Current Events

Sacred Seasons of the Sacred Earth

Picture courtesy of theshalomcenter.org

Sacred Seasons of the Sacred Earth is a series of four webinars focusing on the festivals of Hanukkah, Tu B’Shvat, and two sessions of Passover. The first webinar will be on Tuesday November 13th,  2018 at 7 pm Eastern time. The webinars are from Rabbi Arthur Waskow and Alanna Kleinman, a rabbinical student at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and the Ira Silverman Memorial Intern at The Shalom Center. To read more or to register for the webinars, click here.

Season of Creation in a Box

picture courtesy of greenchurches.ca

Season of Creation in a Box is a resource from the Green Churches Network in Canada. It includes a prayer guide, poster, fundraising guide, activities on spirituality, education and action, and an explanation of the Season of Creation. To download any of these resources or the entire “box,” click here.

Season of Creation Week 2: Climate Change: A Challenge, our Concern

Picture courtesy of seasonofcreation.org

The second week of the Season of Creation is focused on climate change and the challenge of responding to Pope Francis’ call to care for creation. This week contains a hymn, a call to repentance, a responsive reflection, and an intercession. To read or download the document for week two, click here.

Season of Creation Week 1: A Culture of Relationships That Heals our Throwaway Culture

Picture courtesy of seasonofcreation.org

For each week of the Season of Creation, there is a resource offering different ways to celebrate creation that week. The first week is focused on the throwaway culture that society has created and ways to heal the problem. This week offers a call to prayer, a scripture reading, a hymn, and a responsive reflection. To read or download the entire document, click here.

Season of Creation Calendar 2018-2020

Picture courtesy of seasonofcreation.org

The Season of Creation Calendar is a calendar of weekly themes to celebrate during the season. Each week will be centered around a different domain of creation and the season will always end with a blessing for animals. To view the entire calendar, which includes themes for 2018, 2019, and 2020, click here.

Irish Bishops Announce Bill to make Ireland First Government to Divest from Fossil Fuels

Picture courtesy of religionnews.com

The Irish Catholic Bishops Conference announced it would divest from fossil fuels hours before the arrival of Pope Francis. The bishops move means withdrawing investments in 200 oil and gas companies within five years. The bill was introduced in the Irish Parliament requiring the country’s sovereign wealth fund to divest from all fossil fuels, and if the Irish bill passes, it will make Ireland the first government to divest from fossil fuels. To read more, click here.

Season of Creation Event Planning

Picture courtesy of seasonofcreation.org

The Season of Creation is a great time to introduce environmental themes by holding a prayer service, planting a tree, advocating for change, or simply holding a conversation about the Christian responsibility to Creation. Here are some tips on how to:

Pray and worship

Hold an education or sustainability event

Participate in a campaign

The Church of England Green Energy Program: EcoChurch Southwest

Picture courtesy of ecochurchsouthwest.org.uk

The Church of England is challenging the disposable culture as a response to globally recognized ecological concerns. The excessive emissions of carbon dioxide is recognized as causing ecological imbalances, and people are putting alarming pressure on valuable resources. At the same time, inequality is growing, and poverty continues to be a global issue. Justice is being denied to our neighbors, whether our fellow human beings, future generations, or the rest of creation. EcoChurch Southwest aims to provide resources to churches and church members who seek to address these issues. To read more, click here.

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.