. This year's sermon finalists offer their inspired call to care for God's creation because they believe in the work of Earth Ministry.

Admission is free, but we need you to show up and vote with your dollars to select the winners of this year's sermon contest. If you can't join us, tell your friends!

Fun Facts About This Year's Finalists:

1. They hail from four different regions of the country - demonstrating that faith-based creation care is burgeoning across the U.S.
   


2. Several denominations have influenced their faith journeys—including Lutheran, Catholic, Episcopal, and Baptist—affirming the ecumenical (cross-denominational) work of ecological justice in the church
   


3. The finalists have met the challenge to form a concise, yet meaningful message not to exceed 10 minutes
   


4. Two are ordained clergy and two have advanced degrees in religious studies
   


5. The finalists are comprised of three women and one man

Please join us at the Celebration of St. Francis on September 26, for Earth Ministry's Second Annual Sermon Contest. In addition to the sermon contest, this event will feature music by the University Lutheran worship team, a moving short film from the Irreplaceable Campaign, and a prayer to honor Earth Ministry's eight new and twenty-three existing Greening Congregations.* The event will be followed by a reception featuring local and seasonal hors d'oeuvres and desserts.

*We encourage our Greening Congregations to send representatives from their church who will be asked to stand and be recognized for their accomplishments.

Please join us as we celebrate God's gift of creation!

All contributions made to support the work of Earth Ministry are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

Free parking is available at University Lutheran. Overflow parking is available at the lot across from University Christian Church at the southeast corner of NE 50th St and 15th Ave NE (entrance is on 15th).

For more information see the event announcement on our website

Finalists for Earth Ministry's Sermon Contest!

Earth Ministry is proud to announce this year's four finalists in the St. Francis Creation Care Sermon Contest.

We received many inspiring sermons from people across the United States. We are so grateful for all who shared their moving words. But there can only be four finalists, and here they are:

• Elizabeth Freese, Austin, TX
• Jeanie Graustein, New Haven, CT
• Rev. Anne Hall, Seattle, WA
• Dr. Hank Langknecht, Columbus, OH

Please join us on September 26, 2009, from 4-6pm to be inspired by the beautiful messages that God has given our finalists to share, to pray for our growing number of Greening Congregations, sing songs of praise to our God for the gift of creation, fellowship with one another, and support the work of Earth Ministry. A heavy hors d'oeuvres reception will follow the event.

The Celebration of St. Francis will be held at University Lutheran,1604 NE 50th St, Seattle. The event is free to all. As an attendee of this event, you will have the opportunity to vote for the sermon that inspires you the most through a paper ballot and donation to support the work and mission of Earth Ministry.

Parking is free at the University Lutheran and University Christian Church (4731 15th Avenue Northeast - just a block away from University Lutheran).

We encourage our Greening Congregations to send representatives from their green team and church membership to stand and be recognized for their accomplishments.

Please join us at this celebratory event!

To Be Good

by Clare Brauer-Rieke

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about your despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting--
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

-- Mary Oliver, "Wild Geese"

I heard this poem for the first time two weeks ago. Since then, it has filled my head, resonated in my mind-space, and its echoes have not yet quieted. Mostly, I think it is the first line: "You do not have to be good." In the Christian tradition, in both familial and societal life, the message I know is, "Be good. In fact, be better than good-- be like Jesus, who was perfect." Oh well, then! Certainly, let me get right on that.

The pressure is immense. My generation especially feels the weight of climate change, environmental degradation, the loss of entire species of animals, the impact of all these things on the global poor. We do not just feel the pressure to be good. We feel the pressure of all choices made before we were making choices, of compounding those choices with our own, struggling to keep all the balls in the air when we aren't even sure we know how to juggle yet. Be good? No. Be better than good -- be perfect. And so it becomes the competition of the most righteous, the greenest, the most environmentally-conscious, the least hypocritical.

With this frame of mind, go back and read Oliver's poem again. "You do not have to be good." What permission this is. Though whispered like a benediction, it rings in my ears. And while it is this first line that jars me, captures my attention, what follows is the heart of Oliver's message: "You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves. . . . Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination, calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting-- over and over announcing your place in the family of things."

How did "being good" come to be our focus? "Being good" rings false-- if we are born into a context of brokenness and cannot reconcile ourselves, "being good" is behavior only. The weight I feel, what feels like nothing less than the preservation of the earth's ability to support life, will bury me if my only defense is a desperate struggle to be good, better than good, perfect. If I am honest with myself and with you, I can never be any of those things. Instead, what if I step outside of the rat race for a moment? What if I let the soft animal of my body have voice again, love what it loves; what if I hear the world's invitation to me, to my imagination, and recognize my place in the family of things? Maybe if I can remember who I am-- in a deeper way than my name, my address, my occupation-- an understanding of what I can do will begin to fall into place.

I would like to set Oliver's challenge before us to be taken seriously and practically. You don't have to be good. In fact, just stop being good for a minute. Go somewhere where the soft animal of your body has voice again, and listen. What does it love? What do you love? Where is your place in the family of things? Revel in it for awhile, let things slip back into focus, even if briefly. See if it clicks. Then, with open eyes and an open heart, maybe you will have new strength, new insight. And, imperfect as you are, maybe you will do good.

Meanwhile the world goes on.

The Passing of the Torch

by Clare Brauer-Rieke

As the summer wanes, those of us who are still on an academic schedule know that it is time to begin afresh in a year of new challenges and opportunities. The first of these opportunities for me, in which I delight, is to introduce myself to you as Earth Ministry's Outreach Coordinator for the 2009-2010 year.

A native Oregonian, I attended and recently graduated from Pacific Lutheran University (Tacoma, WA), where I studied Religion and Women's and Gender Studies. My interest in the intersection of ecological justice and faith, rooted firmly in both my upbringing as a pastor's daughter and in the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest, blossomed in my years as a university student. I felt the no-holds-barred freedom to ask whatever questions I wanted, regardless of the answers I was expected to already know: What is my role in the pursuit of ecological justice as a Christian? What are the consequences when we, as humans, place ourselves above and outside of our ecosystems? In what ways am I called to live life differently than I've been taught in a consumeristic, individualistic culture? Is there a fullness of communion with God, the rest of creation, and even with our human community that we cannot experience until we understand our place in this enormous, interdependent web?

The exciting opportunity to work with the Earth Ministry staff came to me through the Lutheran Volunteer Corps. Called by LVC to live simply and sustainably, dwell in intentional community, and work for social justice, I knew that Earth Ministry was a remarkable organization in which I could do just that. I look forward to this year not as one that will answer all of my questions, but as one in which I can engage with faith communities in asking them together. It is a blessing to be granted the opportunity to support and work alongside individuals, families, and congregations in our common calling as God's hands and feet in this world. It is my hope that as hands we may begin to heal our broken relationships with the rest of creation, and that as feet we stand grounded, connected, in the earth from which we were formed. I look forward to working with you all!

Make Your Own Grocery Bags

by Deanna Matzen

The response to Meighan's blog post about the proposed bag fee in Seattle has been amazing. In a comment on that post, Karen Peissinger-Venhaus suggested that Church's could start a ministry to make grocery bags out of reused materials. What a great idea! On a personal level, I'm already in the process of doing making some bags out of an old set of curtains that I will give to friends for Christmas this year.

When we moved into our house four years ago, they left behind their curtains. One was a Roman blind that my husband did not like. When we had our windows replaced with energy-efficient ones, the blind was removed from the window and the support structure was inadvertantly broken. Meanwhile, we stored that curtain in our basement for the next two years until last year when I became inspired to make it into grocery bags after the bag fee was proposed by the city. So far I've cut up the material into what will make six grocery bags. Now all I need to do is sew them up!

For my project, I used one of my current reuseable bags as a template for cutting the material. But for those who are more comfortable with a pattern in hand, I did a little internet search and the best source of free grocery bag patterns is this: 35 Reusable Grocery Bags You Can Make. I'm sure there are a few others out there, but this lists seems comprehensive and even includes knitting and crochet patterns.

I'd like to highlight one of the patterns for a Furoshiki - a traditional Japanese wrapping cloth - because it's not only a reusable shopping bag but can also be used to wrap gifts and carry an assortment of other items. See below for a video (mostly in Japanese) showing how to tie and fold a Furoshiki.

If you have been making grocery bags, we'd love to see pictures or hear reports of your projects!

Happy Grocery Bag Making!

Paper or plastic . . . or neither?

Seattle is currently in the throes of deciding whether to implement a 20-cent bag fee for paper and plastic grocery bags at supermarkets, pharmacies, and convenience stores. Opinions differ widely on this proposed fee: some people see it as a Big Brother tactic telling us how to live our lives; others see it as a regressive tax on the poor or the elderly; still others perceive it as a strong incentive to change wasteful behavior.

As the debate rages in our newspapers and mailboxes, let’s step back for a moment and look at the issue from a theological perspective. How does God call us to be good stewards of the planet? How do grocery bags fit into this calling?

In the second creation story, in Genesis 2:15, we are put in the garden “to till it and keep it.” Nowhere are we commanded to use it up and destroy it. Yet today we are sullying the garden at an alarming rate. According to a Seattle Public Utilities study, Seattlites use about 292 million plastic and 68 million paper bags per year. That’s 360 million bags for a population of about 600,000 people, or almost 12 bags per person per week. Those bags cost the retailer between 1 and 5 cents each for plastic, more for paper; those costs are passed along to us, the customers. Bags also cost about 17 cents each to dispose of or recycle. Who is paying for disposal? Again, we are. So between purchase and disposal we already pay about 20 cents per bag, but the cost has been invisible until now. Adding a bag fee makes the cost visible—and also gives us the choice to lower it by decreasing the number of paper and plastic bags we use.

Plastic bags break into small pieces but do not decompose entirely. They wash out to sea, where marine animals mistake them for food and can then starve to death if the plastic blocks their digestive tracts. Paper bags are not actually better: they are more carbon-intensive to manufacture and take 14 million trees per year. Paper production involves some toxic waste products that our environment would be better off without, such as mercury, arsenic, lead, and formaldehyde. A cloth bag that is used many times will more than compensate for the carbon footprint it took to produce.

What about the added expense this fee will create for the poor and elderly? Are we not called to take care of them, as we are told in Matthew 25:31-46? Danny Westneat reports in the Seattle Times (July 29, 2009) that desperately poor people could well be the ones who would end up paying the 20-cent fee for bags.

They might, for awhile—it takes times to change old habits. But I suspect that eventually many of them would figure out ways to bring their own bags. And some of the money generated from the bag fee will be directed to help such places as food banks with the bag problem; after all, they are not grocery stores, pharmacies, or convenience stores, which are the retailers targeted by this legislation. And if we interpret Matthew 25 as calling us to care for the hungry, the thirsty, the sick, and the imprisoned not just of the human race but of all creation, then we see that changing patterns of human behavior in this way benefits everyone.

The American Chemistry Council (ACC), which is based in Virginia and represents such big businesses as Exxon and Dow Chemical, among others, has poured well over $1 million into fighting the proposed bag fee legislation in Seattle. Clearly, ACC companies do very well financially by keeping us hooked on “free” plastic bags. Yet even a study commissioned by the ACC had to admit, “Cloth bags were shown to reduce environmental impacts if consumers can be convinced to switch.”

Whom do we serve: God of all creation, or the financial interests of the ACC? Whether this referendum passes or not, I, for one, resolve to be more intentional about taking cloth bags to the store.

Green Guilt, Green Grace

By Ryan Marsh, Guest Blogger

I don’t exactly expect to read top-notch theological reflections in a GQ magazine while waiting at the dentist office, but to my surprise, Editor-in-Chief Jim Nelson’s editorial, “God is Green”, gave me one very needed spiritual root canal. He described an initiative by the Pope to offset the Vatican's carbon emissions by planting trees in Hungary. Nelson quickly found himself both complicit and conflicted: “The holy act of planting trees--of trying to erase your ‘carbon footprint’--has become the modern equivalent of an indulgence....Why do I have a bad feeling that carbon offsetting is mostly an act of expiation, that we’re offsetting guilt more than carbon?”

He became obsessed with making things right by greening every detail of his life, but soon realized: “For a time I felt renewed, even righteous. But then something swept over me. A kind of global warming class rage....I started letting people know, at dinner, that they were tree murderers.”

Is there such thing as green guilt? Absolutely. After going to every length to try and offset his carbon footprint, Nelson ends his article by saying, “The ‘Foot’ still haunts me.” There’s plenty of green guilt to go around because the dilemma is dire and we North Americans, consuming at a rate that would devastate five planets if the rest of the world’s population tried to match us, are the guiltiest offenders.

Is there such thing as green grace? This seems to be the more illusive question. You wont hear about green grace in GQ, for green grace is “a gift of God, so that no one can boast.” It’s what God is doing about the planet’s dilemma, within us, without us and most often, despite us. When we come to the end of what we can do for ourselves (including our planet) and are crushed by the Law of “I got to”, Jesus does for us what we cannot do for ourselves, then invites us to freely respond, “I get to”.

Is there hope for the cosmos, not just human souls, in the death and resurrection of Jesus? The cross of Jesus sure doesn’t appear to be a good solution to planetary peril, but we have been given the nerve to proclaim: “Jesus Christ has overcome ‘the Foot’. So go in peace to love and serve the Lord, one apple seed at a time.”

Ryan Marsh is the Mission Developer of Church of the Beloved, a ‘creatively Lutheran’ community in Edmonds Wa. Ryan blogs at www.BelovedsChurch.org. - God is Green first appeared in the November 2007 issue of Gentlemen’s Quarterly

This is My Father's World

by Deanna Matzen

This is my Father's world, and to my list'ning ears all nature sings, and round me rings the music of the spheres. This is my Father's world! I rest me in the thought of rocks and trees, of skies and seas - His hand the wonders wrought.

This is my Father's world - the birds their carols raise; the morning light, the lily white, declare their Maker's praise. This is my Father's world! He shines in all that's fair; in the rustling grass I hear Him pass - He speaks to me ev'rywhere.

This is my Father's world - Oh let me not forget that though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet. This is my Father's world! Why should my heart be sad? The Lord is king, let the heavens ring; God reigns let the earth be glad!

This song rang through my head this morning as I was getting ready for work. I could only recall a few words, so when that happens, I love to pull out the hymnal and play the song in its full glory and verse on the piano. Then I pull out a wonderful book that my husband's grandmother gave us the Christmas before she passed away. The book is called, Amazing Grace: 366 Inspiring Hymn Stories for Daily Devotions by Kenneth Osbeck. I always find the stories very interesting and I wanted to share with you the story of "This is My Father's World" and Osbeck's reflections.

"Even though we are constantly reminded of the violence, tragedy, and ugliness in today's world, we can still rejoice that the beauty of nature all around is ours to enjoy. Who can deny the pleasure that comes from the sight of a glowing sunset or a majestic mountain, the sound of chirping birds or the roar of the surf, and the smell of new mown hay or roses or lilies.

"Maltbie D. Babcock revealed his great admiration for nature in this lovely hymn text. Although he was recognized as one of the outstanding Presbyterian ministers of his generation, Dr. Babock was also a skilled athlete who enjoyed all outdoor activity, especially his early morning walks. He would always comment, 'I'm going out to see my Father's world.' Since Dr. Babcock was an accomplished performer on the organ, the piano, and the violin, we can see why nature seemed to him to be 'the music of the spheres.' In addition to being a tribute to nature, however, the hymn is a triumphant assertion of the unfailing power of God.

"As we follow Dr. Bacock's example and give praise to God for all the beauty of His world, we cannot help being concerned that much of the loveliness is being destroyed by human carelessness and greed. The real answer to our ecological problems must be a renewed appreciation of earth as 'our Father's world' and a greater commitment to taking proper care of it. Christians should be models of this concern."

-Kenneth W. Osbeck
Amazing Grace: 366 Inspiring Hymn Stories for Daily Devotions

Two Eco-Theology Events this Friday!

Join Earth Ministry on Friday, July 10, at Seattle University's Student Center (LeRoux Conference Room 160) for two eco-theology events as part of the School of Theology and Ministry's Institute for Ecology, Theology, Spirituality, and Justice.


Liturgy for Earth & Spirit, 5pm

A time for creation-themed thanksgiving and praise through song and prayers. Dr. Cynithia D. Moe-Lobeda will be preaching and a special prayer will be said to honor all of Earth Ministry's Greening Congregations. All are welcome to attend! For more information call the Earth Ministry email emoffice@earthministry.org or call 206-632-2426.


We encourage anyone who belongs to an Earth Ministry Greening Congregation to attend and receive the community's prayers for your good work.



Dr. Brian Swimme Lecture on Ecology: A New Story, 7-9pm

Seattle University's School of Theology and Ministry is hosting a free lecture by Brian Swimme, director of the Center for the Story of the Universe at the California Institute of Integral Studies. Swimme is the author of The Hidden Heart of the Cosmos, Manifesto for a Global Civilization (with Matthew Fox), The Universe is a Green Dragon and The Universe Story.

30 Things....

By Chris Olson, Outreach Coordinator

As many of you know, the American and Clean Energy and Security Act (HR 2454) is currently being heard in the US House of Representatives and tomorrow they will vote on this monumental bill. Its the biggest climate bill in U.S. history and will cap global warming pollution and establish the framework for a clean energy economy. In honor of the enormous impact this will have on human produced green house gasses, I put together a (far from comprehensive) list of 30 things you can do personally to reduce your carbon emissions.

1) Weatherize your home
2) Use a push mower
3) Air dry your clothes when doing laundry
4) Compost all food and yard waste
5) Use a digital thermostat (and put on a sweater in the winter!)
6) Eat lower on the food chain (the less meat the better)
7) Take shorter showers
8) Install a low-flow showerhead
9) Leave your car at home (use public transportation and carpool whenever you can)
10) Use compact fluorescent bulbs
11) Replace old appliances with energy efficient models
12) Plant a tree (especially with the help of a child...they are excellent tree planters!)
13) Switch to a tankless water heater
14) Buy as much locally produced food as possible
15) Make sure your vehicle's tires are properly inflated
16) Fill the dishwasher
17) Switch to double pane windows
18) Bring your own cloth bags when you shop
19) Unplug unused electronics
20) Commit to cutting all use of plastic bottles
21) Buy a hybrid car
22) Reduce your garbage
23) Recycle
24) Use recycled paper
25) Don't let your car idle
26) Eat with the season
27) Turn off your computer when not in use
28) Buy minimally packaged goods
29) Get a home energy audit
30) Contact your legislators on environmental issues that important to you!

If you haven't called about the ACES bill yet, please call (202) 224-3121, ask to speak to your representative, and urge him/her to vote to "strengthen and pass the American Clean Energy and Security Act (HR 2454)." This is the single most important creation care action you can take in the next 24 hours. Every little (and BIG) step is a step in the right direction.

Simplicity and Possession

By Deanna Matzen

In Matthew Chapter 19, a young man comes up to Jesus and asks what good deed he must do to have eternal life. Jesus responds by telling him that there is only one who is good, but that he should keep the commandments. The man asks, "Which ones?" Jesus basically tells him all of them. The young man, pleased with himself, says that he has kept all of those commands and asks Jesus what he lacks. Jesus tells him that to be perfect he must sell his possessions, give the money to the poor and then follow Jesus. The man was dismayed because he had many possessions, so he walked away.

Jesus responds by saying to his disciples, "Truly I tell you, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God." The disciples were astounded and asked, "Then who can be saved?" Jesus looked at them and said, "For mortals it is impossible, but for God all things are possible." (Matthew 19: 16-26; NRSV)

For many of you, this scripture is probably old hat. Many of us remember this passage because Jesus is either using hyperbole with is eye of a needle metaphor to grab attention, or we're in serious trouble. One of the explanations I've heard for Jesus' metaphor is that the "eye of a needle" is a gate in Jerusalem's wall that is so small that a camel would have to get on its knees to pass through it after removing all of the items it was carrying on its back. While some people suggest that this explanation is just not accurate and off the mark entirely because it puts salvation in our own hands and not God's, I would like to posit that even though the gate explanation may not be what Jesus meant, it certainly does serve a purpose. While this explanation may suggest that we can get into heaven of our own accord by simply removing our possessions from our camel (sell them and give them to the poor), I believe that we need God in order to do even that.

In my opinion, choosing to live simply (voluntary simplicity) requires something from us that is unobtainable on our own. In order to live sustainably on this planet in ways that honor God, neighbor, and planet, there is a quality required of us that is more than any human can obtain on their own. We need the Spirit of the Living God to call our hearts to contrition and desire to care for this planet by relinquishing possession of our stuff. It is a spiritual call that requires Godly strength to resist temptation, grace for the times we fail, and hope that change is possible. We are all rich--no matter what our socio-economic status might suggest--we all need God to enter into the kingdom of heaven.

One way to read this passage is that one of our greatest barriers to God is our possessions. Jesus did not answer the young rich man's first question about obtaining eternal life with the command to sell his possessions. He told him to keep the commandments. The man, pleased with himself but unsatisfied with the answer asked Jesus again. What Jesus saw in him was the truth that the young rich man wasn't keeping the commandments because he coveted his possessions too much. I recently read essay on simplicity by A. W. Tozer* and it called us to consider deeply the things that possess us. It is not wrong to have possessions--we all need clothing, shelter, hobbies, and tools for living--but when we are possessed by our possessions, we are not free; we are enslaved to our self-life.

"To be specific, the self-sins are these: self-righteousness, self-pity, self-confidence, self-sufficiency, self-admiration, self-love, and a host of others like them...Self is the opaque veil that hides the Face of God from us...We must bring our self-sins to the cross for judgment. We must prepare ourselves for an ordeal of suffering in some measure like that through which our Savior passed when He suffered under Pontius Pilate."

Ask yourself today:
How am I like the rich young man?

What in my life possesses me and veils the face of God?

What am I not willing to take off my camel to enter into the Holy City?

What choices have I resisted making that would help me better steward God's creation?

*In "Spiritual Classics: Selected Readings on the Twelve Spiritual Disciplines," edited by Richard Foster

Summer Fun!

By Chris Olson, Outreach Coordinator

I have to admit that fall may be my favorite season, but I really, really, really love summer as well. This is going to be my first summer in four years not working at summer bible camp. I already miss it. The campfires, the starry nights, the screaming kids; they all came together to make for a splendid three months. My last summer there I worked as the Sustainability Coordinator and did my best to incorporate nature into the regular bible study curriculum as best I could. I enjoyed it very much and I feel like the kids gained much while looking at the Bible and God from the view of caring for creation, a view they don't often see.

I may not be at camp this year but I can offer a number of resources and activities to connect kids with nature and creation care this summer. Earth Ministry has a number of pages on its website specifically for Children and Youth (click the link or click on the picture to go to the main page) that offer books, videos, educational materials, and games to engage youth in learning about and caring for the environment. I developed some of the activities last fall and I'd like to share a couple of them with you in this post.

Icebergs and Polar Bears

Have all the kids line up on one side of the gym. Spaced out around the other side of the gym should be numerous gymnastics mats (the kind that are rectangular and about 6 ft X 10 ft or anything similar). The kids are polar bears and the mats are icebergs. Whenever the game leader says "Go" the kids have to run to stand on the icebergs. For the first round there should be enough mats so that every kid will be standing in a group on one of the mats (meaning no one is “out”). Instruct the kids to go back to the starting line and the leader announces that the global temperature has increased by X-degrees or that the carbon dioxide has reached X-parts per million (whatever is most appropriate for the age group/ties in with the overall activity) and folds over or removes one of the icebergs because it “melted.” After saying "Go", the kids race over and will either be more cramped on the remaining icebergs or some may not be able to fit on at all and they are out. This continues until the temperature gets so hot that there are only a few icebergs and a few polar bears left or until there are none left at all. This can then be tied in with global climate change and how we as humans are changing things for the animals and for the world. We must care for all the children of all species for all time.

Fair Ball

Tell the campers to form a large circle (whatever is appropriate for the size of the group). Scatter a bunch of balls in the middle of the circle. Explain to campers that they are going to race to gather as many balls as possible. Before starting the game, form the campers into three groups. One group can run to get the balls, the second group can only crawl and the third group must wiggle on their stomachs across the floor to gather the balls. All groups must move their assigned ways for the entire game and all must bring their balls back to their group’s headquarters (where ever the game leader points that out to be). Clearly, this game is unfair. By the time the campers who are only allowed to wiggle reach the balls, there probably won’t be any left, while the campers allowed to run probably will have most of the balls. Replay the game a few times, giving each camper a chance to run, crawl, or wiggle. Once finished, discuss what happened in the activity. Talk about personal feelings, fairness, and the fun factor. Make a connection between the activity and the world’s limited resources that we all must share. Discuss the need for an equitable distribution on the world’s resources to all people instead of to only a small percentage of the world’s population. Make a special note of how the world’s resources will be affected by climate change and how that change will disproportional hurt the people in the world who are “wiggling and crawling”, making it even harder for them to gather the resources they need to survive. Ask what can we do to help bring about greater fairness/justice in our world? This is a good activity to work Micah 6:8 into.

What Makes You Say Yes?

By Meighan Pritchard

What makes you say Yes at the core of your being? That’s the question I’ve been wrestling with and continue to ponder at Pacific School of Religion, where I just finished my second year (of three) in the master’s of divinity program. The answer to that question changes from person to person and even for one person at different times, but I think it’s a good guide to figuring out our calling.

By Yes I’m talking about the response at a deep, spiritual level when you recognize that something is true or meaningful for you. For some of us Yes comes from a good sermon, calling out what is best in us, reminding us of God’s abiding love and grace, urging us on to do God’s work in the world. Yes helps us figure out where we fit in God’s plan, who and what we are called to be in life.

Music consistently elicits a deep Yes from me. Listening to a symphony or a church choir, I can find myself weeping, raw, grateful, barely able to breathe and yet breathing hungrily at some unfathomable spiritual level. A friend calls this “being cracked wide open.” It is exhausting and exhilarating.

Climbers experience Yes at the top of a mountain, gazing over their 360-degree view and feeling fully aware of being tiny, mortal, and part of all this awe-inspiring creation. A painter may be guided by a sense of Yes in determining what colors to use and how to proceed to make the painting match some inner image. There are infinite ways to experience Yes.

In recent years, I have felt Yes around studying global warming. It feels not only like the right thing to do but like the most compelling way to spend my time. Climate change is the issue of this century, and I want to understand it better in order to figure out how to minimize my carbon footprint, how to live my life, and how to be part of community strategies that will help to mitigate the effects of climate change. This spring I took an environmental ethics class in which we read Sallie McFague, James Gustave Speth, James Garvey, and others. We discussed the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports, calculated our carbon footprints, and planted drought-tolerant, pollinator-friendly plants in a community garden. This summer I am an intern at Earth Ministry, where I hope to learn more about the intersection between faith and the environment. What better place to explore a sense of Yes around issues of global warming?

Studying climate change specifically in a theological context is an enormous Yes for me. We humans have used creation to our advantage, for very understandable reasons but with dire consequences. How can faith communities help us to shift from anthropocentrism to biocentrism, to recenter our focus not just on our species but on all of creation? Genesis 1 tells us that God gave humans dominion over creation. We may be at the top of the heap in some ways—top of the food chain, for example—but that means we need to ensure that the rest of the food chain is healthy and in balance if we want to keep eating.

What makes you say Yes? How are you called to be a positive force in the world? I hope to have that conversation with some of you as part of this internship this summer.

The Gift of Craftiness

By Deanna Matzen

Last fall I learned how to crochet and, for the first time in my life, I found a craft that kept me coming back for more. On one of my recent trips to see my parents, my mother happily handed over all of my grandmother's retired crochet hooks and some of her pattern books (where I saw a few familiar afghans). Oddly, I somehow made it through 33 years of life without realizing that my own grandmother crocheted and that's why my brother and I were given matching yellow, orange, and green crocheted bedspreads when we were kids. It's all coming together now.

While I was excited to get my grandmother's crocheting tools, there was a deep sadness in me that when she was alive, she never thought to teach me how to crochet. Granted I didn't see her very often, she lived in Indiana and Arizona most of my life, but when we did get together she taught me things like Cribbage, Gin Rummy, and Solitaire; couldn't she have taught me this simple crafty skill?

There are many levels to this sadness, one is that crocheting (like knitting, which I tried to learn as a child but never took to) is a useful skill that fits with a simple, non-consumeristic lifestyle that I strive to live out, though often failingly. Since October when I learned to crochet, I have given several scarves, two hats, two blankets, and one stuffed animal as gifts to friends and family with some more scarves in waiting to give to the homeless this fall. Each of these gifts has been received with great joy, more so than anything I could have ever bought them.

The beginning of these projects were boxes of old yarn I'd be carrying around for years that I wanted to put to use. It's that thrifty, don't waste anything, pack rat part of myself that wanted to rile against the consumerism of this culture that held onto that yarn. Now, it has a new life and new purpose.

To that end, I want to share with you a project I look forward to working on later this summer or fall, a crocheted Market Bag designed by Lion Brand yarn (the pattern is free, but you have to sign up for their newsletter to view it). I can make it with my old yarn and use it for groceries or other shopping outings, making it an easy fit into my enviro-ethic! I am so grateful that I finally learned to crochet and can reclaim some of the thrift, simplicity, and self-sufficiency our grandparents took for granted.

If you have eco-crafty projects that you'd like to share, feel free to comment on my blog post or email me! Happy Crafting!