Current Events

Creationtide

Picture courtesy of creationtide.com

Creationtide is the period dedicated to God as Creator and Sustainer of all life. It is the equivalent of the Season of Creation, the period between September 1st and October 4th, but the Church of England refers to it as Creationtide. The resource page contains liturgies and examples of services and prayers from across the Church of England to help people explore and celebrate Creationtide. There are also weekly suggested readings and discussion questions, an actions and reflections sheet focused on food, and a Letters for Creation project, which discusses the impacts of climate change. To read more, click here.

Season of Creation 2018 Theme

Picture courtesy of seasonofcreation.org

The 2018 Season of Creation has the theme of Walking Together. In walking together, Christians follow the role of Jesus, who walked with friends on the roads around Jerusalem. This Season of Creation is largely devoted to more deeply understanding the lessons Jesus taught through creation, to more authentically honor our Creator, and to share fellowship with brothers and sisters along the way.

“Everything is related, and we human beings are united as brothers and sisters on a wonderful pilgrimage, woven together by the love God has for each of his creatures and which also unites us in fond affection with brother sun, sister moon, brother river, and mother earth” (Laudato Si’,9)

To read more on the 2018 Season of Creation theme, click here.

Care for God’s Creation: Make the World Better than You Found it

Picture courtesy of columbuscatholic.org

Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Grove City is holding an informative and interactive evening designed to provide practical ways to respond to the Catholic faith by caring for our common home. The meeting will be held on October 1st from 6:30 to 8:30 at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, Life Center, Grove City. There will be two speakers: Jerry Freewalt, director of the diocesan Office of Social Concerns, and Jason Cervenec of the OSU Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center. To read more, click here.

Season of Creation Events

Picture courtesy of seasonofcreation.org

The Season of Creation begins on September 1st, the Day of Prayer for Creation, and ends on October 4th, the feast day of St. Francis. Each year, thousands of Christians observe the Season of Creation through prayer services, sustainability action, and advocacy campaigns. To view a map that shows events around the world, or to register your own event, click here.

2018 Season of Creation Celebration Guide

Picture courtesy of seasonofcreation.org

The Season of Creation is a time set aside to deepen the relationship between each other, all of creation, and the Creator. As the environmental crisis deepens, Christians are urgently called to witness faith by taking bold action to preserve the gift we share. The 2018 guide is meant to help Christians celebrate the Season of Creation by providing event checklists, ideas on how to celebrate, and an introduction and history of the event. To read the entire guide, click here.

Day of Prayer for Climate Action

Picture courtesy of yecaction.org/dayofprayer

Day of Prayer for Climate Action was held on September 1st. Young Evangelicals for Climate Action created a list of resources including climate liturgies, a prayer guide, thematic prayers, examples of how to turn prayer into action, a prayer digital toolkit, and a printable climate prayer sign. To read more, click here.

Evangelical Environmental Network: The Last Straw

Picture courtesy of creationcare.org

Up to 12 billion tons of plastic trash end up in God’s oceans, and Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN) believes that trash is an affront to the glory of God. Trash always ends up somewhere, and that somewhere belongs to God. They believe that throwing trash away is equivalent to sneaking into God’s backyard and piling trash there and then pretending that it never happened. In order to put a stop to the 12 billion tons of plastic trash, EEN has created The Last Straw Campaign Pledge. It is a pledge to decline straws at restaurants and other food/beverage establishments, phase out using them at home, and consider going deeper, such as: asking local restaurants to only provide straws when customers request them and asking elected officials at the local and state levels to phase out the use of plastic straws, and single-use plastic. To read more or take the pledge, click here.

Young Evangelicals Applaud Recent Republican Carbon Tax Proposal

Picture courtesy of yecaction.org

Republican Congressman Carlos Curbelo, who represents South Florida, has proposed the Market Choice Act in Congress. The carbon tax bill would improve public health, protect vulnerable communities, and safeguard our generation’s future—all while exceeding the U.S. reduction commitments under the Paris Climate Agreement. The Young Evangelicals believe this is the moral leadership on climate change that has been desperately lacking in Congress for far too long.The Young Evangelicals state that they are proud to support Rep. Curbelo’s leadership  and hope that lawmakers hear loud and clear that the rising generation of evangelicals overwhelmingly support climate action, and that young evangelicals will be watching closely how they respond to Rep. Curbelo’s proposal. To read more, click here.

Justice for Each Generation

Picture courtesy of eachgeneration.org

Justice for Each Generation started with the landmark case, Juliana v. U.S., where twenty-one youth have filed a lawsuit against the United States government for its role in causing climate change and violating their right to life, liberty, and property, while also failing to protect essential public resources. They are calling for sermons from youth and adults of all faiths as a collective statement that sends a signal to the rest of society. To read more about the movement and the court case, click here.

Pope Francis and Environmental Leaders Forge Vision for Global Action

UN Environment

Picture courtesy of unenvironment.org

Environmental leaders, activists and advocates gathered with Pope Francis for a two-day Vatican-organized conference with hopes to emerge with a shared vision for protecting our planet. The conference was inspired by the third anniversary of the Pope’s encyclical and was attended by political and religious leaders, scientists, economists and heads of civil society organizations. Inspired by the call for unity and action in the encyclical, UN Environment also introduced their Interfaith Rain-forest Initiative at the conference. To read more about the conference, click here.