September 2007 Edition

Our Daily Bread: A Theology of Practice and Sustainable Living
Duke Divinity Convocation and Pastors' School explores the idea and practice of sustainable living with author Wendell Berry, environmentalist Wes Jackson, and theologian Norman Wirzba on October 8-10 in Durham, NC. Click here for more info.

Faith & Our Environment
The Massachussettes Conference of the UCC will host a conference at the Andover-Newton Theological School on Saturday, October 13th. The keynote speaker will be Matthew Sleeth, author of Serve God, Serve Planet. Click here for more information and to register.

PRC National Eco-Conference
Oct. 25-28, Mo-Ranch, TX Presybterians for Restoring Creation's annual Eco-Conference is called "Earth Sabbath, Earth Justice: Protecting God's Gifts of Food and Fuel." Click here for a brochure.

On Sacred Ground
On Sept 27-29, 2007 in Lander, Wyoming, the Wyoming Association of Churches is hosting a conference entitled, "On Sacred Ground," to inspire, educate and activate people of faith and conservationists, and to build partnerships between the to care for the natural world. Click here for mor information

Sustainable Theological Education at American Academy of Religion
This annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion will be held in San Diego, CA, Nov. 17-20th. At this meeting, there will be a special session honoring the giants of "green" theological education. Honorees will include: Rosemary Ruether, John Cobb, Norman Habel, Sallie McFague, Larry Rassmusen, and Carl DeWitt. Click here to find out more.

Thanksgiving Resources
Get ready for Thanksgiving Sunday with two resources: (1) Our Daily Bread: Harvesters of Hope and Gardeners of Eden and, (2) At The Lord's Table: Everyday Thanksgiving. Both of these resources contain sermon resources and education pieces that will help you plan your Thanksgiving Sunday service. Click here for more information about these FREE resources.

Wilderness
Out of the Wilderness: Building Christian Faith and Keeping God's Creation, encourages Christians to seek out wilderness and other quiet places to reconnect with God, renew and refresh themselves for ministry, and rediscover their role as caretakers of God’s creation. Click here to download this FREE resource.

NCP's Edu-Action Resources
The New Community Project (NCP) is offering two new programs: Undoing Global Warming (a weekend workshop led by Tom Benevento) and a free global warming study-action guide for congregations called Time's a'wasting that you can download here.

Church of the Brethren

Environmental Justice Office of Presbyterian Church (USA)

Presbyterian Washington Office

Episcopal Ecological Network

Greek Orthodox Church in America

Lutheran Earthkeeping Network of the Synods

Reformed Church in America

United Church of Christ

United Methodist Board of Church and Society

NCC Announces Two New Contests

This Fall, the NCC's Eco-Justice Program is sponsoring two new ways for individuals to use their skills and creativity in showing how their faith is connected to God's creation.

1) The Thanksgiving Prayer Offering gives poets and writers the chance to offer up a written prayer that would be read before a Thanksgiving meal. Prayers are to make the connection between gratitude, farmers and agriculture, and the importance of a healthy Earth. Click here for more information

2) On God's Wild Land: Wilderness Photo Contest is a photo contest focused on how one experiences the sacred in Earth's Wilderness. Send us a photograph of you working on, volunteering, or enjoying our public lands and God’s creation and a brief description of how you connect with God in wild places. Click here for more information.

New! Environmental Health Resource

The choices we make for our families and the way we treat God's Earth are intricately related to human health and the health of creation. Download or order a hard copy of the new NCC education and worship resource, Mindful Living: Human Health, Pollution and Toxics, or visit the new Environmental Health web pages to learn how to protect the sanctity of our bodily temples and God's precious creation.

Young Adult Fellowship Retreat=Success

For three days in July, fourteen young adults from around the United States gathered on Port Isobel in the Chesapeake Bay for the National Council of Churches' 2nd Young Adult Eco-Justice Fellowship. The participants shared their experiences doing faith-based environmental work, learned about eco-theology from eco-theologian Rev. Paul Santmire, and as you can see by the photo, learned first hand what crawling out of the primordial mud is all about. As a way to stay in touch and share their experiences with the wider world, these young adults have started a new blog: http://ecojusticefellowship.blogspot.com

Step It Up, Again!

On Saturday, Nov. 3rd, one year before the next election, the organizers of Step It Up 2007 are asking people to organize rallies across the country. This time, Step It Up rallies should take place in a place that commemorates the great leaders of the past. Politicans will be invited to join the rallies and will be presented Step It Up's new "1 Sky" priorities: an 80% reduction in carbon emissions by 2050, a moratorium on new coal-fire powerplants, and a Green Jobs Corps to help fix homes and businesses so those targets can be met. Click here and sign up to participate.

American Hiking Society Accepting Applications for Trail Grants

The American Hiking Society, is currently accepting applications for 2008 National Trails Fund grants from local organizations such as volunteer-led trail clubs. Click here to find out more.

Eco-Justice Spotlight on Montana

Rev. Amy Carter and Claudia Brown of the University Congregational Church (UCC) have been working hard to start the greening conversation with their congregation. In addition, they have been working ecumenically in the Missoula area helping to develop a global warming program for this Fall.

Tree Planting in Guatemala

The Religious Campaign for Forest Conservation (RCFC) is busy planting trees in Guatemala. The organization empowers volunteers who are committed to the cause of holding off climate change to plant trees in those areas where they can sequester CO2, restore the tropical rainforest, and in the process educate local citizens about the value of their forests.

Wilderness Partnerships in Arizona

In southern Arizona, the Arizona Ecumenical Council (AEC) has collaborated with Sky Island Alliance to protect and raise awareness about the wilderness. The AEC organizes Caring for Creation, a yearly conference on faith and the environment, which regularly features workshops on wilderness issues. Sky Island Alliance and AEC recently published print advertisements called "Wilderness is Our Common Ground" along with Campaign for America's Wilderness. The two organizations are continuing to partner together on land stewardship work, including advocacy for the Tumacacori wilderness, which recently was introduced in Congress as the Tumacacori Highlands Wilderness Act.

Update: The Farm Bill and Conservation

What happened? On July 27, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a Farm Bill that increases funding slightly for conservation programs and reauthorizes the Wetlands Reserve Program. Unfortunately, however, the bill falls short in a few key places such as not allowing for new enrollments in the Conservation Security Program (CSP).

What's coming up? The Senate will take up the Farm Bill soon and have a chance to fix the House bill's shortcomings. Senate Ag Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) is expected to release his full farm bill proposal as early as mid September. Chariman Harkin's Conservation Title expands conservation measures through a new proposal called The Comprehensive Stewardship Incentives Program (CSIP). It is important now that people begin to rally behind this program to ensure its support in the Ag Committee.

What you can do. Click here to contact your Senator with an email to let them know that you support CSIP and how conservation and sustainable farming practices is important to your faith.