Resources for Study

Living Lent

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Living lent is a resource from The Joint Public issues Team. Their goal is to help people recognize that changing the climate is a lifestyle, not just an activity. They offer six different commitments to make not just during lent, but all together. They offer facts supporting why each commitment is important and how to stay committed. This is part of their goal to make climate action a lifestyle and to help people “Live Lent”. To read more about Living Lent and the six commitments, click here.

 

Lent and the Sustainable Development Goals

Mercy World Logo

Picture courtesy of mercyworld.org

Mercy International Organization has created a resource for Lent related to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) . A few days are assigned to each of the seventeen SDG’s, with readings and a few thoughts to consider in your daily life related to each goal. To download this free resource, click here.

Seven Weeks for Water

Seven Weeks for Water 2019

Picture courtesy of water.oikoumene.org

The World Council of Churches Ecumenical Water Network has created a campaign “Seven Weeks for Water” to provide weekly reflections and other resources on water for the seven weeks of Lent. Each reflection starts with a scripture and then the author’s reflection. There are also reflection questions for the reader and possible actions to take.

The first reflection, “Challenging gendered water: an important step towards women’s empowerment” is by Renemsongla Ozukum, a theologian and a member of the Baptist Church Council, Nagaland India. The reflection is focused on John 4: 4-26: And Jesus said to her, “I am the Living Water”..…everyone who drinks the water will never be thirsty again. 

The second reflection, “Pilgrimage of water justice in the context of India” is by Dr.Geevarghese Mor Coorilos, Bishop of Niranam diocese of the Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church in India. He also serves the World Council of Churches as Moderator of the Commission on World Mission and Evangelism. His reflection comes from John 4:1-30: Samaritan Woman at the Well.

 The third reflection, “God’s Gift of Water” is by Grace Ji-Sun Kim. She is an ordained minister of PC (USA) and works as an Associate Professor of Theology at Earlham School of Religion. She is also part of the World Council of Churches working group on climate change. Her reflection comes from Isaiah 44:3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground…

The fourth reflection, “Stigma and discrimination: an impediment to human right to water, with specific reference to Casteism in India” is by Rev. Dr Raj Bharat Patta. He is an ordained minister of the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church in India and served the Student Christian Movement of India as its national General Secretary. He has also worked for the National Council of Churches in India as one of its Executive Secretaries. His reflection narrates the story of Hagar through her voice, when she was left in the desert to fend for herself without an adequate supply of water to survive with and to keep her son Ishmael alive. Patta, draws similarities between the Dalit communities in India and that of Hagar, when it comes to access to water.

The last three reflections are as follows: “Secure water for food security and climate adaptation”, “Leaving no one behind: the crux of water for all in the context of SDG 6”, and “Privatisation of water: an onslaught to human right to water in Asia”. These  will be available at the beginning of each of the coming weeks. To read more about the Seven Weeks of Water, click here.

 

Eating Simply for Lent

Picture courtesy of catholicclimatemovement.global

“Growing in simplicity for Lent is a gift of the spirit. We now know that it’s also a way to sustainably inhabit our place in God’s creation.”

Global Catholic Climate Movement is focusing on protecting creation this Lent. They are advocating for “Eating Simply,” by adding a day of plant-based meals to your diet, or eating only plant based meals during Lent. They offer recipes and easy meals to help the transition. To read more or to make the commitment to eat simply, click here.

The Biblical Basis for Advocacy to end Hunger

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This document from Bread for the World provides nine biblical themes that guide their mission to end hunger. They cite scripture for each theme to show why they believe it is their duty to love all people and ensure that no person goes hungry. To read more, click here.

Bread for the World: Have Faith. End Hunger.

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Bread for the World is a collective Christian voice urging the nation’s decision makers to end hunger at home and abroad. By changing policies, programs, and conditions that allow hunger and poverty to exist, they provide help and opportunity at home and abroad to end hunger.

“God’s grace in Jesus Christ moves us to help our neighbors, whether they live in the next house, the next state, or the next continent.”

To read more about Bread for the World or to get engaged with their work towards eradicating hunger, click here.

Religious Statements on Climate Change

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Interfaith Power & Light has compiled a list of different religious community’s statements on climate change. The list includes statements from different denominations including: Baha’i, Buddhist, Christianity, Hindu, Interfaith, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, and Unitarian Universalist. To view the entire list and to read more about the individual statements, click here.

Build a Catholic Relief Services Ark of Hope

CRS: Catholic Relief Services

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“Remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature—every mortal being that is on Earth.” – Genesis 9:16

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) created Ark of Hope as a way to get communities engaged in a fun and creative way. Relating to the hope and promise from the story of Noah’s Ark, the CRS Ark of Hope program allows communities to donate symbolic animals to people in need as they “build an ark.” As communities work towards their goal, they can color in animals and place them on an arc. The materials included with this program are lesson plans, a prayer service, coloring pages, and a bulletin-board Ark to show the progress communities are making towards reaching their goals and building their ark. To read more or begin an Ark of Hope, click here.

Muslim-American Views on Climate Change: A National Survey

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The Muslim-American Views on Climate Change: A National Survey is a survey conducted by the Islamic Society of North America, in coordination with ecoAmerica. It is meant to measure the attitudes of Muslim-American communities about climate change and its causes, impacts, and responses.  A clear message from the Qur’an states that unhealthy and unsustainable lifestyle will disrupt the balance that God created on planet earth and the negative repercussions are detrimental to all of creation. From the 30th chapter of the Qur’an:

”Corruption has flourished on land and sea as a result of people’s actions and He will make them taste the consequences of some of their own actions so that they may turn back” (30:41).

To read more on the Muslim-America views on climate change, click here.

The Ecology of Prayer

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The Ecology of Prayer is an essay written by Fred Bahnson in Orion magazine where he discusses how crucial it is for people of faith to actively be engaged in stopping climate change and making the world a more sustainable place. Bahnson directly asks Christians:  “If the underlying message is that we just need to green up our lifestyles without any real sacrifice, what’s the point? But no, I fear that the crisis before us will ask far more of us than we realize. Climate change can’t be just another bullet point on the church mission statement. We need a deeper form of political engagement, one that leads us to confront the darkness of the human heart.” To read The Ecology of Prayer, click here.