tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66469305075395567972024-03-16T14:52:12.517-04:00Presbyterians for Earth CarePresbyterians for Earth Carehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16373637808309763737noreply@blogger.comBlogger634125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6646930507539556797.post-17722387746929323172024-03-01T09:57:00.003-05:002024-03-01T09:57:57.930-05:002023 Earth Care Award Winners Announced<p> </p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; page-break-after: avoid; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Two Eco-Justice Award Winners Honored <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; page-break-after: avoid; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">at </span></b><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-themecolor: text1;">Presbyterians
for Earth Care </span></b><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Hybrid Conference</span></b><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-themecolor: text1;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">Presbyterians for Earth
Care (PEC) recognized two well-qualified individuals for their exceptional
environmental achievements at their September 2023 hybrid conference in Massanetta
Springs, VA. The William Gibson Eco-Justice Award was presented to David
Kimball of Billings, MT for his exceptional and far-reaching service in
visioning the creation and maintenance of an extensive community garden. Sarah
Shimer, a science teacher at Berwick Academy in Maine, received the Emerging
Earth Care Leader Award for a young adult.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">David Kimball, William Gibson Eco-Justice
Award</span></b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihj_h4U9pCVHF4xoa7YKFL02eaHnkG94pwbu6XVp53X8rX0uZVnjpsNze7cumTp4sq3HWw9w0TxUsLfuq7qU5JR0DhGI98cusHgw42gi6H7qJTMzBLBsCut4kJFC4uoZiFbfyw97RLBfrOzS-U3hRMLjVM61Ij9ZOLmakmFHZFukgXl_vkaNkeFe0IHnA/s343/Kimball.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="343" data-original-width="197" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihj_h4U9pCVHF4xoa7YKFL02eaHnkG94pwbu6XVp53X8rX0uZVnjpsNze7cumTp4sq3HWw9w0TxUsLfuq7qU5JR0DhGI98cusHgw42gi6H7qJTMzBLBsCut4kJFC4uoZiFbfyw97RLBfrOzS-U3hRMLjVM61Ij9ZOLmakmFHZFukgXl_vkaNkeFe0IHnA/w89-h155/Kimball.png" width="89" /></a></div><br /></div>At
St. Andrew Presbyterian Church in Billings, MT, Dave develops, encourages, and
inspires garden activities that have grown and improved over the last 21 years.
The garden, with over 50 families sharing plots and a half-acre mission garden,
feeds community members and annually shares thousands of pounds of fresh
produce with local, low-income food agencies. Dave has led church members and
the community in learning about composting, eco-friendly insect control, crop
rotation, non-chemical-based fertilization, and offered instruction around
sustainable agriculture and the importance of pollinators. The orchard,
labyrinth, greenhouse, compost system, and beehives offer more than just
vegetables to the community. Dave’s initial and realized vision is community
inclusion and because of his vision, organizational leadership, and
cheerleading, today the Community Garden continues to follow a mission that is
broadly community driven and oriented.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Sarah Shimer</span></b><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1;">, Emerging Earth Care
Leader Award<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvkk_37F_DOCC9520ZEfN_xt2bv4Ygkajq_65ahZbpcvv5580ag7Pji0iuwKD8UttUBAlOQe_qcfNUdkeFRUKeZEMpHkasu1Swc9tcy08jXky3J4dLJlMooJtQ2_4D9o6W8rSRCMTzfvq1NBNJTTKVIU5sYOBVBkpHHyMvVywUveZ00PgbUjPdQTR3-zs/s729/Shimer.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="729" data-original-width="583" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvkk_37F_DOCC9520ZEfN_xt2bv4Ygkajq_65ahZbpcvv5580ag7Pji0iuwKD8UttUBAlOQe_qcfNUdkeFRUKeZEMpHkasu1Swc9tcy08jXky3J4dLJlMooJtQ2_4D9o6W8rSRCMTzfvq1NBNJTTKVIU5sYOBVBkpHHyMvVywUveZ00PgbUjPdQTR3-zs/w107-h134/Shimer.png" width="107" /></a></div><br />Sarah first demonstrated
sustainable practices and motivated others while in high school, working at
Camp Hanover summer camp in Virginia. As a Young Adult Volunteer for the
PC(U.S.A.) in Boston, Sarah immersed herself for a year in food justice – the
right to grow, sell, and eat healthy, locally-sourced food. In the warmer
months she worked with the Hartford Street Presbyterian Church community
members in their community garden. After the growing and harvesting season, she
served the community at a Place to Turn food pantry in Natick, MA. Sarah is now
the Sustainability Coordinator and Upper School Science Teacher at
Berwick Academy in Maine. She readily demonstrates earth stewardship and
sustainable practices to her students and faculty in the campus garden. Sarah
demonstrates great potential as a future leader of sustainability and will
motivate many more to care for God’s creation in the future.<o:p></o:p><p></p>PresbyEarthCare Coordinatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04116427864285701852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6646930507539556797.post-34508912902858443232024-01-23T14:17:00.001-05:002024-01-23T14:24:36.540-05:00Single-Use Plastics Are Simple to Do Without<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg5I0nEFReE0ut3uBXYCDSHCatr9ySY6esmLpvOOubV2Xjba3QUdczh82mdbfLmzhFhGKq28rc9Co39fBOO04Ni-orp2w_vPYTdBqh8XCE8t0ZDdbPpdPytaH62MCSfC1uWHSMQ8e_yLaMKrHKfF6QlG-fHXQ2S_3FzH75ZaMnkK3RmIib4aKLuvqmsMw/s1280/Single-Use%20Plastics%20photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg5I0nEFReE0ut3uBXYCDSHCatr9ySY6esmLpvOOubV2Xjba3QUdczh82mdbfLmzhFhGKq28rc9Co39fBOO04Ni-orp2w_vPYTdBqh8XCE8t0ZDdbPpdPytaH62MCSfC1uWHSMQ8e_yLaMKrHKfF6QlG-fHXQ2S_3FzH75ZaMnkK3RmIib4aKLuvqmsMw/s320/Single-Use%20Plastics%20photo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="Body">by Jane Laping<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">Plastics have become ubiquitous in our environment. Not only do
we find them on the shelves in retail stores and for sale online, but they are
also litter on our roadways, in streams, rivers and oceans, and are quickly
filling up our landfills. Furthermore, microplastics – tiny pieces of plastic
that have been eroded from larger pieces – have been found in sea life as well
as humans. We ingest a credit card<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>s
worth of microplastics every week. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">Plastics are manufactured from oil and gas that are subsidized by
our government. There is an equity issue too. Plastic factories are usually
located in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">Plastics have become a huge problem across the globe, especially
since China stopped taking plastics for recycling in 2017. Beaches in SE Asia
are covered in plastic waste, mostly waste from shipping.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">The responsibility for all this waste falls on us as Americans.
In 2019, US plastic waste generation was approximately five times more than the
global per-person average. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">What can we do about all this plastic? LOTS. The first step is to
stop buying it. Remember the meaning of the chasing arrows in the recycling
symbol? Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Now there are six more R<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>s in the updated list for the 21<sup>st</sup> century:
Rethink, Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Refurbish, Repair, Repurpose, and the last
option – Recycle. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">When shopping, look for items packaged in glass, metal, or
cardboard instead of plastic. If you cannot find them, purchase a larger
container and refill it. A good example of that is liquid hand soap. Or you can
simply refuse liquid hand soap and use bar soap that is usually wrapped in
paper. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">Liquid laundry detergent comes in very large plastic containers.
By not using more than the manufacturer<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>s
instructions, you can make the amount last longer. You can often get by with
less than recommended. If you purchase powdered detergent in a cardboard box,
you are refusing that giant plastic jug. You can also buy detergent sheets that
dissolve in water. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">If you can pay a little more for a reusable product, there are
many options to replace single-use disposable plastics. The most obvious is to
carry your own reusable water bottle. There are also reusable sandwich and food
storage bags made of silicone. Beeswax wraps can replace plastic wrap. Or use
repurposed plastic tubs (margarine, yogurt) to store food at no additional
cost. Better yet, invest in glass food storage containers. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">If making changes to your shopping list and routine sounds
overwhelming, you can advocate for controls on single-use plastics by using
your voice. Read as much as you can, search the web, and attend webinars and
meetings about plastic waste. When you feel confident in your knowledge, then
it is time to make your voice heard. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">If your local store doesn<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>t
stock non-plastic containers, talk to your store manager and tell them you aren<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>t the only person
who wants them. Post a request/complaint on the store<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>s FB page. Talk with your family, friends, and neighbors
about your concerns. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">Call/text/email your local and state elected officials about
banning specific plastic items such as plastic bags, Styrofoam take-out
containers and cups, plastic straws, and stirrers. More than 500 states,
cities, and counties have banned plastic bags at point of purchase. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">If you need help, join a local group involved in single-use
plastic reduction and take your cues from them. Whatever changes you can make
will be appreciated by all of God<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>s
creatures. No more straws up turtle noses, no more plastic filling up whale
stomachs, no more six-pack rings around turtles<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’ </span>and gulls<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’
</span>necks. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">The biggest impact of eliminating plastic production will be less
oil and gas production and refining. Extraction of fossil fuels such as oil and
gas and manufacturing of plastics is a major contributor to climate change. We
are now witnessing the climate impacts that scientists have been telling us
about for years: more intense hurricanes, more frequent flooding and wildfires,
rising sea levels caused by increased water temperatures, and extreme
temperature fluctuations. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">We need to act to stop this desecration of God<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>s creation and we need to act quickly if we are to
maintain a habitable planet where humans can live as God intended.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><b>Jane Laping</b> is the current Vice Moderator of Presbyterians
for Earth Care and is active in environmental issues from a faith perspective
at the local and regional level. For more than two years she has been involved
with Plastic Free WNC, a regional group with the goal of getting state and
local laws passed that would limit the use of single-use plastics. <o:p></o:p></p>PresbyEarthCare Coordinatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04116427864285701852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6646930507539556797.post-23473042872149681632024-01-23T14:15:00.009-05:002024-01-23T14:25:42.156-05:00Plant a Native Garden in Your Neighborhood!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNi8GyxKXJgZg10h6c7dWaIhNkBeFFch3S2TXB5H_SMURmXEwWuAi-bSWKllslx3VbQW7E8BrxbVn4v-4vDE8R_I5xZDS7lrHFet9XLpO-rjpb_iLl59hZ9l013WZXUy_RNMG-w3_vW2BzdZXK51QljdasuiEWu0SuOYCNEc2rfLebjkytOegSgr99aXo/s4032/Plant%20a%20Native%20Garden%20photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNi8GyxKXJgZg10h6c7dWaIhNkBeFFch3S2TXB5H_SMURmXEwWuAi-bSWKllslx3VbQW7E8BrxbVn4v-4vDE8R_I5xZDS7lrHFet9XLpO-rjpb_iLl59hZ9l013WZXUy_RNMG-w3_vW2BzdZXK51QljdasuiEWu0SuOYCNEc2rfLebjkytOegSgr99aXo/s320/Plant%20a%20Native%20Garden%20photo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="Body"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif;">by
M. Courtenay Willcox</span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Body"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif;">The
importance of native species is echoed not just in garden clubs and botanical
gardens, but by homeowners who can increase the number of native plants in
their gardens while reducing the size of their lawns. This can also happen on
church, business, and corporate campuses. Native species are central to
sustaining biodiversity, and I’ve taken an idea that was birthed at Bryn Mawr
Presbyterian Church, </span><span class="Hyperlink0"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><a href="https://www.bmpc.org/ministries/mission/plant-native-native-plant"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;">Plant
Native/Native Plant</span></span></a></span></span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif;">, on the road by creating a community
pollinating garden. BMPC’s Environmental Justice Committee is committed to
supporting native plantings on the church’s campus, bringing attention to those
plantings, offering resources, and encouraging members to plant native at home.</span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Body"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif;">For
my spin-off Plant Native/Native Plant project, I reached out to neighborhood
families with young children and gauged their interest in a community garden,
which now sits between properties and faces the sidewalk, letting anyone who
walks by witness the efforts of the neighborhood’s youngest residents.</span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Body"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif;">“Though I do not
believe that a plant will spring up where no seed has been, I have great faith
in a seed. Convince me that you have a seed there, and I am prepared to expect
wonders.” ~Henry David Thoreau from notes written 1856-1861</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Body"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif;">Thoreau’s quote
was read before planting began, mostly for the benefit of the parents who were
in attendance. Then the neighborhood children, ages 1-12, started digging into
the dirt to plant 18 native plants that included: </span><i><span lang="DE" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; mso-ansi-language: DE;">Penstemon
digitalis</span></i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif;">, foxglove
beardtongue; <i>Carex stricta</i></span><span lang="NL" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; mso-ansi-language: NL;">, tussock sedge; </span><i><span lang="IT" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; mso-ansi-language: IT;">Aster
divaricatus</span></i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif;">, white
wood aster; <i>Allium cernuum</i></span><span lang="NL" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; mso-ansi-language: NL;">, nodding onion; Penstemon </span><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif;">hirsutus</span></i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif;">, hairy beardtongue; <i>Solidago
rugosa</i>, wrinkleleaf goldenrod.</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Body"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif;">Before planting,
the families received a children’s rewrite of Doug Tallamy’s </span><span class="Hyperlink1"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Natures-Best-Hope-Young-Readers/dp/1643262149"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;">Nature</span></span><span class="Link"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; font-style: normal; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;">’</span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;">s
Best Hope: (Young Readers</span></span><span class="Link"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; font-style: normal; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;">’
</span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;">Edition) How You Can Save the World in
Your Own Yard</span></span></a></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif;">
which, among other things, explains the importance of planting native plants to
attract and feed native insects and how this type of nature conservation can
happen right outside your backdoor. Planting a native plant is such an easy
thing to do. Our garden is proof that anyone, at any age, can plant a native
plant.</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Body"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif;">Native plants
also work to create a native greenway that sustains and increases biodiversity,
which, in part because of lawn monoculture, is in peril. I was inspired by Doug
Tallamy and </span><span class="Link"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><a href="https://homegrownnationalpark.org/"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;">Home Grown National Park</span></span></a></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif;">, which provides a blueprint of ways
to increase biodiversity within your yard, linking it with a neighbor’s yard,
and the ribbon of green grows to support native species. HGNP followers are
encouraged to regenerate biodiversity by planting native with no experience
required!</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Body"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif;">Our community
native garden was an easy project with just a little investment. The payoffs
were huge! Pre-education happened in individual households from Tallamy’s book.
Then, purchasing an inexpensive 8’x4’ </span><span class="Link"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><a href="https://www.homedepot.com/p/Greenes-Fence-4-ft-x-8-ft-x-7-10-5-in-Original-Cedar-Raised-Garden-Bed-RC-4C8T2/202520864#overlay"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;">cedar
framed raised bed</span></span></a></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif;">,
toting free fill-dirt from our township’s leaf compost (amazing!), and ordering
</span><span class="Link"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><a href="https://getblooming.com/"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;">Bloom
Box<span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;">’<span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;">s</span></span></span></span></a></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif;"> native plant fill-a-flat consisting
of 18 beautiful plants that were delivered, was easy. We also planted mountain
mint, milkweed, and cone flower seeds which are sprouting.</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Body"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif;">Through texts,
the neighborhood arranged to come together and plant at 5:00 p.m. on a May
afternoon. My granddaughters were in attendance as I stood on the sidewalk and
looked hopefully down the street. It was empty. And then, just like in the
movie, <i>Field of Dreams</i> (if you build it, they will come), the sidewalks
filled with children, trowels in hand, and their parents, for the planting
festivities.</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Body"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif;">All the
participants have helped water through dry times, and after a deer nibbling, I
covered the bed with some netting which has deterred bunny and deer munching.
The plants and seeds are flourishing!</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Body"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif;">This was such a
gratifying project that produced a beautiful result and raised neighborhood
awareness around the importance of native planting. My heart is full. Anyone
can use this model to start a native garden in their own neighborhood. It is an
easy lift to support creation care and give a much-needed boost to native
insects. Let’s keep the ribbon of green, that will support native pollinators,
unfurling throughout our neighborhoods and communities. And remember, Plant
Native/Native Plant.</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif;"><i><b>Courtenay's</b> passion around environmental issues is the third leg of a stool that also includes family and God. She moderated her church's Environmental Justice Committee, founded a local interfaith green group, and partners with PA IPL to share resources with regional faith institutions. A recent seminary graduate with a certificate in environmental theology, she currently serves Tree of Life Church in Springfield, PA as a transitional pastor.</i></span></p><p class="Body"><br /></p>PresbyEarthCare Coordinatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04116427864285701852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6646930507539556797.post-12123660215726247742024-01-23T14:09:00.000-05:002024-01-23T14:26:09.797-05:00Inspirational Reading<p> by Janet Storts</p><p class="Body"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos;">I first became aware of Paul Hawken in the 1980s when he was selling
garden tools and writing books to convince businesspeople that you could make
ethical decisions and still make a profit. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Body"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="Body"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos;">If we had all followed his trajectory of insight, study, and commitment
to action, we would be in a much different place now regarding global warming.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Body"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="Body"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos;">The following two books, which Hawken edited, give both practical ways
to influence climate and new ways to think about our relationships.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Body"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLOw2YOz0zXVX5nEbiZbg_6Cx8yks5onPd4dFSHyf8HIWgR0ok888Vu9KIW4tUgKN93ITBL-gCniuFJXFkFGzAd0UoUeT5xSudmyqa95IcZ6xpS5dyfAE5nZExYaXwShZTnpf2nQcaqUotI0d3Ze0Qs6L4DWAMYLS6OlDZCjHXC-UMLCA98j5IHJOkRzg/s1000/Inspirational%20reading%20photo%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="782" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLOw2YOz0zXVX5nEbiZbg_6Cx8yks5onPd4dFSHyf8HIWgR0ok888Vu9KIW4tUgKN93ITBL-gCniuFJXFkFGzAd0UoUeT5xSudmyqa95IcZ6xpS5dyfAE5nZExYaXwShZTnpf2nQcaqUotI0d3Ze0Qs6L4DWAMYLS6OlDZCjHXC-UMLCA98j5IHJOkRzg/w156-h200/Inspirational%20reading%20photo%202.jpg" width="156" /></a></div><p class="Body" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Hyperlink0"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><a href="https://drawdown.org/the-book"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;">Drawdown</span></span></a></span></span><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos;">: The
Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming</span></b></p><p class="Body"><span class="Hyperlink0"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKnjtjO-D4BtA4jbJE4tbAJOjcpn3AUpIav0fKD1rvsi18qXdP4nqfsNO2gtkf2KUiQ6XYPjjQ_RlNP2DrlzDAcoOFbvzOQwdCLHrxzG8whZrOnJyA5DNa2gGXTjuOt-Agf6ENTW8yO68nlZkKMj371xVDF4El4El2-odlCxHuKyj7JJJezRFVmfRGJzQ/s1000/Inspirational%20reading%20photo%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="782" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKnjtjO-D4BtA4jbJE4tbAJOjcpn3AUpIav0fKD1rvsi18qXdP4nqfsNO2gtkf2KUiQ6XYPjjQ_RlNP2DrlzDAcoOFbvzOQwdCLHrxzG8whZrOnJyA5DNa2gGXTjuOt-Agf6ENTW8yO68nlZkKMj371xVDF4El4El2-odlCxHuKyj7JJJezRFVmfRGJzQ/w156-h200/Inspirational%20reading%20photo%201.jpg" width="156" /></a></div><p></p><p class="Body" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Hyperlink0"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><a href="https://regeneration.org/the-book"><span lang="DE" style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: DE; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;">Regeneration</span></span></a></span></span><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos;">: Ending
the Climate Crisis in One Generation</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="Body"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="Body"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos;">In addition, a search for Regeneration Paul Hawken on YouTube will
return more than one hundred presentations and interviews. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Body"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="Body"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos;">To find a source that is practical, inspiring, realistic, and thoughtful
gives me hope that we can change our hearts and take action.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Body"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="Body"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos;">J<b>anet Storts</b> is a founding member of JOY New Worshiping Community
and Ecumenical-Eco Justice in Saint Joseph, Missouri. She received her MASJ
(Social Justice) from Phillips Theological Seminary. </span><o:p></o:p></p>PresbyEarthCare Coordinatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04116427864285701852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6646930507539556797.post-48000160399558713602024-01-23T14:01:00.000-05:002024-01-23T14:26:28.212-05:00Going (sort of) Car Free<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU_8NtYvPhIBAyAPoMkDcLgQLHNaT9NYNECNLoDhyoPmagV_n60nYvqRD8_IIJewW9mL3YXfHSaOgOB-SwCUVZy1Ky6qHdiG_sFhRSMcEbBlx79I2ytZBpocUNNG6vHE78wsXSFj_A7qp3C_DmXulmaFm5sw7-ii7qWx9tOMbIrDoBm1F56LfvvFTyWnI/s1280/Going%20Car%20Free%20photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="856" data-original-width="1280" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU_8NtYvPhIBAyAPoMkDcLgQLHNaT9NYNECNLoDhyoPmagV_n60nYvqRD8_IIJewW9mL3YXfHSaOgOB-SwCUVZy1Ky6qHdiG_sFhRSMcEbBlx79I2ytZBpocUNNG6vHE78wsXSFj_A7qp3C_DmXulmaFm5sw7-ii7qWx9tOMbIrDoBm1F56LfvvFTyWnI/s320/Going%20Car%20Free%20photo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="Body">By Eric Diekhans<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">In an earlier Earth News, I profiled Matt Walker, a Presbyterian
choir director who lived a car-free lifestyle. He was able to get anywhere he
wanted to go using his bike and public transportation.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">Giving up the automobile isn’t practical for many people. We are
a car-dependent culture and our transportation system caters to drivers. Public
transportation in much of the United States is scant or non-existent. Extremes
in temperature can make cycling unpleasant or impossible.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">While giving up our cars is a worthwhile goal, we don’t need to
live 100% car-free to make a dent in the 4.6 metric tons of CO2 the average car
emits every year. Thanks to the boom in e-bikes, we now have more options to
change our mode of transportation some or most of the time.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">I’ve used a bike for basic transportation since I was a kid, when
I zipped around our subdivision and rode the two miles to elementary school.
But when I got my driver’s license, my bike was relegated to mostly
recreational riding as I enjoyed the freedom and ease an automobile gave me.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">When I moved to Chicago and got a job downtown, I began
occasionally using my bike for commuting, It saved me money (important to a
recent college graduate) and I enjoyed the lakefront scenery while getting some
much-needed exercise.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">In 2019, I bought a Linus city bike with the express purpose of
riding more and driving less. Its wider tires, rack, and fenders were more
piratical than the road bike I used for recreation and allowed me to install
panniers and take my bike to grocery shop, visit friends, go to the library, or
grab a coffee at my local cafe.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">I quickly saw the advantages of keeping my car in the garage. I
save on gas and maintenance costs, and riding my bike is often faster than
driving, Instead of circling the block or a parking lot looking for a space, I
almost always park in front of my destination. While drivers sit in
bumper-to-bumper traffic, I ride blissfully by.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">In the last few years, e-bike sales have exploded. Whether the
bike’s motor is pedal assist or operated by a throttle, e-bikes allow you to
ride further, carry heavier loads, and arrive at your destination without
breaking a sweat.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">Cargo bikes in particular have surged in popularity. As more
companies come into the market, prices come down and options increase. I often
see moms and dads riding down my street on cargo bikes with one or two kids
sitting happily behind them. Cargo bikes can haul a week’s worth of groceries
and many can keep up with city traffic.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">Cargo bikes may seem expensive, ranging from $1,500 to more than
$8,000, but compare that to the price of a typical car. Maintenance is also
comparatively cheap. Even if you keep your car, a cargo bike can expand your
transportation options considerably while saving you money.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><i>Bicycling </i>magazine recently reviewed some of the latest
cargo bikes. They highlighted several factors to consider when purchasing one.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><i><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></i><!--[endif]-->Buying
your bike direct from the manufacturer has become a popular option. Online
retailers can often offer lower prices because they cut out the middleman. You
can also often customize your bike more. The big downside is that you can’t try
before you buy, which is particularly important with a cargo bike. They all
have different designs with different feels. Cargo bikes are also usually
one-size-fits-most If you’re taller or shorter than average, that may be an
issue. If you can’t test-ride a bike at your local shop, see if you can find
someone with a similar model who is willing to let you try it.<i><o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="Body" style="margin-left: .25in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><i><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></i><!--[endif]-->Bikes
come in three classes. Consider which one fits your needs.<i><o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="Body" style="margin-left: .25in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body" style="margin-left: .25in;">In class 1 bikes, the motor only works
when you’re pedaling and allow a maximum assisted speed of 20 mph. Class 2
bikes have a throttle and allow you to ride without pedaling. They still only
have a maximum speed of 20 mph, (Though they still have the option of pedal
assistance.) Class 3 e-bikes allow pedal assist up to 28 mph.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body" style="margin-left: .25in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body" style="margin-left: .25in;">Class 2 e-bikes are great if you carry
heavy loads or have difficulty pedaling, Class 1 bikes usually offer more
range.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><i><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></i><!--[endif]-->Consider
storage. E-bikes are heavier than non-motorized bikes. Most are 80-90 pounds,
though large-capacity e-bikes can tip the scale at over 100 pounds. You don’t
want to be hauling a heavy bike up several flights of stairs, so a garage or
storage shed is ideal.<i><o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">If you’re interested in exploring e-bikes and cargo bikes, talk
to owners. There are many Facebook groups you can join. You can also join a
local bike club or visit a shop that specializes in e-bikes.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">One day, perhaps the United States will look more like the
Netherlands, where bike infrastructure is common, 99% of people own a bicycle,
and 28% of trips are taken by bike. But you don’t have to wait and you don’t
have to sell your car. Using a bicycle for basic transportation has never been
easier, and it can make a real difference in lowering your carbon emissions.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><b><i>Eric Diekhans</i></b><i> is an </i><span class="Hyperlink0"><a href="https://ericdiekhans.com/"><b><i>author</i></b></a></span><i>, Executive
Director of the </i><span class="Hyperlink0"><a href="http://www.gcbm.org/"><b><i>Greater
Chicago Broadcast Ministries</i></b></a></span><i>, and a member of Lake View
Presbyterian Church in Chicago.</i><o:p></o:p></p>PresbyEarthCare Coordinatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04116427864285701852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6646930507539556797.post-37885486665262934832024-01-23T13:57:00.001-05:002024-01-23T14:26:41.924-05:00God Connections; the Spiritual, the Mystical and the Glory of Creation<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFWrihLK2vizpXZhXR3PYqZc0vN0Hg8F8cY8OxkNO73jrQ4mc_SqWnGux4AQ2PJTkIUBnRxBRB0du9RVQk6HnghyWEbXnzjyv_YYDLRQT_YzhNef2wY-tCYeV8iolanIpXsJy3_PeDICTI1sD8x-NYW82v7w5c_xnf7LjcuBSw1iBQs2TjWxbv55_qnXI/s640/God%20Connections%20photo.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFWrihLK2vizpXZhXR3PYqZc0vN0Hg8F8cY8OxkNO73jrQ4mc_SqWnGux4AQ2PJTkIUBnRxBRB0du9RVQk6HnghyWEbXnzjyv_YYDLRQT_YzhNef2wY-tCYeV8iolanIpXsJy3_PeDICTI1sD8x-NYW82v7w5c_xnf7LjcuBSw1iBQs2TjWxbv55_qnXI/s320/God%20Connections%20photo.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="BodyA">By Diane Waddell<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="BodyA"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="BodyA">God has shared amazing goodness with God’s creatures from micro
to macro, Yet in all the swirling of Creation, even holding God’s Creation in
our physical grasp, there is such mystery that we are often left in awe. Even
science is often left wondering as we continue to ‘discover’ many new wonders…
from the bottom of the ocean to the farthest reaches of the Cosmos.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="BodyA"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="BodyA">I am called to seek ‘Presence’ in Mystery/the Mystical’ to seek
‘Home’ in the Spiritual; to seek Fulness through Earth/Creation connectedness.
I have appreciated hearing about many paths to God, from indigenous wisdom,
through Celtic connections, to senses of the Cosmic…as we follow the Christ
path on our journey.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="BodyA"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="BodyA">Our New Worshiping Community, <span class="Hyperlink0"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><a href="http://thecenterforjoy.org/"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;">JOY </span></span><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;">—
Justice, Outreach and Yoga</span></span></a></span></span> — has worked and
worshiped together in gathered community for about four years. As we gather, we
express gratitude to those indigenous tribes who walked the land before us. As
we seek to connect with Spirit, we have enjoyed appreciating God’s gifts to us
through music and visual and literary arts. Last year we grew deeply by
studying several of the ancient mystics, such as Julian of Norwich, Teresa of
Avila, Hildegard of Bingen, and St. Thomas Aquinas.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="BodyA"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="BodyA">This year, we are embarking on Pilgrimage, including sharing
stories of pilgrimages taken; some were through the PCUSA related to social and
environmental justice. Our pilgrimage journeys will include walking the
Labyrinth as well as absorbing the vibrations of Tibetan singing bowls…as we
pray and send prayers of healing and strength through those vibrations to
Earth, and our neighbors on Earth, both near and far.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="BodyA"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="BodyA">Of course, there are many resources which we use as we share,
but some which have been particularly helpful are the following;<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="BodyA"><i><u><o:p><span style="text-decoration: none;"> </span></o:p></u></i></p>
<p class="BodyA"><span class="Hyperlink0"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6060129-earth-gospel"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;">Earth Gospel</span></span></a></span></span><i>:
A Guide to Prayer for God’s Creation</i>, by Sam Hamilton-Poore<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="BodyA"><span class="Hyperlink0"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><a href="https://www.countrybookshelf.com/book/9780062513779"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;">Life Prayers from Around the World</span></span></a></span></span>,
Ed. Elizabeth Roberts & Elias Amidon<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="BodyA"><span class="Hyperlink0"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><a href="https://www.eerdmans.com/9780802882776/praying-with-the-earth/"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;">Praying with the Earth. A Prayerbook for
Peace</span></span></a></span></span>, by John Philip Newell<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="BodyA"><span class="Hyperlink0"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><a href="https://www.abebooks.com/9780829815931/Seven-Songs-Creation-Liturgies-Celebrating-0829815937/plp"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;">Seven songs of Creation: Liturgies for
Celebrating and Healing Earth</span></span></a></span></span> by Normal C.Habel<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="BodyA"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="BodyA">We have also been grateful for <span class="Hyperlink0"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><a href="https://www.cokesbury.com/9781580512138-The-Inclusive-Bible?gclid=Cj0KCQiAwbitBhDIARIsABfFYILdCSKF2iorghcc-NA452C6d1Bn1Och0sm9HeFQOLSuWMnAmquN59YaAsY_EALw_wcB"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;">The Inclusive Bible</span></span></a></span></span>,
the First Egalitarian Translation. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="BodyA"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="BodyA">We are so grateful for the opportunity to grow and BE together,
and to share God’s glorious Creation…day by day. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="BodyA"><o:p> </o:p>We send peace, wisdom, and JOY to our PEC community!! <i>Our JOY
NWC is a part of the 1001 </i>New Worshiping Communities of the PCUSA. We are
located in St. Joseph, Missouri; Heartland Presbytery.</p><p class="BodyA"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="BodyA"><i><o:p> </o:p></i></p>
<p class="BodyA"><b><i>Diane Waddell</i></b><i> is a leader of JOY NWC and a
member of Earthkeepers of Heartland Presbytery.<o:p></o:p></i></p>PresbyEarthCare Coordinatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04116427864285701852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6646930507539556797.post-15728962821212018232024-01-23T13:41:00.000-05:002024-01-23T14:27:04.231-05:00A Way to Love the Earth: A Sabbath Practice to Nourish This Intent<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOXyiuUzDkV9x7IwknBThKXeYe6Y85APrty6xyXCW20RbJTOQeGETeMX3g2SyCeMlszVahsYfj606rD48C0CUVXA_Ab1TJGtW7p0F8r-4DCQLydwo9qzfB-wr0ocIi0X_Pydw11U6fu2N8LNWU59Bds9og86VYTDWdp0jmdvl4C0alpOYWB5h54EYoln8/s1280/A%20WAY%20TO%20LOVE%20THE%20EARTH%20photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="925" data-original-width="1280" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOXyiuUzDkV9x7IwknBThKXeYe6Y85APrty6xyXCW20RbJTOQeGETeMX3g2SyCeMlszVahsYfj606rD48C0CUVXA_Ab1TJGtW7p0F8r-4DCQLydwo9qzfB-wr0ocIi0X_Pydw11U6fu2N8LNWU59Bds9og86VYTDWdp0jmdvl4C0alpOYWB5h54EYoln8/s320/A%20WAY%20TO%20LOVE%20THE%20EARTH%20photo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="Body">by Nancy Corson Carter<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p>Dear Friends in Earth Care,</p><p class="Body"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p>Here are some notes from a retreat I<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS", serif;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>ll be leading soon; it is teaching me about perhaps <i>the</i>
foundation of the Earth-loving that we intend. As I plan <span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS", serif;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span>A Time of Sabbath in
Mid-Winter” at a nearby camp, I am convinced more & more about <b>the
absolute necessity of Sabbath practice for our Earth Caring</b>.</p><p class="Body"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p><b>Note 1: A Call to Prayer</b></p>
<p class="Body" style="margin-left: .5in;">We who have lost our sense and our
senses—our touch, our smell, our vision of who we are; we who frantically force
and press all things, without rest for body or spirit, hurting our Earth and
injuring ourselves: we call a halt.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body" style="text-indent: .5in;">We want to rest. We need to rest and
allow the Earth to rest.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body" style="margin-left: .5in;">We need to reflect and to rediscover the
mystery that lives in us, that is the ground of every unique expression of
life, the source of the fascination that calls all things to communion.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body" style="margin-left: .5in;">We declare a Sabbath, a space of quiet:
for simple being and letting be; for recovering the great, forgotten truths;
for learning how to live again.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">(Author
unknown; from Creation Justice Ministry</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">s Earth Day mailing)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Body"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="Body"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b><span lang="DE" style="mso-ansi-language: DE;">Note 2: </span></b><span lang="DE" style="mso-ansi-language: DE;">Walter Brueggemann</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>s
<span class="Hyperlink0"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><a href="https://www.wjkbooks.com/Products/0664263291/sabbath-as-resistance-new-edition-with-study-guide.aspx"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;">Sabbath as Resistance</span></span></a></span></span><i>:
Saying NO to the CULTURE OF NOW (</i>Westminster John Knox, 2014) speaks
directly to these thoughts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The <span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span>limitless
pursuit of consumer goods (and the political, cultural, and military
requirements that go with it) in the interest of satiation necessitates
over-production and <i>abuse of the land,</i> and the squandering of limited
supplies of oil and water. Thus, the environment is savaged by such
restlessness; the ordering creation is skewed, perhaps beyond viability. It is
long since forgotten that rest is the final marking of creator and creation.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">In his final chapter, 6, <span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span>The Sabbath and the Tenth Commandment” (where <i>greed</i>
is rejected) Brueggemann presents Psalm 73 as his final text: he sees it as <span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span>a
report on a journey from the world of commodity to the world of community.” Verse
23 is his chosen refrain from the repentant psalmist as he turns to address
God: <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span>Nevertheless I am continually with you; you hold my
right hand.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body" style="text-indent: .5in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">Brueggemann warns us (89) that <span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span>This is no casual
hand-holding. This is a life-or-death grip that does not let go.”… “Sabbath is
the regular, disciplined, visible, concrete yes to the neighborly reality of
the community beloved by God.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body" style="background: white;"><b><span lang="DE" style="mso-ansi-language: DE;">Note 3: </span></b>as I thought of the idea of <span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span>Practical Steps we
might take to love the Earth,” I looked up <span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span>practical” and found this list:<span style="color: #202124; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Roboto; mso-fareast-font-family: Roboto; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Body" style="background: white; margin-left: .5in;"><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: Roboto; mso-bidi-font-family: Roboto; mso-fareast-font-family: Roboto; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">practical (adjective as in realistic, useful) </span><span style="color: #040c28; font-family: Roboto; mso-bidi-font-family: Roboto; mso-fareast-font-family: Roboto; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">Strongest matches</span><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: Roboto; mso-bidi-font-family: Roboto; mso-fareast-font-family: Roboto; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">. businesslike constructive
down-to-earth efficient factual feasible functional possible practicable
pragmatic rational reasonable sane sensible sober workable.</span><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: Roboto; mso-bidi-font-family: Roboto; mso-fareast-font-family: Roboto; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Body" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: Roboto; mso-bidi-font-family: Roboto; mso-fareast-font-family: Roboto; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="Body" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: Roboto; mso-bidi-font-family: Roboto; mso-fareast-font-family: Roboto; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">As I pondered whether Sabbath is “practical” for Earth
keepers, I found this poem by Wendell Berry from his book </span><i><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: Roboto; mso-bidi-font-family: Roboto; mso-fareast-font-family: Roboto; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">SABBATHS (</span></i><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: Roboto; mso-bidi-font-family: Roboto; mso-fareast-font-family: Roboto; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">quoted, p.19, in a great teaching
book on</span><i><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: Roboto; mso-bidi-font-family: Roboto; mso-fareast-font-family: Roboto; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"> </span></i><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: Roboto; mso-bidi-font-family: Roboto; mso-fareast-font-family: Roboto; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">Sabbaths, Don Postema’s </span><span class="Hyperlink0"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><a href="https://www.faithaliveresources.org/Products/150990/catch-your-breath.aspx"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;">Catch Your Breath: God</span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;">’</span></span><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;">s Invitation to Sabbath Rest</span></span></a></span></span><i><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: Roboto; mso-bidi-font-family: Roboto; mso-fareast-font-family: Roboto; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">—</span></i><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: Roboto; mso-bidi-font-family: Roboto; mso-fareast-font-family: Roboto; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">2016, still in print):</span><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: Roboto; mso-bidi-font-family: Roboto; mso-fareast-font-family: Roboto; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Body" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: Roboto; mso-bidi-font-family: Roboto; mso-fareast-font-family: Roboto; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="Body" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: Roboto; mso-bidi-font-family: Roboto; mso-fareast-font-family: Roboto; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span></span><i><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: Roboto; mso-bidi-font-family: Roboto; mso-fareast-font-family: Roboto; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">The bell calls in the town</span></i><i><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: Roboto; mso-bidi-font-family: Roboto; mso-fareast-font-family: Roboto; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="Body" style="background: white;"><i><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: Roboto; mso-bidi-font-family: Roboto; mso-fareast-font-family: Roboto; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>Where
forebears cleared the shaded land</span></i><i><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: Roboto; mso-bidi-font-family: Roboto; mso-fareast-font-family: Roboto; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="Body" style="background: white;"><i><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: Roboto; mso-bidi-font-family: Roboto; mso-fareast-font-family: Roboto; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>And
brought high daylight down</span></i><i><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: Roboto; mso-bidi-font-family: Roboto; mso-fareast-font-family: Roboto; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="Body" style="background: white;"><i><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: Roboto; mso-bidi-font-family: Roboto; mso-fareast-font-family: Roboto; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>To
shine on field and trodden road.</span></i><i><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: Roboto; mso-bidi-font-family: Roboto; mso-fareast-font-family: Roboto; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="Body" style="background: white;"><i><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: Roboto; mso-bidi-font-family: Roboto; mso-fareast-font-family: Roboto; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>I
hear, but understand</span></i><i><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: Roboto; mso-bidi-font-family: Roboto; mso-fareast-font-family: Roboto; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="Body" style="background: white;"><i><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: Roboto; mso-bidi-font-family: Roboto; mso-fareast-font-family: Roboto; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>Contrarily,
and walk into the woods.</span></i><i><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: Roboto; mso-bidi-font-family: Roboto; mso-fareast-font-family: Roboto; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="Body" style="background: white;"><i><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: Roboto; mso-bidi-font-family: Roboto; mso-fareast-font-family: Roboto; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>I
leave labor and load,</span></i><i><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: Roboto; mso-bidi-font-family: Roboto; mso-fareast-font-family: Roboto; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="Body" style="background: white;"><i><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: Roboto; mso-bidi-font-family: Roboto; mso-fareast-font-family: Roboto; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>Take
up a different story.</span></i><i><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: Roboto; mso-bidi-font-family: Roboto; mso-fareast-font-family: Roboto; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="Body" style="background: white;"><i><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: Roboto; mso-bidi-font-family: Roboto; mso-fareast-font-family: Roboto; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>I
keep an inventory</span></i><i><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: Roboto; mso-bidi-font-family: Roboto; mso-fareast-font-family: Roboto; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="Body" style="background: white;"><i><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: Roboto; mso-bidi-font-family: Roboto; mso-fareast-font-family: Roboto; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>Of
wonders and uncommercial goods.</span></i><i><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: Roboto; mso-bidi-font-family: Roboto; mso-fareast-font-family: Roboto; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="Body" style="background: white;"><i><span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: Roboto; mso-bidi-font-family: Roboto; mso-fareast-font-family: Roboto; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="Body" style="mso-hyphenate: none;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">Nancy Corson Carter,</span></i></b><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"> professor emerita of humanities at Eckerd College, has published two
poetry books, </span></i><span lang="NL" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: NL; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">Dragon Poems</span><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"> and </span></i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">The Sourdough Dream Kit<i>, and three poetry chapbooks.
Some of her poems, drawings, and photos appear in her nonfiction book, </i>Martha,
Mary, and Jesus: Weaving Action and Contemplation in Daily Life <i>and in her
memoir, </i>The Never-Quite-Ending War: a WWII GI Daughter's Stories.</span><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p>PresbyEarthCare Coordinatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04116427864285701852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6646930507539556797.post-53596514682967915862023-10-31T14:47:00.001-04:002023-10-31T14:47:07.423-04:00Stand with Indigenous People in this Climate Crisis<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCycJ0B3FxcMM0jRHw_lElhGZ_xOUujUspdCSTSlyZ7IPh6CHwafEAWXMs4xhqyXnvT83KCvqPXxzS2L90lZwItbRI2pEm3Fxj7ziM105VkHsLd_PIjXSLL-B_NcDIO5ygI56sgDtByOivTdQEzmNKCEsUCRtIOyxufLxZkycJ8a9Fk8mLRaWeLeZlRH0/s1000/shutterstock_434579587.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="1000" height="331" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCycJ0B3FxcMM0jRHw_lElhGZ_xOUujUspdCSTSlyZ7IPh6CHwafEAWXMs4xhqyXnvT83KCvqPXxzS2L90lZwItbRI2pEm3Fxj7ziM105VkHsLd_PIjXSLL-B_NcDIO5ygI56sgDtByOivTdQEzmNKCEsUCRtIOyxufLxZkycJ8a9Fk8mLRaWeLeZlRH0/w498-h331/shutterstock_434579587.jpg" width="498" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>by Rev. Jed Koball</p><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Closing worship for the Presbyterians for Earth Care conference was co-led by the Rev. Jed Koball, PCUSA Mission Co-Worker in Peru. Jed is a strong and passionate leader in the church in both social and environmental justice. He has graciously shared a summary of his message. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 32.6px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody; font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 32.6px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody;">“In the face of the Climate Crisis, the Church has a unique role because it has unique responsibility. It is my belief that the crisis we are in today started long before the first combustible engine or any other greenhouse gas-emitting technology. I believe the crisis started at the dawn of the European conquest and colonization of what is today the Americas, Africa and Asia. Namely, I believe it began with the infamous Doctrine of Discovery in which the Church authorized, legitimized, and mandated the conquest of foreign lands by European kingdoms, justifying land left, slavery and genocide of indigenous peoples. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 32.6px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody;">In its eradication of indigenous peoples and their cultures, the Church buried indigenous spiritualities that promote harmony with the Earth and replaced it with a spirituality that promotes dominion over the earth. In so doing, the Church unleashed racial hierarchy and the exploitation of the earth in the interest of promulgating Christendom. While the Church has repented for some of its past, it is essential that we continue to reckon with our history which in many ways has come to a head in the form of the climate crisis. Of the remaining indigenous peoples in the world today, they are guardians of 85% of the world's biodiversity, and they are crying out that if we want to solve the climate crisis then we must listen to them. I believe that in the face of the climate crisis, this must be our paramount task – listening to indigenous peoples. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody;">While we should have no expectation that any indigenous peoples would want to converse or be in relationship with those of us who are not indigenous and follow Jesus, we can and we must lift up their voices and their causes…and when invited stand with them.”</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody;">Note: To view the recording of the closing worship of the 2023 PEC Conference, including the sermon by Rev. Jed Koball, <a href="https://youtu.be/pnM-1BgRPPU" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">CLICK HERE</span></a>.</span></div>PresbyEarthCare Coordinatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04116427864285701852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6646930507539556797.post-32602701775390652772023-10-24T15:32:00.000-04:002023-10-24T15:32:01.187-04:00PEC's Conference: A Personal Perspective<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1un5S9e-MY6gLo7jyH549qC4XCYZUAIOVeJrwS5sbixDp9wS9sCwR3SHuGn96qB-APggucPYA2nuyPYp9ag-x6VSFnaYxpYUj_p5h-cE4j6bty7bhMxi7nfe849mn6vhspUHiYZobbzpb91qDEyKNX9WQ-wRzq6MZOTc_vCFhVDNwMI7vwEOftMlWN1g/s940/Conference%202023%20FB%20Graphic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="940" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1un5S9e-MY6gLo7jyH549qC4XCYZUAIOVeJrwS5sbixDp9wS9sCwR3SHuGn96qB-APggucPYA2nuyPYp9ag-x6VSFnaYxpYUj_p5h-cE4j6bty7bhMxi7nfe849mn6vhspUHiYZobbzpb91qDEyKNX9WQ-wRzq6MZOTc_vCFhVDNwMI7vwEOftMlWN1g/s320/Conference%202023%20FB%20Graphic.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p class="Body"><br /></p><p class="Body">by Rick Randolph, MD<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body">This September, my wife and I attended the 2023 Presbyterians for
Earth Care (PEC) biennial conference at the PC(USA) Conference Center in
Massenetta Springs, VA. This was a wonderful event featuring inspired preaching
from the Rev. Dr. Diane Givens Moffett, enlightening teaching from Rev. Dr.
Patricia Tull, the Rhodes Professor Emerita of Old Testament at Louisville
Presbyterian Theological Seminary, and an enlightening offering of classes.
Everyone was collegial and the setting in Massenetta Springs enhanced our sense
of reverence. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body">This conference was an ambitious undertaking by PEC. It was held
in a hybrid in-person/online format with presentations originating from several
different sites. It spanned five days and had 28 presentations. These
presentations included advocacy opportunities, learning more about the effects
of climate change, the Inflation Reduction Act, personal financial choices,
congregational funding, and personal wellness. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body">We heard about the Doctrine of Discovery, environmental
communications, home energy conservation, and how to become an Earth Care
Congregation. In order to have so many offerings, several were presented
simultaneously, presenting us with the challenge of choosing only one course at
a time! <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body">Thankfully, all the breakouts, the plenary presentations by Rev
Dr. Diane Givens Moffett and Rev Dr. Patricia Tull, and the times of worship
were recorded and all are on the <span class="Hyperlink0"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><a href="https://presbyearthcare.org/2023-conference-resources/"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;">PEC website</span></span></a></span></span>.
Visit and see the full breadth of the areas presented.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body">As with most conferences, the ability to visit with the other
participants who were attending in person ended up being one of the most
enduring fruits of the conference. Thanks must be given for the incredible hard
work of the organizing committee. My wife Jo was part of that group and didn<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>t have the
opportunity to enjoy the conference as much as the rest of the 237 attendees. I
can only express my profound appreciation for the results of their labors. PEC
puts on a conference every two years. Plan now to attend. You will not be
disappointed.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><b><i><span lang="DA" style="mso-ansi-language: DA;">Richard
Randolph, MD</span></i></b><i>, recently retired as the Senior Chief Medical
Officer of Heart to Heart International, based in Lenexa, KS, having had
responsibility for the development of medical, disaster, and public health
programs in the developing world and the US. He and his wife Jo have worked
actively with PEC for many years and belong to Grace Covenant Presbyterian
Church in Overland Park, Kansas.</i><o:p></o:p></p>PresbyEarthCare Coordinatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04116427864285701852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6646930507539556797.post-27499537536003363342023-10-24T15:27:00.001-04:002023-10-24T15:33:01.958-04:00The Parable of the Sower<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIZQs7fEeIw_hd6oEShlBfNvRa7bOvnHIp0DnRj0on-Dq2UE04APUm8nRYV8-U0i3KXPupP5IBOzy6wuwmMylbtcPetIVz0C14pyht5p5oSHbPaBa9xW-f77A7g9bWLKUd24RVisn-4o8RjdrXvKYO6OK-REYTSRWVu8HqNm-DKTQFjYK2MGnbYsYOOHU/s1000/Parable%20of%20the%20Sower%20photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="656" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIZQs7fEeIw_hd6oEShlBfNvRa7bOvnHIp0DnRj0on-Dq2UE04APUm8nRYV8-U0i3KXPupP5IBOzy6wuwmMylbtcPetIVz0C14pyht5p5oSHbPaBa9xW-f77A7g9bWLKUd24RVisn-4o8RjdrXvKYO6OK-REYTSRWVu8HqNm-DKTQFjYK2MGnbYsYOOHU/s320/Parable%20of%20the%20Sower%20photo.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><br /><p class="Body"><br /></p><p class="Body">by Nancy Corson Carter<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">One of the great gifts of PEC<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>s
conference for me was the discovery of Octavia E. Butler<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span lang="PT" style="mso-ansi-language: PT;">s novel, </span><span class="Hyperlink0"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parable_of_the_Sower_(novel)"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;">The Parable of the Sower.</span></span></a></span></span>
I learned of it through Dr. Faith Harris<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>s
presentation, <span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span>A Womanist and Interfaith Response to Climate Change:
Reimagining Our Collective Futures.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">Dr. Harris quoted Katie Geneva Cannon to introduce herself: <span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span>My
assignment as a womanist liberation ethicist is to debunk, unmask, and
disentangle the historically conditioned value judgements and power relations
that undergird the particularities of race, sex, class, and oppression.” (She
defines <span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span>womanist” as a liberation theology restoring dignity and
hope to women of color without being adversarial.)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">In asking <span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span>What should people of faith and good conscience do?” Dr.
Harris argued that our faith tradition can change the narrative: <span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span>We can make the moral
argument to invest in people, in Earth.” So it seemed natural, now that I have
read <i>The Parable</i>, that she would celebrate this book.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">Written in 1993 by a gifted prize-winning writer who<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>d grown up poor,
fighting the notion that <span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span>black women don<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>t
write,” the story begins in 2024. This dystopian work of science fiction
presents a world in chaos that we can recognize as already becoming true—it is
both prescient and prophetic. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">The young woman protagonist, Lauren (the sower in hopes of
seeding good soil), is thrown into a deeply disturbing journey by violence. I
found that the nightmarish world she traverses (ostensibly the Pacific coast in
the future) is not unlike the Darién Gap, the dangerous link between Colombia
and Panama being risked now by hundreds of thousands of migrants set on finding
a better life in the North. Yet Earthseed: The Books of the Living threads
through the book in brief poetic-journal form at the beginning of each chapter
as her testimonial that there is a God who is our partner in this Earth through
change, <span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span>forever uniting, growing, dissolving.” She believes that
this God leads us, if we persist, toward loving, Earth-honoring community. The
book<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>s
final words quote the parable of the sower from Luke 8: 5-8 in the King James
Version of the Bible.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A main theme Dr. Harris
argued is that, <span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span>Our challenge is to interrupt the fossil fuel death
spiral” and to face our problem of a <span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span>theo-ethical premise” that individuals can own land and
push others out (stealing, killing, or enslaving them as in the Doctrine of
Discovery). She urged that the moral remedy is to bring God back to Earth: <span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span>God
is not outside us but <i>within </i>us and all Earth,” and our hope is to
create community wherever we are. She celebrates <i>Parable of the Sower</i> as
a work that gives her hope because <span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span>we are going to have to figure this out, to do it
together.” That we will do this is my hope as well.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body" style="mso-hyphenate: none;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">Nancy Corson Carter,</span></i></b><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"> professor emerita of humanities at Eckerd College, has published two
poetry books, </span></i><span lang="NL" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: NL; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">Dragon Poems</span><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"> and </span></i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">The Sourdough Dream Kit<i>, and three poetry chapbooks.
Some of her poems, drawings, and photos appear in her nonfiction book, </i>Martha,
Mary, and Jesus: Weaving Action and Contemplation in Daily Life <i>and in her
memoir, </i>The Never-Quite-Ending War: a WWII GI Daughter's Stories.</span><o:p></o:p></p>PresbyEarthCare Coordinatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04116427864285701852noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6646930507539556797.post-51152286673962014382023-10-24T15:24:00.000-04:002023-10-24T15:24:08.976-04:00Empowering Hope in a Threatened World<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVDmfiL5TatvbTEpAaVd3TzLF2vYIoAkzI6OIfXDctf7gmzo-tP4uNCTkpp1LPIRczlQGbmqTNVMiDNLbV9bQ_igkdIvnH8H9n1Hj_zuvh-QuK-M1iS5ThFFh_hf6Qic2hgwxXmaBhhnbrT-m8vgE8gYLrtzodgD6iaEO1aZMBSvl0FL4T_RQDD_W3o3k/s1200/Empowering%20Hope%20photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1097" data-original-width="1200" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVDmfiL5TatvbTEpAaVd3TzLF2vYIoAkzI6OIfXDctf7gmzo-tP4uNCTkpp1LPIRczlQGbmqTNVMiDNLbV9bQ_igkdIvnH8H9n1Hj_zuvh-QuK-M1iS5ThFFh_hf6Qic2hgwxXmaBhhnbrT-m8vgE8gYLrtzodgD6iaEO1aZMBSvl0FL4T_RQDD_W3o3k/s320/Empowering%20Hope%20photo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="Body">by Nancy Corson Carter<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">Retired oceanographer Dr. C. Mark Eakin has spent over 30 years
with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. His presentation, <span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span>Climate
and Oceans,” reminded me of the powerful film he helped create as its Chief
Science Advisor. The Sundance and <span lang="DA" style="mso-ansi-language: DA;">Emmy</span>
award-winning 2017 movie <span class="Hyperlink0"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><a href="https://www.chasingcoral.com/"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;">Chasing
Coral </span></span></a></span></span>documents one of the first repeated coral
bleachings that occurred between June 2014 to May 2017. During that time,
nearly all world coral bleached, sometimes for two years running, as the Earth<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>s oceanic waters
have continued to warm beyond safe levels for the coral. An area near Guam was
hit excessively. Now, almost every year brings bleaching events.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">When corals are stressed by changes in conditions such as
temperature, light, or nutrients, they expel the symbiotic algae living in
their tissues, causing them to turn completely white. Corals can survive a
bleaching event, but they are under more stress and are subject to mortality.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><i>Chasing Coral</i> helped alert the world to what is only a
10-year-old field of study, one which is racing against time to rescue a
beautiful and once abundant source of life. Nearly a billion people rely on
coral reefs directly and indirectly. Thanks to its availability on Netflix and
YouTube, <i>Chasing Coral</i> is available to more people and encourages action
in caring for the oceans and advocating for their protection.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">The corals depend upon a symbiotic relationship with algae, which
exudes nutrients for the coral and protects them. Those who study the coral
have been shocked to find that in places like the Great Barrier Reef and
especially in the tropical waters around Florida, 60% of the coral are in
jeopardy.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">The situation has become critical and scientists are conducting
research in coral nurseries to keep them alive and find strains that can
survive warming water. One of the corals wiped out in the wild now only survives
in a nursery. But we must do more to reduce CO2 now to save one of the ocean’s
most valuable resources<i>.</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">There is some good news on the climate change front. France has
officially pledged to shut down all coal-fired power plants in three years.
California will put five million electric cars on the road by 2030. Individuals
can help reduce dependency on fossil fuels by changing lifestyles, for example,
by using mass transit and electric cars, and by supporting electric work
vehicles like pickups, buses, and delivery trucks.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">Reducing local stressors also helps. 50-85% of the coral loss in
Kiribati in 2016 is now bouncing back; after a ban on most fishing. Shade helps
and anything that cools the water—even ships spraying salt water up to make
clouds.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">Dr. Eakin<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>s
report emphasized a great need to provide mental health support for
scientist-researchers who must observe, year after year, the death of once
healthy and utterly magical coral reef ecosystems.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body">In 1994, I went on an eco-tour of the Brazilian flooded forests
of the Amazon, sponsored by the PC(USA) and led by Rev. Bill Somplatsky-Jarman.
Our preparation packets included a stunning essay,<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span>The Ecology of Grief,”
by Phyllis Windle.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">Windle explores, with a wonderful cast of scientists and
especially ecologists, <span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span>the benefits of grieving well,” of avoiding the
temptation to turn and walk away when what we love is threatened. In the final
words of her essay, she writes,<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span> “</span>We shall need passion, commitment, creativity, energy,
and concentration. We shall have none of these if we fail to grieve (alone and
with each other) for the magnificent trees, the lovely animals, and the
beautiful places that we are losing.<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">As Dr. Eakin and others like Dr. Faith Harris in our empowering
2023 Earth Care Conference remind us, <span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span>Our hope is to create community together wherever we
are.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body" style="mso-hyphenate: none;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">Nancy Corson Carter,</span></i></b><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"> professor emerita of humanities at Eckerd College, has published two
poetry books, </span></i><span lang="NL" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: NL; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">Dragon Poems</span><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"> and </span></i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">The Sourdough Dream Kit<i>, and three poetry chapbooks.
Some of her poems, drawings, and photos appear in her nonfiction book, </i>Martha,
Mary, and Jesus: Weaving Action and Contemplation in Daily Life <i>and in her
memoir, </i>The Never-Quite-Ending War: a WWII GI Daughter's Stories.</span><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p>PresbyEarthCare Coordinatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04116427864285701852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6646930507539556797.post-13415148124191517912023-10-24T15:17:00.001-04:002023-10-25T09:44:16.986-04:00Eating for a Healthy Climate<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN5EEyrSQvKfuFhQzJHC1CsN9g9gnAC5C90Bz_ljgotxm9muClt4Yy_krtMRteC2anyCx_aay_6xf6lpuPiqqCWTAWBYSxYLWizQRxUHia1jQdg5KuS25auJ1ku7pPu_VJkWyyAyT2yxRlCZ9nAPRPGhcQaqhN8cEnq6XHbah8Jh5EZzDENU9udCGbzcQ/s1000/shutterstock_753095398.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN5EEyrSQvKfuFhQzJHC1CsN9g9gnAC5C90Bz_ljgotxm9muClt4Yy_krtMRteC2anyCx_aay_6xf6lpuPiqqCWTAWBYSxYLWizQRxUHia1jQdg5KuS25auJ1ku7pPu_VJkWyyAyT2yxRlCZ9nAPRPGhcQaqhN8cEnq6XHbah8Jh5EZzDENU9udCGbzcQ/w476-h317/shutterstock_753095398.jpg" width="476" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p><p class="Body">by Eric Diekhans<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">It seems like everything about America is big, whether it’s our
landscapes, our superhero movies, our McMansions, or our SUVs. But that
abundance results in a disproportionate impact on global warming. Each year,
Americans are responsible for 19 tons of CO2 emissions per capita, as compared
to seven tons for Europe, two tons for South Asia, and one ton for Sub-Saharan
Africa.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">Fifteen percent of those emissions comes from food and food
waste. It’s not the largest source of our carbon footprint but it still has a
substantial impact on climate change. Making different choices about food can
make a real difference in avoiding the worst impacts of global warming.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">As a member of Montclair Presbyterian Church (MPC) in Oakland,
CA, Suzanne Jones helps lead the Earth Care Committee<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>s Climate and Food Team and
recently co-authored MPC<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>s new cookbook, <span class="Hyperlink0"><a href="https://mpcfamily.org/cookbook/">Climate Friendly Cooking—105 Recipes to
Help Save the Planet.</a></span> During her <span class="Hyperlink0"><a href="https://youtu.be/ZdFQNYnu-jk?si=6g9Mq1x6zT2J9aCb">presentation</a></span>
at PEC’s conference, Suzanne admitted that changing our diets isn’t easy. Food
has important connections to our emotions, our habits, and our identities.
Think of Thai beef noodles, British steak and kidney pudding, or Cuban boliche.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">“It can be difficult and even painful to change such deeply held
practices,” said Suzanne, but we can harmonize our food-related needs with
leaving behind a livable planet and still be healthy and well-fed.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">Suzanne said that “the dominant factor that determines our
dietary greenhouse gas emissions is what we choose to eat for protein.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibzm6d2Ii3zaX2z1u2vcf31DL8gK09IIELTCVi-KBEr39NTG78k8R2x2HRM6E01MxQhOIKgvLjFf8smzLPbevFXDb6mwQ5Y9kcsyD_RNNgOrtPos1YkI_D0WGApF_V2LjT-msf6wp95jvZRpFqcIjgasxqggFnnavkhPHZEXseyW1wwNaVXBW0hGlLkCI/s1280/PEC%20Conference%20Talk%20Eating%20and%20Living%20for%20a%20Healthy%20Climate%209.22.23.pptx-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibzm6d2Ii3zaX2z1u2vcf31DL8gK09IIELTCVi-KBEr39NTG78k8R2x2HRM6E01MxQhOIKgvLjFf8smzLPbevFXDb6mwQ5Y9kcsyD_RNNgOrtPos1YkI_D0WGApF_V2LjT-msf6wp95jvZRpFqcIjgasxqggFnnavkhPHZEXseyW1wwNaVXBW0hGlLkCI/w529-h298/PEC%20Conference%20Talk%20Eating%20and%20Living%20for%20a%20Healthy%20Climate%209.22.23.pptx-2.jpg" width="529" /></a></div><p class="Body"><br /></p>
<p class="Body">Thirty-one percent of agricultural emissions comes from livestock
and fisheries. Most adults need 50-175 grams of protein per day. Eating 100
grams of beef protein emits 49.89 kg of carbon. Getting the same amount from
nuts emits about half that amount.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">But you don’t have to completely give up meat to make a positive
environmental impact. Ruminants do the most damage to our environment. These
are animals like cattle, bison, and sheep that chew the cud regurgitated from
their second stomach, or <span lang="IT" style="mso-ansi-language: IT;">rumen</span>.
This causes them to exhale methane, which is 80 times stronger than CO2 as a
greenhouse gas. Ruminant waste also emits CH4 and nitrous oxide n20, which are
300 times more potent as greenhouse gases than CO2.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">“Cutting out just red meat and dairy products results in
emissions comparable to pescatarians (who eat fish but not meat) and
lacto-ovo-vegetarians (who eat plants, eggs, and dairy products),” says
Suzanne.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">If you don’t want to become a full-time vegetarian or
pescatarian, Suzanne suggests saving beef for special occasions like Christmas
dinner, and getting most of your protein from pork, chicken, and plants.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">Fish is also another good source of protein, but choosing the
right seafood is complicated. Wild-caught fish tend to be better for the
environment than farm-raised, though new methods of raising fish on land are
changing that calculation. Plus, ocean ecosystems are very stressed due to
overfishing, pollution, and acidification from CO2 emissions.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVfY6Zy2z4uVwWgh51nTpebulFqMOD7DIHJ0x0Csju21SiGIuujJzT0zL-EnQBXDJKiqNzPRC2BzaAyLQFG4wduXpL8izcVmAOvnVWijWwYqG9J6_NcsvsNEFObu8mmhuS8s3IpZfrs7-qLXnS-v0sD7bwWqmq5JblsQLugbkSno1qsh3e2xto4Ri0lNs/s1280/PEC%20Conference%20Talk%20Eating%20and%20Living%20for%20a%20Healthy%20Climate%209.22.23.pptx.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVfY6Zy2z4uVwWgh51nTpebulFqMOD7DIHJ0x0Csju21SiGIuujJzT0zL-EnQBXDJKiqNzPRC2BzaAyLQFG4wduXpL8izcVmAOvnVWijWwYqG9J6_NcsvsNEFObu8mmhuS8s3IpZfrs7-qLXnS-v0sD7bwWqmq5JblsQLugbkSno1qsh3e2xto4Ri0lNs/w509-h287/PEC%20Conference%20Talk%20Eating%20and%20Living%20for%20a%20Healthy%20Climate%209.22.23.pptx.jpg" width="509" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p class="Body"><o:p><br /></o:p></p>
<p class="Body">Crab, lobster, and some oysters and prawns are very high in CO2
emissions because boats must go out and check traps often.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">You can learn about the best options for choosing seafood using
the <span class="Hyperlink0"><a href="http://seafoodco2.dal.ca/">Seafood Carbon
Emissions Tool</a></span>.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">Buying local has become a popular way to minimize agriculture’s
harm. But Suzanne says that, while it may have other benefits, buying locally
sourced food has little impact on emissions because transportation only
accounts for 6% of agricultural CO2. But it’s still important to be aware of
how our food is transported. Ships are much more fuel-efficient than trucking.
California beef has only 1% lower emissions than beef exported from Australia.
On the other hand, air shipping perishable foods like out-of-season berries is
terrible for the environment.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">Food waste also contributes to global warming because food grown
but thrown away offers no benefits. In the United States, we waste 40% of the
food we use, and 30% of food is wasted worldwide.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">“What could be more unChristian?” Suzanne asks.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">She suggests that we be careful not to overbuy. We can also bring
our own containers to take home restaurant leftovers, buy ugly produce that
might otherwise be thrown away, and donate our extra food if possible. You can
even search the web for companies that will deliver ugly but tasty produce to
you, or consider signing up for a CSA farm share.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">Following all of the advice in this article will make a positive
impact on your personal carbon footprint but Suzanne reminds us that to save
our planet, we must also take action to support and change institutions that
have an even larger impact on carbon emissions. That means supporting
democratic institutions and voting rights so we have the power to make our
voices heard. Those voices must demand that governments enact swift and bold
policies to phase out fossil fuels and other sources of greenhouse gas emissions.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><b><i>Eric Diekhans</i> </b><i>is a published author, Executive
Director of the Greater Chicago Broadcast Ministries, and a member of Lake View
Presbyterian Church in Chicago. You can learn more about him on his </i><span class="Hyperlink0"><a href="http://www.ericdiekhans.com/"><b><i>website</i></b></a></span><i>.</i><o:p></o:p></p>PresbyEarthCare Coordinatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04116427864285701852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6646930507539556797.post-15605776215580479222023-07-19T09:38:00.008-04:002023-07-19T09:38:55.483-04:00Wild Journey: Going Beyond Church Outside<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-j8dxwC6kZmJ1fwANPL1W_V_f2px4DNx0ig9PW1v930FdyLcz1gzMQKk6wyQNC2zlD5pQ6h97jXSTk6W6AfVxtqAwW8P1nK8BbenJASdkcPlEr6eVXIuzdCgoB_GrOoiY4ksoHWVI_1w55OXv7Tk6XoKLQpQm0oeJKadHdUq1RzUtwBY69zc7DhKUzg8/s640/Wild%20Journey%20photo.jPEG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-j8dxwC6kZmJ1fwANPL1W_V_f2px4DNx0ig9PW1v930FdyLcz1gzMQKk6wyQNC2zlD5pQ6h97jXSTk6W6AfVxtqAwW8P1nK8BbenJASdkcPlEr6eVXIuzdCgoB_GrOoiY4ksoHWVI_1w55OXv7Tk6XoKLQpQm0oeJKadHdUq1RzUtwBY69zc7DhKUzg8/s320/Wild%20Journey%20photo.jPEG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Doing Wild Church</span></span></div><p></p><p class="Body"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><p><br /></p><p class="Body">By Mindy <span lang="DE" style="mso-ansi-language: DE;">Braun</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p>I have found God in nature for as long as I can remember. The
tiny wildflowers would speak to my heart and reassure me that God sees me, just
as He sees the hidden face of the flower. I also felt a sense of gratitude from
God and the flower that I had the eyes to see them, notice them, appreciate
them.</p><p class="Body"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p>It was through my grandparents, Bob & Barbara Stevenson, that
this church of the wild experience really got established in me. They heard and
answered God<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS", serif;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>s
call to move from Coalinga, CA to Calvin Crest Conferences near Oakhurst, CA. <span style="background: white; color: #202122;">Calvin Crest was established by the San
Joaquin </span><span class="Hyperlink0"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presbyterian_polity"><span style="color: black; text-decoration-line: none;">Presbytery</span></a></span><span style="background: white; color: #202122;"> of California in 1954. They moved
their family of six up to the camp, where my mom spent her high school years.
Our family would spend holidays there and I became a camper at Calvin Crest
when I entered elementary school.</span></p>
<p class="Body"><span style="background: white; color: #202122;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="background: white; color: #202122;">The mountain and
forests of Calvin Crest (which is on the homelands of the Miwok Indians) were
midwives to my spirituality and connection to God. Calvin Crest</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial Unicode MS", serif;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span style="background: white; color: #202122;">s outdoor church was my favorite. My
heart could truly soar in worship underneath those pines.</span></p>
<p class="Body"><span style="background: white; color: #202122;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="background: white; color: #202122;">I</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial Unicode MS", serif;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span style="background: white; color: #202122;">m now 48 and am rediscovering a deep
connection to God through this beloved earth and all creation. For years, my
heart has longed for church outside again. I was able to get a taste of it
during Covid-19 when my Presbyterian church, The Cove Fellowship, began to meet
outside when the weather allowed. I confess that at times I may have listened
more to the goldfinches singing in the trees than the sermon.</span></p>
<p class="Body"><span style="background: white; color: #202122;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><span style="background: white; color: #202122;">When a fellow
spiritual director told me about a book she was reading, my life and heart
opened up in a new and exhilarating way. I began reading </span><span class="Link"><a href="https://www.victorialoorz.com/"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;">Church of the Wild by Victoria Loorz</span></a></span><span style="background: white; color: #202122;">. It</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial Unicode MS", serif;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span style="background: white; color: #202122;">s her story of being a spiritual
director and pastor, longing for something beyond her experience of church.
When she writes, </span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial Unicode MS", serif;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span><span style="background: white; color: #333333;">I longed for church to be a place where
Mystery is experienced not explained…” I heard my own heart echoed.</span></p>
<p class="Body"><span style="background: white; color: #333333;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="background: white; color: #333333;">I soon visited Wild
Church Petaluma and pretty much wept through the entire time. </span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial Unicode MS", serif;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span><span style="background: white; color: #333333;">This could
be church?” I thought. I signed up for Wild Church Network</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial Unicode MS", serif;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span style="background: white; color: #333333;">s six-week leadership course for those
who were feeling the call to start a wild church in their watershed. Wild
Church Petaluma is part of the Petaluma River watershed and I lived in the
Laguna de Santa Rosa watershed just north.</span></p>
<p class="Body"><span style="background: white; color: #333333;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="background: white; color: #333333;">I quickly realized I
was kind of </span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial Unicode MS", serif;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span><span style="background: white; color: #333333;">doing wild church” already. I had been
leading God in Nature Hikes for the past four years through </span><span class="Link"><a href="https://www.journeycentersantarosa.org/"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;">Journey Center Santa Rosa</span></a></span><span style="background: white; color: #333333;">, for which I serve as Executive
Director. We are a Christ-centered contemplative spirituality nonprofit for
those seeking to encounter the Sacred. We have various pathways to encounter
the Divine and one of them is God in Nature. I had been leading groups where we
started with a scripture or poem reading, walked in silence together for 20
minutes, then stopped along the trail to share what we had noticed. Then the
rest of the hike was in conversation with one another.</span></p>
<p class="has-text-align-left" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">After
telling others in the Journey Center community about wild church and seeing
there was a resonating “YES!” in people’s hearts, Wild Journey was born in December
2022! This is the description you will find on our webpage: </span><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="has-text-align-left" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="has-text-align-left" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Wild Journey is an
emerging community of those who are returning to nature as spiritual practice.
We are Christ-centered AND welcoming to all spiritual paths. We are not led by
doctrine or dogma, but by the Divine Mystery that dwells in us all. We meet
outside in various locations within the Laguna de Santa Rosa watershed and seek
to reconnect with the sacredness of earth, honoring the Divine Presence in all
beings. </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="has-text-align-left" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="has-text-align-left" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Our gatherings offer
opportunities for contemplation, grief and praise, movement and song, solo
wandering and wondering, advocacy, ecological restoration, and activism on
behalf and in collaboration with the beloved others in our watershed. Children
are welcome to participate or play nearby. All are welcome. </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="has-text-align-left" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="has-text-align-left" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">We meet once a month
within the Laguna de Santa Rosa watershed; usually the first or third Sunday of
the month. Wild Journey is an expression of Journey Center Santa Rosa and is a
part of </span><span class="Hyperlink1"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><a href="https://www.wildchurchnetwork.com/"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;">Wild
Church Network</span></span></a></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="has-text-align-center" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="has-text-align-center" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">There
are four movements within our time together: </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="has-text-align-center" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Gathering & Grounding</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> – Welcome, Invocation of the watershed, introductions and
gratitude, 7-direction prayer<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="has-text-align-center" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Reading & Reflection</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> – Reflections on the season we are in and poems to ponder<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="has-text-align-center" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Wandering & Wondering</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">, - 30 minutes to wander and listen to nature speak<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="has-text-align-center" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sharing & Sending</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> – return to the circle to witness how the Spirit moved in each
other and then a closing song to send us out<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p>You will find on the Wild
Church Network website this beautiful description of the movement that is
drawing people to love, protect and preserve this precious gift of Mother
Earth:</p><p class="has-text-align-center" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="has-text-align-center" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="has-text-align-center" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">“<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Popping up all over the land, like wild
mushrooms after a spring rain, Wild Church communities are responding to a call
from deep within to change the way we relate to the natural world, moving
<i>‘from a collection of objects, to a communion of subjects’</i> – <i>Thomas
Berry</i></span><i><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="has-text-align-center" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="has-text-align-left" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">In this age of mass extinctions, we feel compelled by the
love of Christ to invite people into intimate relationship with some of the
most vulnerable victims of our destructive culture: the land, waters, and
creatures with whom we share our homes. </span><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="has-text-align-left" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="has-text-align-left" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">New Wild Churches are emerging all the time, offering
invitations to reconnect with the natural world. As kin. As sacred. As beloved
co-participants in a larger story of grace and inter-being.</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p>Wild Journey continues to grow and welcome those who are longing
for connection to God and nature in community. I am in awe that this indeed is
church and would dare to say it is a much fuller expression than I have ever
known.</p><p class="Body"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><b><i>Mindy Braun</i></b><i> is the Executive Director of Journey
Center Santa Rosa. She graduated with the 2021 Cohort of the Journey Center
Association</i><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><i><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>s
Spiritual Director Formation Program. Her passion is to create safe, sacred
spaces for all people to experience love and belonging. <o:p></o:p></i></p>PresbyEarthCare Coordinatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04116427864285701852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6646930507539556797.post-13701862651082476982023-07-19T09:27:00.004-04:002023-07-19T09:29:07.470-04:00Grounded in Context<p> by Rev. Eric Beene</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Eco-activism
can easily become abstracted. The problems of changing climates and planetary
destruction become separated from the places where we encounter the needs of
the world, and they lead us to worry in ways that can literally overwhelm us. Photography
is also a process of abstraction. When we snap a photo, we literally put a
frame around an object or a scene or even a person, and then we remove it from
its context and carry it away into a much bigger world. But I wonder if
photography can be a tool for grounding our activism again, too.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Although
photography is a process of abstraction, the act of zooming our lens in on an
object or set of objects and pressing the button or tapping the screen happens
in a context. The context is not only visual. It is also filled with the
emotions we feel when we are confronted with what we see in that place, as well
as the spirit that stirred us to go to that place and take out our camera. As
we frame and capture images, we also capture those feelings and that spirit’s
leading, and if we are willing to pay attention to them, they can be a source
of great power for us. In a 1958 article in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Commonweal</i>
called, “Poetry and Contemplation:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
Reappraisal,” Thomas Merton said, “Aesthetic intuition is not merely the act of
a faculty, it is also a heightening and intensification of our personal
identity and being by the perception of our connatural affinity with ‘Being’ in
the beauty contemplated.” By noticing and acting on the feelings and leadings
inside us as we frame a photo, we exercise our creative power. That creative
power is aligned with the power of the Creator whose work we are abstracting
and carrying home. And then, in looking at our photographs later, and in
sharing them with others, we bring them to new contexts in which we can
discover additional details, with new feelings, different values, and longings
we didn’t know we had. Through our photography, with all of its context,
abstraction, and re-contextualization, we can ground ourselves over and over again
in our “connatural affinity with ‘Being.’”</span> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We
can let our impulse toward activism on behalf of the environment follow a
similar path. We can take those issues that are abstracted and overwhelming and
put them back in touch with the feelings and the spirit which were the context
into which our activism was born. Our desire to preserve and protect the places
where we live and where we encounter the needs of the world thus can become an
expression of our affinity with the Being in whom we live and move and have our
own being.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span>All of the photos below were taken within an hour’s drive of
my home in Sonoma County, California. I have paired them with sentences of
scripture to show how I perceive my own connection through them with the God of
my being. I pray that they will show you a way that leads you to be grounded in
your own identity and affinity with the One who created you and calls you into
the work you do.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXxPagN2d_YIwQkRuR1VNubkrwK3beIVI04L7zUkUW6ORjL5FafsKMcaP3fQtOcj2BW1Ayl3Vk6A44DeWmO7GkNatcKV2Ud8xVi78z5RRXZCRWDYYMUcUFdfpUZEMr_tpDaJHgaHFvBkRgTof5HH0NCuVqjQi-UtYpZY6P5njhyWIfvvh_ZkDhPkU90WQ/s1024/IMG_3463%20(1024x683).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXxPagN2d_YIwQkRuR1VNubkrwK3beIVI04L7zUkUW6ORjL5FafsKMcaP3fQtOcj2BW1Ayl3Vk6A44DeWmO7GkNatcKV2Ud8xVi78z5RRXZCRWDYYMUcUFdfpUZEMr_tpDaJHgaHFvBkRgTof5HH0NCuVqjQi-UtYpZY6P5njhyWIfvvh_ZkDhPkU90WQ/w400-h266/IMG_3463%20(1024x683).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p align="center" class="MsoNormal">“When he utters his
voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, and he makes the mist rise
from the ends of the earth.” (Jeremiah 10:13)<o:p></o:p></p></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7rQ1gkqWi_NiwHfCczDTy7bgzV-XGl4mtxg9DsYeeQ_2tFlXtvaFLpWLO-ed8WDFoF8WYHNGJkYT-eb5kwlkLVnxPm-9EGH7Mj0V-qC48NQqt5S0kjvxX6mr42nkD1zd79asXvs7RjCPXnAEbqPb60ufNZvSAYi58kagi4Ytncb6FTFrtAMbR5u2vIkk/s1024/IMG_6767%20(1024x683).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7rQ1gkqWi_NiwHfCczDTy7bgzV-XGl4mtxg9DsYeeQ_2tFlXtvaFLpWLO-ed8WDFoF8WYHNGJkYT-eb5kwlkLVnxPm-9EGH7Mj0V-qC48NQqt5S0kjvxX6mr42nkD1zd79asXvs7RjCPXnAEbqPb60ufNZvSAYi58kagi4Ytncb6FTFrtAMbR5u2vIkk/w400-h266/IMG_6767%20(1024x683).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p align="center" class="MsoNormal">“You show me the path
of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are
pleasures forevermore!” (Psalm 16:11)<o:p></o:p></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoAs4TXktdlJI1n-Cva_T03sDgSqAkcPZ6uHHiMc4M8SCE9e5nFoNO3-BzEJP_V8sGMGkK_MSnfUMTFaVhj3D9PyT-hy4IUtCBdkgu0JoWoD8eBbPN-8UYldeQoKodGT2pOyNfs4i1r6eBFDoxUiSveqPVbYgyle7idsyNKn9iu4acOow6KkSupKNJnuM/s1024/IMG_5130%20(682x1024).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="682" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoAs4TXktdlJI1n-Cva_T03sDgSqAkcPZ6uHHiMc4M8SCE9e5nFoNO3-BzEJP_V8sGMGkK_MSnfUMTFaVhj3D9PyT-hy4IUtCBdkgu0JoWoD8eBbPN-8UYldeQoKodGT2pOyNfs4i1r6eBFDoxUiSveqPVbYgyle7idsyNKn9iu4acOow6KkSupKNJnuM/w266-h400/IMG_5130%20(682x1024).jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p align="center" class="MsoNormal">“Then my tongue shall
tell of your righteousness and of your praise all day long.” (Psalm 35:28)<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzD41LoDUmvJMUDbohzY0mLwYU5Rs3e7OnZNaet_wsnEWmlDoR07UF4bZ8el-dJI7Ku7IKOMr-2sIu_JMCZNZljoSgvmYJKA8UcPqgV2xaXr3GaHGIMh_b6UttoJykbpYKqitcdWfrN_UmkrPsOeScw4qyscnQdoULb87U-Jx-P_3H28VGeTOXzJSGaMw/s1024/IMG_4457%20(684x1024).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="684" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzD41LoDUmvJMUDbohzY0mLwYU5Rs3e7OnZNaet_wsnEWmlDoR07UF4bZ8el-dJI7Ku7IKOMr-2sIu_JMCZNZljoSgvmYJKA8UcPqgV2xaXr3GaHGIMh_b6UttoJykbpYKqitcdWfrN_UmkrPsOeScw4qyscnQdoULb87U-Jx-P_3H28VGeTOXzJSGaMw/w268-h400/IMG_4457%20(684x1024).jpg" width="268" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p align="center" class="MsoNormal">“For there shall be a
sowing of peace; the vine shall yield its fruit, the ground shall give its
produce, and the skies shall give their dew.” (Zechariah 8:12-13)<o:p></o:p></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ0Ctr1hiRZKF2-AWPXcwgTFCwxYG6KPNpOGX6a7A4PGaKc0YQTZG16y_-k4fWj-8Cb2bMellgmk6xXtAgduiX3ckn9A9qNOUQezF8yJUUCx5yjODXfmF6ixShPyXd2UbXps3N5dndCl451kAfvNNKbFa0-qqJYg919AWR_jApaMyUy2BP7BII2OMT4s4/s1024/IMG_7423%20(1024x684).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="684" data-original-width="1024" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ0Ctr1hiRZKF2-AWPXcwgTFCwxYG6KPNpOGX6a7A4PGaKc0YQTZG16y_-k4fWj-8Cb2bMellgmk6xXtAgduiX3ckn9A9qNOUQezF8yJUUCx5yjODXfmF6ixShPyXd2UbXps3N5dndCl451kAfvNNKbFa0-qqJYg919AWR_jApaMyUy2BP7BII2OMT4s4/w400-h268/IMG_7423%20(1024x684).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p align="center" class="MsoNormal">“The grass withers,
the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever.” (Isaiah 40:8)<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQSBE7Kh9j_Q7jdR71EnwchwqhXWRAJHpA5B71xMD5m4SWTCi54FEkGaBzBoEa0ZS8ymVs3RG5JQFlmKm--6r8OjYeTDC9khSvK2_U4jvmbyilwaK2z-XEGN4rhgwss8LytTJxLQgDrzpPKCkbw-kZ0d2UK0ygqr0CxzVxSBnBkYqjzgO-arE9KJ0ViqY/s1024/IMG_4465%20(683x1024).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="683" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQSBE7Kh9j_Q7jdR71EnwchwqhXWRAJHpA5B71xMD5m4SWTCi54FEkGaBzBoEa0ZS8ymVs3RG5JQFlmKm--6r8OjYeTDC9khSvK2_U4jvmbyilwaK2z-XEGN4rhgwss8LytTJxLQgDrzpPKCkbw-kZ0d2UK0ygqr0CxzVxSBnBkYqjzgO-arE9KJ0ViqY/w266-h400/IMG_4465%20(683x1024).jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p align="center" class="MsoNormal">“Who is like you, O
Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in
splendor, doing wonders?” (Exodus 15:11)<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWpBSpa-tJsiNFRGqYioQLJ6TgN8QS1g9LnC9u0BlhTjbGxluuFIZENqwnQcofvAWoAqqMXy-ohNXgclduH0DOsl38F8vmYSZ6qtXty6pZI9PDYvuUzyFZyQSZfI_dtC-73mOQlk0wUNI0T8Yny2-wp4Tynl4W6trGIkQYnYC13yLbYt1Osd6VpA_2p48/s1024/IMG_6050%20(1024x682).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="1024" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWpBSpa-tJsiNFRGqYioQLJ6TgN8QS1g9LnC9u0BlhTjbGxluuFIZENqwnQcofvAWoAqqMXy-ohNXgclduH0DOsl38F8vmYSZ6qtXty6pZI9PDYvuUzyFZyQSZfI_dtC-73mOQlk0wUNI0T8Yny2-wp4Tynl4W6trGIkQYnYC13yLbYt1Osd6VpA_2p48/w400-h266/IMG_6050%20(1024x682).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p align="center" class="MsoNormal">“Happy are
those…whose hope is in the Lord their God, who made heaven and earth, the sea,
and all that is in them!” (Psalm 146:5-6)<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><b>Rev. Eric
Beene</b> is General Presbyter of the Presbytery of the Redwoods and an amateur
photographer. Previously, he served as Pastor to congregations in Savannah,
Georgia, and Boston, Massachusetts. He lives in Windsor, California, with his
wife Mary and their teenage son Isaac.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>PresbyEarthCare Coordinatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04116427864285701852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6646930507539556797.post-90292222074303937862023-07-18T17:33:00.000-04:002023-07-18T17:33:01.681-04:00Morning Grace<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfUNVgoXWvs76MpY6Htmh9goXqNaHA6d3yAh5OHNgHVS-H8uXZY4VuntVGHiAKYWfgjLw8owBBw2yjOGXEparZ6k5nlZIKrWpCXNkfnewUqkXgRY9-x9ZT9fSP-2zve1hR0MLwG4pjnF5DEPNG0uaeA32lzE8gbWkctCeYQEv9MI4Nsa_iqldAvr_58Rg/s3088/Morning%20Grace%20photo.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2320" data-original-width="3088" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfUNVgoXWvs76MpY6Htmh9goXqNaHA6d3yAh5OHNgHVS-H8uXZY4VuntVGHiAKYWfgjLw8owBBw2yjOGXEparZ6k5nlZIKrWpCXNkfnewUqkXgRY9-x9ZT9fSP-2zve1hR0MLwG4pjnF5DEPNG0uaeA32lzE8gbWkctCeYQEv9MI4Nsa_iqldAvr_58Rg/s320/Morning%20Grace%20photo.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p class="Body" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Eric Diekhans</span><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><p class="Body">By Eric Diekhans</p>
<p class="Body">The alarm sounds at 5:30 am and I immediately roll out of bed. In
summer, the sun is already bursting through the blinds; in spring and fall my
bedroom is dark and sometimes cold. I pull on lycra shorts, jersey, gloves, and
cleated shoes. When the weather get colder, I add a jacket, booties, lobster
gloves, and sometimes a balaclava. My gear allows me to ride even when the
temperature drops below freezing. </p>
<p class="Body">The world is mostly silent as I push my bike out the door and
climb aboard. A few blocks later, I wave to a small gathering of cyclists also
ready to roll out. They ride faster than my pace so I continue on solo. That’s
the way I prefer it anyway. </p>
<p class="Body">I’ve been taking these morning rides for years, two or three
times per week from mid March until November. The early start allows me time to
get home, walk the dog, and get ready for work. During the pandemic, when I was
working at home, I continued my ritual. The streets I ride on Chicago’s North
Shore were mostly deserted. In a time of turmoil and uncertainty, my this
stress-free hour offered me peace.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p>During Covid, I began to think of my morning ride as a form of
prayer. I’ve always felt more comfortable with unspoken prayer that comes from
my heart and soul rather than words that come from my head. While Covid brought
the world almost to a stop, my thoughts receded and God’s presence came forth. </p>
<p class="Body">I roll north and spot other cyclists out for training rides. A
few cars and delivery trucks add to the mix, but nothing like this road will
see in an hour as the morning commute begins. Lake Michigan is off my right
shoulder. I sense its magnificence even though I can’t see the water through
the houses and parks along the route. Some mornings, I pause partway through my
route to ride down a steep hill to a deserted beach. The sun rises over the
lake and I take a few moments to contemplate the wonder of nature.</p>
<p class="Body">Riding back up the hill, I continue on even quieter streets.
Birds sing to me overhead and occasionally I spot a deer ambling across the
road. I turn and pick up the bike trail that runs along the commuter rail for
my return trip. Occasionally I spot a runner or a train roars past, momentarily
disturbing the peace.</p>
<p class="Body">“The apostles gathered around Jesus and told him all that they
had done and taught. He said to them, ‘Come away to a deserted place all by
yourselves and rest a while.’ For many were coming and going, and they had no
leisure even to eat.” (Mark 6: 30-31)</p>
<p class="Body">I suspect that Jesus retreated to the desert or some quiet garden
more often than reported in the gospels. Ministry is hard work and solitary
contemplation is as important as engagement. As Christians, we need to be in
fellowship in the pews, and in service outside the church doors. But we also
need to connect with God in creation, and where better to find the Divine than
in nature’s quiet embrace?</p>
<p class="Body">I reach the end of the trail and roll back onto city streets. The
traffic is starting to pick up as the rest of the world begins its day. I’ve
ridden these streets so many times I know every busy intersection and my mind
continues to relax. When I arrive home, I’ll continue my own day in a state of
grace thanks to the nourishment of the natural world. Hopefully, that feeling
of peace will linger in my soul long after my ride has ended.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><b><i>Eric Diekhans</i> </b>is an award-winning author,
television, and podcast producer, and a member of Lake View Presbyterian Church
in Chicago. If he’s not on his bike, you can find him at <span class="Hyperlink0"><a href="http://www.ericdiekhans.com/"><b><i>www.ericdiekhans.com</i></b></a></span><b><i><o:p></o:p></i></b></p><br /><p></p>PresbyEarthCare Coordinatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04116427864285701852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6646930507539556797.post-89061333142378304212023-07-18T17:23:00.003-04:002023-07-18T17:23:57.117-04:00Nurturing Spirit and Body; Seeking to Nurture Earth<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN-WZgdY4Q2AKOT2ZGrjuS896lDVz9LMrKSb2a_IZyrPW7fsECHaVU8VoUdm6xXxm5rdXppti6dHw9brq-StbBe1ppqeFhpBWemiN9-wkcGZg2lchwBDF9o78TP0IiS8Ldkf94OfRdnO4TdQI9TPfaIjpb4XxoOfMQiEjx2ABqJChAKEPuAGZOcnU8IrM/s2016/JOY%20PHOTO.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN-WZgdY4Q2AKOT2ZGrjuS896lDVz9LMrKSb2a_IZyrPW7fsECHaVU8VoUdm6xXxm5rdXppti6dHw9brq-StbBe1ppqeFhpBWemiN9-wkcGZg2lchwBDF9o78TP0IiS8Ldkf94OfRdnO4TdQI9TPfaIjpb4XxoOfMQiEjx2ABqJChAKEPuAGZOcnU8IrM/s320/JOY%20PHOTO.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p class="Body" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">JOY’s 7-circuit<span lang="FR"> canvas labyrinth</span></span><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><p></p><p class="Body">By <span lang="DE" style="mso-ansi-language: DE;">Diane Waddel</span>l<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p>The <span class="Hyperlink0"><a href="http://thecenterforjoy.org/"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;">Justice, Outreach and Yoga (JOY) New
Worshiping Community</span></a></span> is a part of the 1001 NWC
program of the PCUSA. <span style="font-size: 13pt;">The group gathers in St.
Joseph, Missouri, in a sacred, beautiful space where the prairie has
flourished, offering solace and quietude for the restoration of body and soul.</span></p>
<p class="Body"><span style="font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-size: 13pt;">JOY was birthed from a Laudato Si
understanding of seeking equity in both environmental and social justice.
Leaders and others who are part of the community share opportunities for sacred
connection. We are a Matthew 25 community, seeking justice, and are
particularly grateful for the three recently added </span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS", serif; font-size: 13pt;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span><span style="font-size: 13pt;">intersectional
priorities” to Matthew 25, including the importance of working as faithful
stewards of God’s Creation to respond to Climate Change.</span></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Our Community meets at least three
times a month. Our spiritual gatherings begin with candle or sage burning,
prayer vigil for local or global needs, and the music of singing bowls. Our
themes have been based on Celtic spirituality which keeps us grounded and
centered in Creation. Alternate months we share and are amazed by the work of
the mystics such as Hildegard of Bingen, who offered an essence of “greenness.”</span></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p><span style="font-size: 13pt;">We have been gifted by one of the
members, Rev. Dr. Krista Kiger, with a 7-circuit canvas labyrinth, and have
been able to share a special sacred time of a labyrinth walk at least twice
yearly. Our hearts, minds, and spirits are enriched by the sacred walk.</span></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p><span style="font-size: 13pt;">We are strengthened and nurtured
in our space and through our community. Our next steps are those in which we
reach out to the wider community — our neighborhood and the wider region to
advocate for the healing of the Earth. (Refuse, reuse, recycle; limit or refuse
single-use plastics; plant native flowers, shrubs, trees; care for our gift of
water, air, earth…)</span></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Indeed, for we ourselves to be healed
and whole, we must nurture and care for this beautiful home called Earth.</span></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><b><i><span lang="DE" style="mso-ansi-language: DE;">Diane Waddel</span>l</i></b><i>
is Leader of JOY New Worshiping Community.<o:p></o:p></i></p><br /><p></p>PresbyEarthCare Coordinatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04116427864285701852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6646930507539556797.post-72326675389497119812023-04-21T21:03:00.005-04:002023-04-21T21:03:58.474-04:00Alyeska: A Special Part of Our Earth<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgliCDmbvlI91wCUze5j_oboS5Qyeoyi2fvXOyt0cH9Ta8ArZPtTFNH2RNeZ1XjTxjkZIpffonKGnAaI5goFaP9MdllKFjjhERatfTCjuaWOaw3NXTQZ-bDXLhX-TNZfag6BJy8efd9JTwu31BQdZuu8-lJtSqHZQLp9SfbqaY-SzsqirsrzcHA6J4z/s2576/image2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1932" data-original-width="2576" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgliCDmbvlI91wCUze5j_oboS5Qyeoyi2fvXOyt0cH9Ta8ArZPtTFNH2RNeZ1XjTxjkZIpffonKGnAaI5goFaP9MdllKFjjhERatfTCjuaWOaw3NXTQZ-bDXLhX-TNZfag6BJy8efd9JTwu31BQdZuu8-lJtSqHZQLp9SfbqaY-SzsqirsrzcHA6J4z/w423-h317/image2.jpeg" width="423" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Caribou photo by Brian Schmitt</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">by Barbara Brown</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">When I first moved to Alaska in 2007 I had visited here
twice before, and I was in awe of the magnitude and majesty of this place. The
name Alaska is derived from a native word: “Alyeska”, which means great land,
and this state certainly is that.<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> I live
in the city of Palmer in the southcentral area of the state, about a 50 minute
drive from Anchorage, the largest city. When I watch our local news and
weather, the station is based in Anchorage, but the reports cover other areas
of the state as well: North Slope, Interior, Southeast, Aleutian Chain,
Western, Kenai Peninsula, and Prince
William Sound. I live in the area which is known as being “on the road system”,
where a majority of the population lives. Once you get past Fairbanks in the
interior there are no roads to get places except for the Haul Road, used by
truckers to get supplies up to the oil fields in the north. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> My city has several
very popular tourist destinations: the Reindeer Farm, where you can go in the
pen and feed them, the Musk Ox Farm, where you can watch them being groomed for
their incredibly soft qiviut fiber, Hatcher Pass, where you can hike, ski, and
see the remains of the Independence Gold Mine, and the small town feel of the
downtown area, full of shops and restaurants. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> Out my front window I have a wonderful view of
Pioneer Peak which stands at 6,398 ft. and is part of the Chugach Range. These mountains, along with the nearby
Talkeetna Mountain Range, are not as high as the Rockies but are jagged and
stark against the mostly flat plains surrounding them. The ever-changing light
and shadows from clouds overhead means I will never get tired of watching
them. If you have never seen a mountain
bathed in the pinkish, orangey glow of Alpenglow, you really need to come here
to experience it. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> The Matanuska
Valley, where Palmer is located, was carved out by the Matanuska Glacier. Like
many of the glaciers in Alaska it has receded many miles back from where the town
is, but it is readlily accessible by car, and you can go on guided tours across
its surface. The Matanuska River flows from it through town, and it is a
classic example of a braided river, full of glacial silt. The water at the
height of the spring melt runoff time is a bluish gray color. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> The fertile soil
in this valley means this area supports some of the largest agricultural fields
of the whole state. Maybe you have heard of the giant cabbages that can grow up
to 110 pounds, and other giant vegetable like 4 pound carrots and 5 pound
kohlrabi. There is a whole section at the state fair (held in Palmer in late
August through Labor Day) of giant veggies on display each year, so again, if
you have never been to Alaska, maybe you want to come for that. We even have Cabbage Fairies who wander
around the fairgrounds in their cute green costumes spreading good cheer to
young and old. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> Our new Representative in D.C., Mary Peltola,
is Alaska Native, from the Kuskokwim
River area in and around Bethel. She is passionate about protecting this great
land. She is aware that Alaska has
mostly been a resource extraction state in its relatively short 63 years of
statehood but she knows that there is much to be done to keep this boom and
bust extractive economy from completing raping all the bountiful resources in
this land. There are now collaborative approaches happening that are moving the
state toward a regenerative economy. For a sample, listen to the latest episode
of “A Matter of Degrees” podcast. The
episode delves into the decades-long fight to protect the Tongass National
Forest in southeast AK. It features Marina Anderson, Deputy Director of the
Sustainable Southeast Partnership and President Richard <i>Chalyee
</i> Peterson of the Central Council of
the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> In closing, I want
to reiterate: Alaska is a great land, and its nickname The Last Frontier is
well earned. I feel blessed to call this place home, and pray God will bless
our efforts to care for this special part of our earth.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><b>Barbara Brown</b> is a member of PEC as well as the Presbytery of Yukon. She was one of the planners and hosts for a glorious eco-trip to Alaska/ Yukon Presbytery in 2014 along with Curtis Karns, then Executive Presbytery of Yukon Presbytery.</i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p></div><p><br /></p>PresbyEarthCare Coordinatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04116427864285701852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6646930507539556797.post-5848899739486175502023-04-19T16:59:00.001-04:002023-04-19T16:59:29.272-04:00Taking "Church" Outdoors<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAXCHSssleK4AoNLG8q7-Zm-MSgT40dX2-2fDOX313HmezbR4ei5tQppM4uYN7tSTa25aqFelrbBQoOOarLQ_5710mrZWV1wl62prqmkkmX0FEVzXYZ2FfEHYoqbqhJ3LC9KzpIPSWJt-ORZilQw7UngtFy28y-R_gpj5TVyd5i7o-12etfkOzRXx3/s640/Taking%20%E2%80%9CChurch%E2%80%9D%20Outdoors%20photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="329" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAXCHSssleK4AoNLG8q7-Zm-MSgT40dX2-2fDOX313HmezbR4ei5tQppM4uYN7tSTa25aqFelrbBQoOOarLQ_5710mrZWV1wl62prqmkkmX0FEVzXYZ2FfEHYoqbqhJ3LC9KzpIPSWJt-ORZilQw7UngtFy28y-R_gpj5TVyd5i7o-12etfkOzRXx3/w438-h329/Taking%20%E2%80%9CChurch%E2%80%9D%20Outdoors%20photo.jpg" width="438" /></a></div><p></p><p class="Body" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Covenant Kayakers</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">by Eric Diekhans<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Outdoor ministry. The phrase
evokes memories of church camp, probably a few hours</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’ </span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">drive from home. A week or two spent in nature for
children, teens, or perhaps families.</span><span style="font-family: "Times Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">But what if outdoor ministry was more
accessible, just a short work or drive away? What if it was right outside your
church</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span lang="NL" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: NL;">s door?</span><span style="font-family: "Times Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">After retiring from his call as a
PCUSA campus minister, Bruce Chapman became a Florida master naturalist and
park ranger. When he and his wife moved to North Carolina in 2019, Covenant
Church and its Outdoor Ministry Committee were a perfect fit for him. At the
time, outdoor ministry opportunities there were modest. The church offered a
monthly hiking excursion to contemplate nature and enjoy fellowship.</span><span style="font-family: "Times Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">I started talking with Lauren Sawyers and other church
people that were involved in the hiking,” says Bruce. </span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">We all were sensitive to environmental issues, and a
core group of us wondered what else we can do as Christians.”</span><span style="font-family: "Times Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Bruce and Lauren became committee
co-coordinators as their ambitions grew. The committee focused on a
multi-pronged mission: </span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">To provide members of our community practical
opportunities to experience nature; deepen relationships with the church, each
other and our natural surroundings; and grow in faithful stewardship of the
environment.”</span><span style="font-family: "Times Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The committee continued to offer
hikes to beautiful area locations like South Fork Catawba Trail and the Stevens
Creek Nature Preserve, along with kayaking and other outdoor activities. They
also invited speakers like Timothy Beal, author of <i>When Time is Short,</i>
to speak about climate change. An eco-study group formed and, Chapman says, </span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">We looked for ways to not
just navel gaze but actually have a mission project or some kind of outreach.”</span><span style="font-family: "Times Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">One of their first ventures was a
stream clean relationship with the local stormwater district. The church
adopted an urban stream in a restored riverine habitat that runs through
Charlotte and committed to picking up trash there four times a year.</span><span style="font-family: "Times Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Last summer, the church also
started a gleaning mission through the Society of St. Andrews, a grassroots,
faith-based, hunger relief nonprofit. </span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">They collect leftovers from fields after harvesting is
done,” Bruce shares.</span><span lang="DE" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: DE;"> “</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Our group visited rural North
Carolina farms and collected tomatoes, squash, and other vegetables left in the
field. These were then passed through the Society of St. Andrews to needy
organizations.”</span><span style="font-family: "Times Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The committee is also looking at
ways to make a positive impact on the environment right outside the church’s </span><span lang="NL" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: NL;">doors. </span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Just before we came to
Covenant,” Bruce says, they added an addition to the building, To meet city
code, they had to offset that impervious surface by digging an earthen basin to
catch stormwater runoff. But the basin isn</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">t doing its job because it</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">s not connected to any of the downspouts or drainage
systems. It</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">s
just grass that we mow.”</span><span style="font-family: "Times Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The committee has drafted a
proposal to repurpose the basin as an urban wetland habitat and micro-forest.
It sees the project as a significant statement about how Christians can be good
stewards of the earth.</span><span style="font-family: "Times Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The work of the Outdoor Ministry
Committee is just one way Covenant strives to be </span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">a forward-thinking community with a culture of
embracing innovation as we live out our mission. “ In doing so, the church
provides an inspirational example of how we can all be better stewards of our
environment, individually and as a community.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body">
</p><p class="Body"><span class="Hyperlink0"><a href="http://ericdiekhans.com/"><i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Eric Diekhans </span></i></a></span><i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">is an author, editor of “Earth News,” a member of Lake
View Presbyterian Church in Chicago, and Executive Director of the Greater
Chicago Broadcast Ministries.</span></i><o:p></o:p></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>PresbyEarthCare Coordinatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04116427864285701852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6646930507539556797.post-23577561129473992872023-04-19T16:53:00.000-04:002023-04-19T16:53:13.774-04:00Walking Matthew 25<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIRCFWbG84RNhz9ocd6smypyrmwZq6xrPEsP822p5tZviAtJf-VrB-YKwmhvve-ZaDak7fbb57M1KIOenIqn8nxhJ0r9tc5PQbRZcan6WreF0v52KgWGnAh7tV9QF1tflFwgf5o0oPISOGVVJ-lH0mUUlA2cV0rQ9_26ypqPK6ByvwVqwRftCPuZXQ/s691/Walking%20Matthew%2025%20photo.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="691" data-original-width="691" height="401" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIRCFWbG84RNhz9ocd6smypyrmwZq6xrPEsP822p5tZviAtJf-VrB-YKwmhvve-ZaDak7fbb57M1KIOenIqn8nxhJ0r9tc5PQbRZcan6WreF0v52KgWGnAh7tV9QF1tflFwgf5o0oPISOGVVJ-lH0mUUlA2cV0rQ9_26ypqPK6ByvwVqwRftCPuZXQ/w401-h401/Walking%20Matthew%2025%20photo.jpeg" width="401" /></a></div><p></p><p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Rick and Jo <span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-align: center; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-compound: simple; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-dash: solid; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-dpiwidth: 0pt; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-join: bevel; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-linecap: round; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-pctmiterlimit: 0%; mso-style-textoutline-type: none;">Randolph in Alaska, 2019</span></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="BodyA">by Jo Randolph<o:p></o:p></p><p class="BodyA"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="BodyA">Walking is the oldest form of transportation on this earth. In
Genesis 13:17 the Lord asks Abram to <span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span>Arise, walk about the
land through its length and breadth; for I will give it to you.” He explains
this is the way for Abram to get to know the land that the Lord will give to
him and his offspring forever. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="BodyA"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="BodyA">Having grown up on a farm in southeast Wisconsin, walking was
the mode of transportation to get to and from my grandfather<span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif;">’</span>s home, to get to and home
from school (on nice days), and to visit with friends after school and on
holidays. It has become fundamental to the way I experience creation around me.
When you wander many days and hours over fields, you feel the dirt between your
toes, you smell the odor of the soil and the sweet ripe berries and fruits
ready to eat. The beauty of the trees
leafing out, the flowers arriving in spring, and the sound and smell of the
leaves falling to the ground in the fall. To see creatures scurry away from me,
to see the birds soar above, to hear the sounds of the wind rustling the leaves
of each of the different trees, or water flowing over the rocks in the streams
– it is a different language you learn when taking the time to wonder on the
immense gift of this glorious creation around us. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="BodyA"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="BodyA">I have had the opportunity to walk in many and varied areas of
the world, from the farms of <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="BodyA">Wisconsin to the mountains and deserts of AZ, from the forests
of Germany to the glaciers of Alaska and the sands of the outer banks. The
sounds of each step on the land and the sounds of the winds and animals
informed my deep love and passion for this world and to care for it deeply. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="BodyA"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="BodyA">These and other walks just around our suburban area have taught
me to listen, see, and learn about not only the nature around me but the way we
have changed that nature to suit our desires but not the needs of creation that
must live there. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="BodyA"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="BodyA">Walking on a PCUSA Peacemaking study tour is an amazing learning
experience. An experience of the greater world around you that you cannot learn
from just watching a documentary. Take the opportunity for yourself. I have had two such opportunities and am
looking forward to a third one this April. My husband Rick and I traveled to
Guatemala and Costa Rica in 2017. I also had the opportunity to travel in early
2019 to Guatemala, Honduras, and Costa Rica.
<o:p></o:p></p><p class="BodyA"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="BodyA">In 2017 we experienced peacemaking, environmental issues, and
climate concerns of highly conflicted communities. We traveled to historically
peaceful places and highly conflicted small villages. From environmentally
degraded areas to ones of great ecological beauty. We met and talked,
worshiped, and learned about the people of faith in Guatemala and Costa Rica
who have been responding to issues of peace and environmental justice issues
for generations. We arrived in Guatemala
and first visited CEDEPCA (<span class="Hyperlink0"><a href="https://cedepca.org/en/"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;">Protestant
Center for Pastoral Studies in Central America)</span></a></span><span class="None"> and its staff. We were briefed on the context of the climate and
the areas of conflict of the indigenous peoples the we would be meeting and
learning from during our short time in Guatemala. Our first stop the next
morning was to visit with a small group of members of the Peaceful Resistance
in La Puya. They were/are protesting the poisoning of their waters (and the
minds of the corrupt Guatemalan government officials) by the mining
corporations in Canada. They have set up a watch area on a small narrowing of a
dirt road where they keep an eye on the helicopters and heavy trucks. The
corporation is NOT supposed to be doing any work on or in the mines but these
helicopters are flying in and out of the </span><span class="None"><span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif;">‘</span>closed</span><span class="None"><span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif;">’ </span>area
daily. There are big earth-moving trucks
that are </span><span class="None"><span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif;">‘</span>just
moving</span><span class="None"><span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif;">’
</span>dirt to </span><span class="None"><span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif;">‘</span>help
clean the tailings ponds</span><span class="None"><span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif;">’
</span>from the poisonous chemicals that are used to release the gold and
silver from the land. Having lunch with these people while holding a watch on
all the traffic flowing by was revealing. Some of the travelers were neighbors
and some were unknowns. Some with weapons and some traveling with foodstuffs
and children heading home from work and school. The whole visit was certainly a
visceral learning moment to absorb what our developed world </span><span class="None"><span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif;">‘</span>wants</span><span class="None"><span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif;">’ </span>and is
creating for those indigenous people’s daily lives. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="BodyA"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="BodyA"><span class="None">Our Guatemala travels also allowed us to
worship with the Asociaci</span><span class="None"><span lang="ES-TRAD">ónde Mujeres Ind</span>í</span><span class="None"><span lang="PT">genas de Santa Mar</span>ía
Xalapán (the indigenous women</span><span class="None"><span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif;">’</span>s association of the Santa Maria Xalapán).
The Xinca Invocation Ceremony was breathtaking and left us in wonder about the
gratefulness these people have for the everyday gifts, given to them by God, of
water, air, food, and comfort. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="BodyA"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="BodyA"><span class="None">In Costa Rica, we learned the damage
monoculture plantations of bananas and pineapples have on the lives of the
small villages and villagers. The
overuse of pesticides and fertilizers used in crop production for the export of
these two crops alone has poisoned the water and taken jobs from the original
inhabitants of the villages. I still
wonder HOW villagers can function with only five gallons of water delivered
weekly. The local government is mandated to deliver fresh water weekly to their
homes, and it is per home, NOT per number of people living in the home. Those
five gallons are to be used for ALL their needs, from drinking, and food
preparation to cleaning both themselves and their clothing. The running water
in the creeks is so caustic due to the chemicals it is </span><span class="None"><span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif;">‘</span>eating</span><span class="None"><span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif;">’ </span>the
skins of the people and the fibers of their clothing. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="BodyA"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="BodyA"><span class="None">The 2019 Central American Migrant Trails
peacemaking tour of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras focused on immigration
issues. Our group learned about </span><span class="None"><span style="color: #333333;">the immigration context being faced by those wanting to emigrate
north. It was a clearer picture of the reasons why they take the risk of
embarking on a dangerous journey with small children in tow. We heard from Not
For Profits and government officials while exploring the potential and actual
consequences of US policies. Mass deportation is impacting the lives of the
returned migrants, their families, their communities, and their nations. I</span></span><span class="None"><span lang="ES-TRAD" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: ES-TRAD;">n
El Salvador</span></span><span class="None"><span style="color: #333333;">, we
heard from Catholic Relief Services, the Ministry of Foreign Relations, and
returned migrants from a migrant program. In Guatemala, we heard a priest tell
us about the pastoral challenges to care for caravans of immigrants. We met
returned Guatemalans and heard their stories of how they are unceremoniously
returned to Guatemala by our government. </span></span><span class="None"><span lang="NL"> In
Honduras</span>, we met with organizations working for transparency and against
corruption in the Honduran government. We also heard from a children</span><span class="None"><span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif;">’</span>s
ministries and advocacy group, the RedViva Danish network, and a Presbyterian
Hunger Program partner Ecor</span><span class="None"><span lang="FR">é</span>, working to better the lives of the
people impacted. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="BodyA"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="BodyA"><span class="None">Wandering and studying these and many other
issues certainly opened our senses to wonder how this world created for all has
been abused for the ‘select.’ Learning from those who have experienced the
issues or those who work with impacted immigrants as well as with our own
Presbyterian Mission Co-Workers opened our eyes in some small steps as to how
we can walk in the manner to which Christ called us in Matthew 25 to care for
all others. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="BodyA"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="BodyA"><span class="None">This April my husband and I will again travel
on a PCUSA Peacemaking</span><span class="None"><span style="background: white; color: #0a1551;"> Study Seminar. We will be studying the native lands of the
Southwest, the Doctrine of Discovery, and its legacy today</span>. We will be
learning the harm the Doctrine of Discovery did to indigenous peoples of North
America since the landing on this continent and to this day. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="BodyA"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="BodyA"><span class="None">Psalm 104 will be with us daily as we walk,
wander, and wonder in the steps of those we have harmed. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="BodyA"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="BodyA"><span class="None">(31-34) – <i>May the Glory of the LORD endure
forever: may the LORD rejoice in his works . . . . May my mediation be pleasing
to him for I rejoice in the LORD.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="BodyA"><span class="None"><i> </i></span></p><p>
</p><p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="None"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Jo
and Rick Randolph </span></i></b></span><span class="None"><i><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">are
members of Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church, Heartland Presbytery. Jo is
currently the Treasurer of Presbyterians for Earth Care. Rick, an MD, is
Senior Medical Director of Heart to Heart International.</span></i></span><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>PresbyEarthCare Coordinatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04116427864285701852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6646930507539556797.post-515299126223740912023-04-19T16:38:00.000-04:002023-04-19T16:38:15.522-04:00Creation is Calling<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYElaXhqT3R_kDAFWxhO9Evy0l_Xbaf1tq8DMiZgqRyEnhqXwBr_s-fOdOYQVD4MyvjIu8plALYWLsUSC15FYK0Y2re0dfPs8mq8k3yvegowEyoYema5RFKTCvqRWQF7h6Ub5ygTtBhVSS4uiye_nEa8VE0grILqA1pIsGX1_e6orzEdM-p-88kiXR/s640/Creation%20is%20Calling%20photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="433" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYElaXhqT3R_kDAFWxhO9Evy0l_Xbaf1tq8DMiZgqRyEnhqXwBr_s-fOdOYQVD4MyvjIu8plALYWLsUSC15FYK0Y2re0dfPs8mq8k3yvegowEyoYema5RFKTCvqRWQF7h6Ub5ygTtBhVSS4uiye_nEa8VE0grILqA1pIsGX1_e6orzEdM-p-88kiXR/w325-h433/Creation%20is%20Calling%20photo.jpg" width="325" /></a></div><p></p><p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Diane
with a Kenyan friend on a mission trip to Thawke Village near Nairobi</span></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body">by Diane Waddell<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body">Eco-Tourism is a popular item….a destination-type of tourism
where visitors hope to travel responsibly or visit places that are deemed to be
sustainable communities. `<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body">Consider a spin-off on Eco-tourism…towards faith-based,
destination Earth encounters, such as Sustainable Mission trips.
Consider the term…Sacred Earth travels as a new mindset. Indeed, connecting
with our Sacred Earth is connecting with the beauty and intelligence of plants
and other animals….with earth, air, soil, water.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body">In fact, Creation calls us… as God calls us…through whispers of
water, air, fire, and soil; through multitudes of types of plants and animals;
all miraculous. Our response to that calling honestly must be with reverence,
grace, and gratitude. Creation is calling…for Justice. The Rev. Dr. Bill Brown
(professor of Old Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary) shared many wise
words at PEC<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>s
Stony Point Conference in 2019. He suggested that the term we need to use is <span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span>Creation
Justice” as we are stewards of God<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>s magnificent gift.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body">I am so grateful that the PCUSA, through Presbyterian Compassion,
Peace and Justice programs, has shared and continues to share ways of
connecting with our global partners through travels and seminars (both virtual
and on-site.) I have been so grateful for connections that have continued to be
transformative for me. In Lima, Peru, for example, I vividly recall climbing up
one of the Andes Mountains toward a small community and school. The higher up
the mountain, the more poverty there was. The children had to climb down in the
dark in the morning to get to school, and parents had to leave in the darkness
down the mountain to get to their farming work. Thanks to the work of World
Mission partners, Hunger Program, Disaster Assistance, and many others for
allowing us to be connected both virtually and physically around the world;
raise awareness, and support persons in need.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body">Presbyterians for Earth Care has shared many excellent
conferences both on-site and virtually, and continues to share and prepare us
as Creation calls. Stay tuned for their next amazing conference in September,
2023 and for many webinars coming up…when we can virtually <span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>‘</span>tour.<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’ </span>And hold in appreciation those who
have hosted conferences. (Thanks to Barb Brown who has written a lovely article
about Alaska. She and others including then-EP Curtis Karns hosted a great
conference in Alaska open to PEC members.)<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body">Yet, we can also be connected with travel in our backyards,
church campuses, local parks, rural areas, and more. We can work towards making
a sanctuary in our own backyards with trees, plants, and animals. Planting
native plants and trees is a beautiful way to make a special connection. Native
species are more sustainable and adapted to thrive in their own natural
habitat.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body">While connecting with your own space, look up the name and
history of your watershed and what native tribes walked in the same space. Work
with local and national groups who appreciate caring for your Earth space… to
work on the transformation of your backyard, church campus, etc., toward
becoming a more sacred space.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body">Wendell Berry states that <span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span>it is impossible, ultimately, to
preserve ourselves apart from our willingness to preserve other creatures, or
to respect and care for ourselves except as we respect and care for other
creatures; and…it is impossible to care for each other more or differently than
we care for the earth.<span lang="DE">“ </span>(The
Body and the Earth) He reminds us that the earth is what we all have in common,
that it is what we are made of and what we live from, and that we therefore
cannot damage it without damaging those with whom we share it. Amen.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body">And as we travel, we recall that sustainability in means of
travel is extremely important… Thanks to Jo and Rick Randolph<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>s travel stories of walking while
traveling. How beautiful to touch the Earth with respect while walking and
hearing Creation calling that much more clearly.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body">And if and as you do travel using fossil fuels, consider
contributing to the Restoring Creation Fund as a carbon offset program of the
PCUSA, which will go toward planting and nurturing trees with longstanding
partners.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body">Restoring Creation For Ecology & Justice (E865715)<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body">To give by phone, call 800-872-3283. To send a check, please
designate where you want your gift to go on the memo line and mail to:<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body">Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)P.O. Box 643700<br />
Pittsburgh, PA 15264-3700<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body">As you consider an eco-tour, hold in your hearts the concept of
Sacred Earth. Consider that sacred earth each time you touch the ground as you
walk, every time you breathe in the air, feel the warmth of the sun or the
coolness of rain and marvel at the beauty of God<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>s garden. Allow each moment to be a
means to answer Creation<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>s call for justice. Be grateful for each opportunity to
be and share, whether it is with a plant or water fountain, indoors or
outdoors; whether in your own backyard, or on a local, regional or global visit
<span lang="PT">or conference.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body">Hold those moments and those places sacred. For indeed, they are.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body">Aho. Amen.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;">
</p><p class="Body"><b><i><span lang="NL">Diane Waddell</span>
i</i></b><i>s a leader in Heartland Presbytery’s </i><span class="Hyperlink0"><a href="http://thecenterforjoy.org/"><b><i>Justice, Outreach and Yoga New
Worshiping Community</i></b></a></span><i>, and past m</i><i><span lang="IT">oderator</span> of </i><i><span lang="NL">PEC</span>.<o:p></o:p></i></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>PresbyEarthCare Coordinatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04116427864285701852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6646930507539556797.post-68870938308779699062023-04-19T16:02:00.002-04:002023-04-19T16:02:30.579-04:00Hiddenness: I Saw a Corn Crake!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO4RQXI32OzH3GEiA33gBkFLsd4g9ZZU_YBT0CQYfzyyTZvogwEckqpPgfazEVSH8qSHJpAMMiYCZq9-9MvqXeprYpjNxnfeFjBgqhbFJOKEFdgKl84fSENv-wYqM32Y3fbAvBJJCd50t9GoalcaRkmVOsSxo0t1ljxDin24BnslgCAzDEok11_LU4/s1086/corncrake%20photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="724" data-original-width="1086" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO4RQXI32OzH3GEiA33gBkFLsd4g9ZZU_YBT0CQYfzyyTZvogwEckqpPgfazEVSH8qSHJpAMMiYCZq9-9MvqXeprYpjNxnfeFjBgqhbFJOKEFdgKl84fSENv-wYqM32Y3fbAvBJJCd50t9GoalcaRkmVOsSxo0t1ljxDin24BnslgCAzDEok11_LU4/w484-h322/corncrake%20photo.jpg" width="484" /></a></div><p></p><p class="Body" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The elusive corn crake</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">by Nancy Corson Carter</span></span></p><p class="Body"><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"><br /></span></span></p><p class="Body"><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">From May 30 through June 8, 2013 my
husband Howard and I joined a band of 42 pilgrims gathered by the </span></span><a href="https://shalem.org/"><span class="Hyperlink0">Shalem Institute for Spiritual
Formation</span></a><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">. This pilgrimage was to the small
Hebridean island of Iona. This tiny island, measuring only about three miles
long and one mile wide, lies off the west coast of Scotland. Here, the Celtic
monastic community, alive in the fifth and sixth centuries and not dispersed
until the 13</span></span><sup>th</sup><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">
century, participated in a unique flowering of art and education, based on
scripture and upon God</span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">s revelation in Creation.</span></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">The shared intent of our pilgrimage, entitled </span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Earth Care—Earth Prayer,” was to:</span></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">• listen deeply for God</span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">s
invitations to pray and care for our wondrous Earth</span></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">• open to the spiritual treasures of
holy Iona, the Iona Community, and our</span></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"> own pilgrim community</span></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">• deepen our awareness of the Holy One</span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">s
radiant Presence, and to</span></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">• praise God.</span></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body"><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">What I found on Iona reminds me of
Isaiah 58:11: </span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">You shall be like a watered garden, like a deep spring that
never runs dry.” That verse gives me courage when I am close to despairing in
my avocation of Earth-caring; it correlates with a deeply refreshing
companionship that I felt on Iona—because of the land itself, its creatures,
its hallowed history, and the pilgrim circles within and beyond our gathering.
Even though I use the first person in this meditation, I am always aware of a
great, encompassing </span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">we.” </span></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body"><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span lang="NL" style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-ansi-language: NL; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">J. Philip Newell</span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">s </span></span><i>The
Book of Creation: An Introduction to Celtic Spirituality</i><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"> was a welcome companion to this pilgrimage. His commentary
about John Scotus Eriugena, a ninth-century Irishman, particularly encouraged
my receptivity to revelations from all forms of life on the island, even birds
I had never heard of—the Corn Crakes!</span></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: .25in; margin-top: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: .25in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">[Eriugena]
taught that God is the </span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>‘</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Life Force</span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’ </span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">within all things. </span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>‘</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Therefore
every visible and invisible creature,</span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’ </span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">he
said, </span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>‘</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">can be called a theophany.</span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’ </span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">All
life manifests something of the One who is the essence of life. . . . Through
the letters of Scripture and the species of creature</span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’ </span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">the
eternal Light is </span></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: .25in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">revealed.
(xxi)</span></span><sup>1<o:p></o:p></sup></p><p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body"><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Though Eriugena was accused of
pantheism, it is clear that he saw creation not as God in itself, but as God</span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">s
dwelling place; he said each creature is a </span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">manifestation of the hidden,” </span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span lang="NL" style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-ansi-language: NL; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">or in Newell</span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">s
words, </span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">a showing forth of the mystery of God” (67-8). That so many
Celtic saints are associated with creatures of Earth, sky, and sea affirms
human creatureliness as a relationship to cherish and honor rather than to
deny. Indeed, it is a gift </span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">at the heart of who we are" (71 ff). If we open
ourselves to reciprocal caring with the whole creation, we will discover much
that we might otherwise never know. </span></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span lang="NL" style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-ansi-language: NL; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Hiddenness</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">” is a word often indicating secrets or withheld
information. However, it makes me think of </span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">seeing through a glass darkly” or </span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">the cloud of unknowing.” “</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span lang="NL" style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-ansi-language: NL; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Hiddenness</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">” may suggest mystery yet to be revealed as we continue on
our journey. </span></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body"><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">I found the theme of hiddenness by
entering briefly into a somewhat comic relationship. Soon after our arrival on
Iona, I became aware of a mysterious bird called a Corn Crake. It is also known
as a Landrail; its Latin name is onomatopoetic for its rather grating call: </span></span><i>Crex
crex. </i><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">In a little photographic display in
our hotel</span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">s central corridor of unique creatures which sometimes
visited Iona, I first saw a Corn Crake</span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">s
image. It looked to me like a long-necked light brown chicken with gangly legs
and feet, a bit, I</span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">m sorry to say, like a rubber chicken. With the guidance of
one of my fellow pilgrims, I quickly learned to recognize the strange grating
utterances of the males. It</span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">s said that they can be heard a mile away. In the early
breeding season, they sound often during the day and </span></span><i>intensively
</i><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">at night—one bird may call more than
10,000 times between midnight and 3:00 am. (A Gaelic name for this bird is </span></span><i>Cleabhair
coach</i><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"> or </span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">mad noisemaker.”) But the strange thing is that while they
call insistently for mates in voices extremely hard for humans to miss, they
crouch so low as they creep along through the open meadow grasses that they
rarely even ruffle a stem. They really seem to be invisible. </span></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body"><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">My husband Howard, a friend, and I
were walking the path by the field below the Iona Cultural Center when I saw a
Corn Crake pop up on the stone wall about 50 feet ahead of us. I </span></span><i>knew</i><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"> what it was because I</span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">d
studied the photo, and I excitedly pointed and exclaimed </span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span></span><i>It</i><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><i><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>s
a Corn Crake!” </i><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span></span><i>It</i><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><i><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>s
a Corn Crake!”</i><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"> Our friend hadn</span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">t
studied the hotel photo; he was doubtful, but I </span></span><i>knew.</i><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"> The Corn Crake made an awkward jump into flight, crossed
the path ahead of us, and skimmed over the opposite stone wall. We scurried to
catch another glimpse, but it disappeared without a trace into the grassy
field. Soon we heard the familiar call, but we</span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">d
had our </span></span><i>one look</i><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">
for our visit even though we tried hard for a repeat sighting. </span></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body"><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Corn Crakes are rare enough that
birders go well out of their way to come here so that they can add them to
their life lists. These aficionados come by cruise ships as well as by ferries,
and they often tote cameras with enormous lens, yearning to snap a photo or
two. We</span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">re not sure why, but we</span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">ve
heard that the locals</span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’ </span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">name for them is </span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">twitchers”? We saw many of them clustered hopefully around
the fences of the fields where the hidden birds made their loud, unmistakable
calls. One lady said she</span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">d been steadily looking for them, but that she had managed
to see </span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">only a few legs.” </span></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body"><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">A review of the general habits and
recent past history of the birds in this region demonstrates why it</span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">s
rare to see even those </span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">few legs.” The Corn Crakes travel from their wintering
grounds in Africa to arrive on Iona for breeding usually by late April, leaving
before the end of September. Friends from our hometown who visited the island
in late July didn</span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">t hear them at all. Corn Crakes were once widespread in
western and central Europe, extending east as far as Siberia, but they were
lost from most of the UK after the 1930s. Local ecologist John Clare writes
that </span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Iona, and to a lesser extent the Ross of Mull, are now two
of the few places in the British Isles where Corn Crakes nest in any numbers.”</span></span><sup>2</sup><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body"><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Conservation measures and reassessment
of large and apparently stable populations in Russia, Kazakhstan, and western
China have restored them to the category of Least Concern on the IUCN Red List,
but they continue to be carefully monitored. The focus of conservation efforts
in Europe is to change the timing and method of hay harvesting; later cutting
gives time for breeding to be completed, and leaving uncut strips at the edges
of fields and cutting from the center outwards reduces casualties. Hayfields
with limited cutting or fertilizer use (which I assume includes those on Iona)
are ideal.</span></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body"><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">As though the Corn Crake were
emissaries of approaching transition, I have begun to understand the idea of
hiddenness personally. A friend recently gave me Henri J.M. Nouwen</span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">s </span></span><i>The
Inner Voice of Love</i><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">, and I was somehow led (like the
little Puritan mouse that nibbled to the Bible passage God intended to be read)
to open to one of his </span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span lang="PT" style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-ansi-language: PT; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">spiritual
imperatives</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">” titled </span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Keep Trusting God</span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span lang="IT" style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-ansi-language: IT; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">s Call</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">”:</span></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: .25in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">As
you come to realize that God is beckoning you to a greater hiddenness, do not
be afraid of that invitation. Over the years you have allowed the voices that
call you to action and great visibility to dominate your life. You still think,
even against your own best intuitions that you need to do things and be seen in
order to follow your vocation. But you are now discovering that God</span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">s
voice is saying, </span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>‘</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Stay home, and trust that your life will be fruitful even
when hidden.</span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’ </span></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>(89)</span></span><sup>3<o:p></o:p></sup></p><p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body"><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Without ignoring the irony of the
admonition to </span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">stay home,” I ponder what a difficult lesson Nouwen
suggests. My Type A over-active Martha (vs. Mary) self constantly confuses me
with guilt over </span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">not doing enough” and a lack of discernment over what is </span></span><i>mine
to do</i><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">. I pray for clearer knowing, for a
deepening trust that God is leading me to find. Again, I turn to Nouwen, whose
book seems written expressly for this stage in my life, a </span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span lang="DA" style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-ansi-language: DA; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">stage</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">” that could be called </span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">later life” or </span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">elderhood.” He counsels that </span></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: .25in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">…you
have not fully acknowledged this new place as the place where God dwells and
holds you. You fear that this truthful place is in fact a bottomless pit where
you will lose all you have and are. Do not be afraid. Trust that the God of
life wants to embrace you and give you true safety (15).</span></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body"><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">So here I am—I venture that God might
see me as goofy as the Corn Crakes appear to me, yet I yearn to be lovingly
encouraged to fulfill my own creatureliness. It</span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">s a
large hope, and I am always looking and listening for allies on this journey. I
have been reading Václav Havel</span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">s </span></span><i>Letters to Olga,</i><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"> written from prison where he was sentenced in 1979 to 4 ½
years of hard labor for his human rights activities in Czechoslovakia. In the
middle of his incarceration, he writes of a growing </span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span lang="NL" style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-ansi-language: NL; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">mood</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">” of </span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">contemplation,” which he defines as </span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">the manifestation of a deeper, more spiritual relationship
to the values of the world and my life” (204). What Havel says about this </span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span lang="NL" style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-ansi-language: NL; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">mood</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">” strikes a chord for me as I explore the </span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span lang="NL" style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-ansi-language: NL; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">hiddenness</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">” the Corn Crakes have roused me to ponder: </span></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: .25in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">It
is an experience of the manifestation—the vivid presence—of an otherwise
hidden, yet all-determining dimension of the spirit, that is the presence of
faith, hope and the profound conviction that there is a </span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>‘</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">meaning</span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’ </span></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>(205).</span></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body"><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">The very fact that Havel has found
this understanding in prison inspires me with the power of the human spirit to
meet despair-inducing adversity with hope, daring to probe beyond surfaces to
deeper meaning. It</span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">s a bit of a stretch, and I do not wish to appropriate his hard-earned
wisdom glibly, but I like to think that Havel and I and the Corn Crakes are
kindred spirits, expressing in quite different languages our kinship with the
community of all Being. Finding even glimpses of what such hiddenness may mean
is a gift as I travel a new path from middle age into later years.</span></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body"><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">When I think of the wholeness of
Creation which Celtic Christianity claims as God</span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">s
intention, my thoughts go to places where it is now disrupted by threats of
extinction. Within the context of a sacred universe, the loss of any form of
life diminishes all of us; it takes away something from the </span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">whole book of our meaning.” As an educator, a seeker, a
pilgrim, and one committed to advocacy for Earth care, this is of great concern
to me.</span></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body"><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Among the animal species, we are
perilously close to losing such treasures as the California condor, the
Bactrian Camel, the Hawaiian Monk Seal, the Mountain Gorilla, the Iberian
Lynx—all are included among the</span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>25 most endangered species on Earth,” and
this list names only ones we know about. </span></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body"><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Extinction is not the hiddenness I</span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">ve
been discussing so far, though it may be useful to compare them. Extinction as
we now use the word, is a death, an ending of some life form that prevents its
continuity. Extinction as a conceived crisis of species being torn from the
fabric of creation surely must be one of the worst sins. In this case, it may
mean that we humans have acted with the arrogance of </span></span><i><span lang="ES-TRAD">hubris</span></i><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">, not </span></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">admitting the possibility of anything
hidden or unknowable as we pollute, mine,</span></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">toxify, clearcut, kill, and otherwise
abuse Creation as a </span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">resource” for our use.</span></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body"><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">On the spiritual level, however, the
idea of hiddenness shows us the absolute unknowability of the universe, let
alone the unfathomable intricacy of the Earth itself. Stepping out into the
depths of spirit, we are called to walk in a way that may be visible only one
step at a time. Hiddenness requires a surrender to mystery that precludes any
attempt to cleverly devise a map and run ahead; we must wait and trust
invisible Being. </span></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body"><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Iona itself was threatened when it
went up on the auction block in 1979; luckily the Fraser Foundation purchased
it back from the Argyll Estates and presented it to the nation. The National
Trust now owns much of the island. In 2000 the Iona Cathedral Trust passed the
abbey, nunnery, Reilig Ò</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span lang="DE" style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-ansi-language: DE; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">dhrain</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">,
and St. Ronan</span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">s into the care of Historic Scotland. </span></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body"><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">I began this meditation with a
fascination with Corn Crakes, but the more I thought of them, there in the
great matrix of Celtic Christianity, the more I felt that they expressed
important aspects of the spirit of holy Iona: that too was invisible but
strongly present. It had been threatened but it survived. I </span></span><i>did</i><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"> see </span></span><i><span lang="IT">one </span></i><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Corn Crake, but I</span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">m
still trying to decode its message, a beguilingly quirky yet resonant one. What
is hidden draws me onward in a mysterious adventure!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="Body"><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"> </span></span></p><p class="Body"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Nancy Corson Carter,</span></i></b><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"> professor emerita
of humanities at Eckerd College, has published two poetry books, </span></i><span lang="NL" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: NL;">Dragon Poems</span><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">
and </span></i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">The
Sourdough Dream Kit<i>, and three poetry chapbooks. Some of her poems,
drawings, and photos appear in her nonfiction book, </i>Martha, Mary, and
Jesus: Weaving Action and Contemplation in Daily Life <i>and in her memoir, </i>The
Never-Quite-Ending War: a WWII GI Daughter's Stories.</span><i><span style="color: #020f18; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="Body"><span style="color: #020f18; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><sup>1</sup><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">J. Philip Newell, THE
BOOK OF CREATION: AN INTRODUCTION TO CELTIC<br /></span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"> SPIRITUALITY (New York: Paulist Press 1999),
pp. xxi, 67-8, 71ff.<br /></span></span><o:p> <br /></o:p><sup>2 </sup><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span lang="IT" style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-ansi-language: IT; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">John Clare, </span></span><i>Iona and Mull CORNCRAKES ( </i><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Mull, Scotland; Moving Stationery Ltd.,<br /> </span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">2010), p. 1</span></span><i>. This pamphlet is also the source of the photo
included.<br /><o:p></o:p></i><o:p> <br /></o:p><sup>3 </sup><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span lang="NL" style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-ansi-language: NL; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Henri J.M. Nouwen, THE INNER VOICE OF LOVE (New York:
Doubleday, 1996), p.<br /> </span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">89, 15.<br /></span></span><o:p> <br /></o:p><sup>4 </sup><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Vá</span></span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><span lang="DE" style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; mso-ansi-language: DE; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">clav Havel,
LETTERS TO OLGA (New York: Knopf, 1988), p. 205.</span></span></div><p class="Body"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body">
</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>PresbyEarthCare Coordinatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04116427864285701852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6646930507539556797.post-50135456313089128222023-04-18T15:44:00.014-04:002023-04-22T10:50:40.829-04:00Earth Day Sunday 2023<p><br /></p><h2><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMDXeGdc2cW1pg0Sm1Op3dsznivBrqjV2D25_L13SznV9ZEDNcduT9GnVz5c4xRPWtSUvFXrP5ya9LSaT8WTj5DnW0ejlK6QO9yuY_jV6TWUQlnM-YD393ZA4uMWpwntjKdXYoOV89VsnofaZzP7fNmKEEZSROrSI1gCeoxu_btew1to9BN_btZwz1/s940/Earth%20Day%202023.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="940" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMDXeGdc2cW1pg0Sm1Op3dsznivBrqjV2D25_L13SznV9ZEDNcduT9GnVz5c4xRPWtSUvFXrP5ya9LSaT8WTj5DnW0ejlK6QO9yuY_jV6TWUQlnM-YD393ZA4uMWpwntjKdXYoOV89VsnofaZzP7fNmKEEZSROrSI1gCeoxu_btew1to9BN_btZwz1/w509-h362/Earth%20Day%202023.jpg" width="509" /></a></div><br /><div style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;">Celebrating Earth Day Sunday 2023 </div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;">with Your Congregation</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large; text-align: left;"><br /></div></span><p class="MsoNormal">Earth Day is April 22nd, but you can celebrate Earth Day
Sunday with your congregation any time in April or throughout the year. All
Creation praises God’s name, and we can give thanks to God for the wonder and
beauty of the world around us!<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br />
Here are some resources that may be helpful in planning an Earth Day or
Creation Care Sunday at your church. We know that many congregations have
creative and original ideas of their own for how to celebrate, and we have
included a few from PEC members and friends below. It is our hope that we can
share ideas to inspire discussion in the Comments Section of this Blog post.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br />
First Presbyterian Church in New York City will be celebrating an Earth Day
family friendly neighborhood cleanup after worship on Sunday, April 23rd.<br />
<br />
Here is a list of activities around Earth Day taking place at Druid Hill
Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, GA:<br />
<br />
EARTH DAY WORSHIP AND CELEBRATION<br />
<br />
Sunday, April 23<br />
<br />
Alternative Commute Day: You are encouraged to find a way to church that uses
less carbon than your normal commute. This could be carpooling, public
transportation, biking, walking, taking one car instead of two, or whatever
works best for you. Get creative: even piggy-back rides count!<br />
<br />
Community Electronics Recycling Day, 10 - 10:55 AM, 12 - 12:15 PM; Front
Parking Lot:<br />
<br />
The Mission Team will be collecting unwanted electronics and delivering them to
the Center for Hard to Recycle Materials (CHARM) who will ensure they are
properly recycled. Any small household item that requires electricity or
charging and charging cords will be accepted. A Mission Team representative
will be in the front parking lot to collect recyclables.<br />
<br />
Earth Care Sunday School Class with Dr. Stan Saunders, 10AM; Parlor: Many
modern Christians have grown up hearing that someday the earth will be
destroyed and God will take the righteous to heaven. The New Testament, in
contrast, persistently describes God coming to be with us in a renewed heaven
and earth, an end that is actually more consistent with the larger biblical story.
On Earth Day weekend we will have a special class, taught by retired Columbia
Seminary professor Dr. Stan Saunders, which will explore that story and its
implications for a Christian approach to our environmental crises. The
Christian Ed team hopes you will join us in what is sure to be an engaging
class.<br />
<br />
Earth Day Worship Service, 11AM; Front Lawn: In recognition of Earth Day
weekend, DHPC will gather for worship on the lawn as we give thanks for the
gift of God’s amazing creation and commit ourselves to protecting it. Join us
as we gather in song, prayer, scripture, and action. Feel free to dress
casually in blue, the color of clear, clean water, or green, the color of
forests, fields, and more. An opportunity to do some planting will follow
worship, so be prepared to play in the dirt!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
EARTH CARE FILM, CONVERSATION, AND LUNCH<br />
<br />
Sunday, April 30, 12pm - 2pm; Parlor<br />
<br />
The Mission Team invites you to bring a bag lunch and join us in the Parlor to
watch and discuss a series of short films called Current Revolution (66
minutes), this year’s featured film of Faith Climate Action Week. These films
show the possibility of a just transition to a clean energy economy where the
well-being of workers and frontline community members is valued. We hope you
will join us for what is sure to be an informative film, followed by rich
conversation. Bonus: popcorn will be provided.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Village Church in Prairie Village, KS will host a workshop led by environmental
theologian and author The Rev. Dr. Patricia Tull on Saturday, April 22nd. An
Electric Car Expo will take place afterwards in the church parking lot. If you
would like to watch the livestream of the workshop, you can connect through the
church's website <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/6646930507539556797/5013545631308912822">HERE</a>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
First Presbyterian Church in Asheville, NC will be participating in an
ecumenical Earth Day Sunday celebration with other churches as a progressive
stroll along their shared street. Activities will include environmental
information and resources, children's activities, and snacks.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
PEC Moderator Rev. Bruce Gillette will leading his church in Owego, NY through
several activities in celebration of Earth Day:<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
We are doing an ecumenical worship service on Earth Day/Saturday morning
outside the Episcopal Church and then we will go together to plant trees.
Saturday evening our church is hosting a community vegetarian potluck dinner to
introduce people to a wide range of delicious, planet-friendly meals. We will ask
for the recipes and share them later on our church website and Facebook to
encourage healthy diets (for planet and personal health) year-round.<br />
<br />
Saturday evening, we are showing “The Letter” in our fellowship hall after the
dinner. “The Letter” tells the story of a journey to Rome of frontline leaders
to discuss the encyclical letter Laudato Si’ with Pope Francis: <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/6646930507539556797/5013545631308912822">https://www.theletterfilm.org</a> We
are thrilled that other churches, especially the Roman Catholic parish, are
encouraging people to come to the dinner and the movie. The film is now on
YouTube for easy showing and sharing. The PCUSA General Assembly has encouraged
everyone to study it.<br />
<br />
Sunday morning, we will sing a hymn emphasizing creation care (see below for
ideas), lift up environmental concerns in the prayers, and make connections
between the Bible and creation care in the sermon (see below).<br />
<br />
We have invited electric vehicle owners to show off their cars and trucks in
designated parking spaces next the church following the worship service. We
will also be planting a new tree in honor of our oldest church member (Eudora
had her 100th birthday recently). I hope it will inspire more tree planting on church
property and beyond.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://presbyearthcare.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Creation-Care-in-Glory-to-God.pdf?fbclid=IwAR32HW21affiqoj4o2YVOkqxnxGEOmveD93T0G8D1PGqqJVmU1ND-uzcwMA">Creation
Care Hymns in Glory to God by David Gambrell<br />
Hymns
by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette (permission is given for free use to PEC friends)</a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/6646930507539556797/5013545631308912822"><br />
</a><a href="https://lutheransrestoringcreation.org/third-sunday-easter-year-a-schade14/?fbclid=IwAR0xJp6kmBAqHr5BwqQKqZTgHwwRZIlsS8xDJJFQeHfz-jGxp0n3NhZzhWY">Preaching
on April 23 lectionary text (great resource for lectionary preaching
year-round).<br />
</a><a href="https://www.presbyterianmission.org/wp-content/uploads/PHP-Post-Fall_2020.pdf?fbclid=IwAR0SQmULnFvDSEfmG4x7WEMUjGJTAovtgECRc6lGu39SKNDziSCTt4n0Mss">Litany
of Confession - Lord's Prayer & Creation Care</a><br />
Actions Beyond Worship:<br />
<a href="https://www.presbyterianmission.org/ministries/environment/earth-day-sunday/?fbclid=IwAR1Kq6TcZzSr1BGeXTiIIY7OxTHlkzJtWQ-aFkZPrKFdsfr3SEm1SjUwxOM">EarthDay Sunday from Presbyterian Hunger Program</a><br />
<a href="https://www.presbyterianmission.org/resource/tread-lightly-for-lent/?fbclid=IwAR02YN94gOKRsEK-Fjzn6jBNExILKCa8JM7gqLLuYwHXbdPiJfb_MgNCuqQ">TreadLightly (good beyond Lent)</a><br />
<a href="https://www.christiancentury.org/free-guide-climate-change?fbclid=IwAR1-hUM0ZoozizV7pBIsO8q9KGnPgmpMDyaSg7-VDyKMFRAAxsWlPvr0hLw">Respondingto Climate Change free conversation guide (Christian Century)</a>.<br />
<a href="https://presbyearthcare.org/">Presbyteriansfor Earth Care</a> (PEC) Webinars on many topics: <a href="https://presbyearthcare.org/events/">https://presbyearthcare.org/events/<o:p></o:p></a></p><p style="text-align: left;">
<br /></p><span><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"></span></span></p></span></h2>PresbyEarthCare Coordinatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04116427864285701852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6646930507539556797.post-8043053139137938882023-01-25T18:30:00.001-05:002023-01-26T03:20:44.899-05:00WOMAN OF POWER, WOMAN OF GRACE<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQWdvGWIht0sgnchtAykIKSYtuKTF_kVlE_ew3u_pZGmAe0THQKp6PkJk06xrh8iY8M-q93S5whoH58Ke8jFaNWJELWRGDGO3tOy6ZAwH-tu32gVGN0wSmUnEB2hpaVnRqdnE2_2qv486kXkmrPm90eryCIo9PDPLHBrHzI2K8mubyM3nlqWLzzTxQ/s1200/Women%20of%20power%20photo.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQWdvGWIht0sgnchtAykIKSYtuKTF_kVlE_ew3u_pZGmAe0THQKp6PkJk06xrh8iY8M-q93S5whoH58Ke8jFaNWJELWRGDGO3tOy6ZAwH-tu32gVGN0wSmUnEB2hpaVnRqdnE2_2qv486kXkmrPm90eryCIo9PDPLHBrHzI2K8mubyM3nlqWLzzTxQ/s320/Women%20of%20power%20photo.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p class="Body" style="text-align: center;"><b>Woman of Power, Woman of Grace: FOR CREATION</b></p>
<p class="Body" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="NL">by Diane Waddell</span>
with Jerry Rees<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">Jerry Rees and I came to know Carey Gillam through her father
Chuck, a true eco-warrior, a member of Village Presbyterian Church, and a
staunch defender of Earth Care. Chuck had been a faithful and outspoken member
of our Presbytery Earth Care Team for several years and had not mentioned
anything about his amazing daughter. After he humbly told us about her,
our team has followed her work, met with her, shared her work with others, and
has been constantly amazed. Carey exemplifies hard work and self-sacrifice
(at a world-class level) in trying to make the earth safer and less toxic.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body">It has not been easy. Early on, she worked so hard in her
job with Reuters—uncovering the unfortunate facts about the devastating effects
of glyphosate—that her position was changed by some <span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span>powers
that were.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body">Nevertheless, she kept pursuing the facts and now is able to
share what the public needs to know to help protect our lives and the
well-being of God<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>s
Good Green Earth. We bring to you her story (which is far from finished)
and invite you to read her books and follow her current work through <span class="Hyperlink0"><a href="https://usrtk.org/">US Right to Know</a></span>, a
not-for-profit food industry research group. Here is the rest of her story…<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><span lang="ES-TRAD">Carey Gillam</span> is
an investigative journalist and author with more than 30 years of experience
covering food and agricultural policies and practices, including 17 years as a
senior correspondent for Reuters international news service. She has won
several industry awards for her work. Her first book, <span class="Hyperlink0"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Whitewash-Killer-Cancer-Corruption-Science/dp/1610918320">Whitewash:
The Story of a Weed Killer, Cancer and the Corruption of Science</a></span>, was
released in October 2017 and won the coveted Rachel Carson Book
Award from the Society of Environmental Journalists, as well as two other
awards.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body">Carey's second book, a legal thriller titled <span class="Hyperlink0"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Monsanto-Papers-Secrets-Corporate-Corruption/dp/1642830569">The
Monsanto Papers - Deadly Secrets, Corporate Corruption, and One Man's Search
for Justice</a></span>, was released March 2, 2021.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body">Gillam has been asked to speak all over the world about food and
agricultural matters, including before the <span lang="IT">European Union Parliament</span> in Brussels, the World Forum for
Democracy in Strasbourg, and to public officials, organizations, and
conferences in the U.S., Canada, Australia, Argentina, France, and The
Netherlands. She has also been an invited lecturer to several universities,
including Emory University, Berkeley Law School, Washington University, the
University of Chicago Booth School of Business, the University of Iowa, the
Cambridge Forum in Harvard Square, and others.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body">She has served as a consultant on, and participant in, several
documentaries, including the award-winning <span class="Hyperlink0"><a href="https://www.poisoningparadise.com/">Poisoning Paradise</a></span>,
released in June 2019 by actor Pierce Brosnan and his wife Keely
Brosnan. A new documentary based on Carey<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>s books <i style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Into the Weeds </i>will have its U.S. release
on Earth Day in April.</p><p class="Body"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body">Gillam writes regularly for <i>The Guardian</i>. Her work
has also been published in <i>The New York Times</i>, <i>Huffington Post, Time</i>,
and other outlets.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body">In May of 2022, Gillam helped launch a non-profit environmental
news outlet called <span class="Hyperlink0"><a href="https://www.thenewlede.org/">The New Lede </a></span>as a journalism
initiative of the Environmental Working Group.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body">You can receive updates on Gillam<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>s work by subscribing to
her free Substack called <span class="Hyperlink0"><a href="https://substack.com/profile/41861008-carey-gillam"><span lang="DA">UnSpun</span></a></span>.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body">Gillam speaks to issues of food safety and security,
environmental health, agricultural issues, corporate corruption of regulatory
policies, as well matters about journalism, fake news, corporate pressure on
media, and more.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body">Carey, we appreciate you greatly and thank you for pursuing
justice for earth and her inhabitants.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="Body"><i>Diane Waddell and Jerry Rees are members of Earthkeepers of
Heartland Presbytery. Jerry is a member of Village Presbyterian Church,
which hosts Earthkeepers meetings.<o:p></o:p></i></p><p></p>PresbyEarthCare Coordinatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04116427864285701852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6646930507539556797.post-35170807282657191742023-01-25T18:20:00.002-05:002023-01-25T18:20:13.456-05:00GOING CAR FREE<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicAbWo9gJafqE0n6x85grUpD_tuW63lnoV5yx-c24RYCjdrADDWjQ3YSX1QyiJ1mtpuERsOC-UmBWDSuIZIP8XNmVF1-mwWd4o9ikQCdbWsLYuWKAwJiSBLH6QhCb514A6C55Ev7721FSHbnvej1VXbieFj1ehig3jQh5e3bGX_3ZUXnCE2FC791Yq/s1280/Going%20Car%20Free%20photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicAbWo9gJafqE0n6x85grUpD_tuW63lnoV5yx-c24RYCjdrADDWjQ3YSX1QyiJ1mtpuERsOC-UmBWDSuIZIP8XNmVF1-mwWd4o9ikQCdbWsLYuWKAwJiSBLH6QhCb514A6C55Ev7721FSHbnvej1VXbieFj1ehig3jQh5e3bGX_3ZUXnCE2FC791Yq/s320/Going%20Car%20Free%20photo.JPG" width="192" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Matt Walker braves the cold.</span></div><p></p><p class="Body" style="text-align: center;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body" style="text-align: center;"><b>Going Car Free</b></p><p class="Body" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">by Eric Diekhans</span></p><p class="Body"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body">Lake View Presbyterian Church’s choir director Matt Walker didn’t
have a grand plan to go car-free. It just kind of happened.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body">Thirty years ago, Matt arrived in Chicago in an aging Chevy
Metro. “When my car broke down and it was just too far gone to repair,” Matt
says, “I thought, I'll just have to run out and buy another car. In the
meantime, I took public transportation and walked, and I started riding my
bike, I found I could defer getting that car a little bit longer.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body">Matt grew up in Flint, Michigan, where kids free-wheeled through
his residential neighborhood. But in a city dominated by General Motors and car
culture, few people saw the bicycle as a means of transportation.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body">Matt found that he could get around on Chicago’s public
transportation, but riding a bike was often easier and more convenient. “It
started like, ‘It's summer, it's a nice day. I think I'll ride to work.’ After
a while cycling became more habitual during nice weather. And then a couple of
times, I got caught in bad weather and I realized, ‘Well, that's not so bad.’”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body">He didn’t miss the frustrations that came along with taking the
bus. “There’s the<span lang="FR"> moment, </span>when
I’ve just missed the bus and realize, I’m going to be standing there another 40
minutes, and if had been there two minutes earlier, I could have been on that
bus.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body">Matt liked having the sense of control that came from riding his
bike. Traffic didn’t affect him as much as it did when he was riding the bus,
and he reliably knew when he would reach his destination. His day job is as a
custom framer. His ride to work is three miles and consistently takes about
20-30 minutes. On the bus, the trip takes anywhere from 40 minutes to an hour
and a half.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body">When Covid hit, Matt was thankful he didn’t have to ride a
crowded bus. He continued to commute by bike until winter, when a big snowstorm
hit Chicago. Then he switched to walking.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body"><b>Finding a Church Home<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body">Matt grew up in an evangelical church, but when he was looking
for a church home in Chicago, Lake View Presbyterian was closest to his
apartment. "I poked my head in,” says Matt, “and decided I didn't need to
look any further.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body">Matt was busy pursuing work in theater, and it took several years
until he joined the choir. He then became a deacon. When his term ended, he
thought he’d go back to just being a member of the congregation. But shortly
before Easter, the choir director quit.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body">“I volunteered just as a stop gap, with no intention of making it
my job. In the meantime, they were doing a job search, and I knew they don’t
usually hire a member of the congregation.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body">Matt finished out the year as temporary choir director. The
church wasn’t having luck in finding a permanent replacement. Matt finally
asked Joy Douglas Strome, Lake View’s pastor at the time, for the permanent
job. The church had to get special dispensation to hire a member, but the
process came to a satisfying conclusion for everyone.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body">One of the best perks of his position is that Matt can ride his
bike to choir rehearsal and Sunday service.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body">Over the years Matt has seen a lot of improvements in Chicago’s
bike infrastructure, though the city still has a long way to go. “I lived in
Uptown for years and they never had bike paths, but now they have great bike
paths on Broadway. I’m more likely to go to a neighborhood with good bike paths
than not, especially during the summer street festivals. It makes the
neighborhood more attractive for commerce, for street festivals, and street
fairs, I think they’re a good addition to any neighborhood, especially for
major thoroughfares.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body">Matt offers several tips for people thinking of going car free,
or just using a bike as a transportation alternative. “If you live in an
apartment, definitely find a building that has a safe, covered place to put
your bike.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body">“Proximity is also <span lang="IT">important</span>,”
Matt continues. “I live in a neighborhood where I don't have to go long
distances to whatever I need. Also proximity to work. I lived in North
Andersonville (on Chicago’s north side) for quite a while. Anytime I had to go
anywhere, it was an hour and a half to two hours. So it was a great workout
every day. The only problem was it was much harder when the weather was bad.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body" style="line-height: 133%;">Matt also advises investing in good
saddlebags. “You don't have a trunk. You can't just throw everything in the
backseat of the car.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body" style="line-height: 133%;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body" style="line-height: 133%;">Matt rides year-round, and offers some
winter riding tips. “Loose layers in cold weather. If I’m comfortable on a cold
morning, a half hour into my ride I’ll be sweating. Good gloves, good
waterproof boots, and something to cover your head and face. If those are
covered, you can wear fairly light clothing over the rest of your body, because
you don’t want to get sweaty.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body" style="line-height: 133%;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body" style="line-height: 133%;">Matt also has safety tips “I haven’t had
an accident in years. When I ride my bike, I assume everyone is trying to kill
me. I assume cars don’t see me. Always be aware that nobody is aware of you.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body" style="line-height: 133%;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body" style="line-height: 133%;">Matt always wears bright clothing. At
night, he uses a minimum of three lights.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body" style="line-height: 133%;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Body" style="line-height: 133%;">If you’d like to learn more about
commuting by bikes, there are many books, websites, and blogs you can check
out. You might also want to read <span class="Hyperlink0"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/How-Cycling-Can-Save-World/dp/0143111779/ref=sr_1_8?crid=JZTOKOFH45Y2&keywords=bike+commuting&qid=1673805641&s=books&sprefix=bike+communting,stripbooks,107&sr=1-8">How
Cycling Can Save the World</a></span> by journalist Peter Walker.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body" style="line-height: 133%;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p>
</p><p class="Body" style="line-height: 133%;"><i>Eric Diekhans is a fiction writer,
Executive Director of the Greater Chicago Broadcast Ministries and a member of
Lake View Presbyterian Church in Chicago.<o:p></o:p></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>PresbyEarthCare Coordinatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04116427864285701852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6646930507539556797.post-84641728095404266292023-01-25T18:00:00.002-05:002023-01-25T18:00:47.325-05:00FINDING JOY<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXy5PVyAYvI-7mb9spimZn5gyQoUlxZKRzAixcCW_sg8PcqqG8PYt5qzwduPbn9hG466N9U5AEEMdLfD3OtlLBaVF5KNOie8ktp0rS2V4ML9MY_Q8Wpp2I2kUL0DebLY9LMLq2gifdaYei--ORv8UPs02h10Iu4ZVDtHG3tdx4JJjrt8FxnXdizwXH/s2016/Finding%20Joy%20photo.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXy5PVyAYvI-7mb9spimZn5gyQoUlxZKRzAixcCW_sg8PcqqG8PYt5qzwduPbn9hG466N9U5AEEMdLfD3OtlLBaVF5KNOie8ktp0rS2V4ML9MY_Q8Wpp2I2kUL0DebLY9LMLq2gifdaYei--ORv8UPs02h10Iu4ZVDtHG3tdx4JJjrt8FxnXdizwXH/w240-h320/Finding%20Joy%20photo.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Natalie
Ward, JOY Market Coordinator (left) and Jessica Witt, gardener and CSA-manager</span></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="Body" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif;"><b>Justice,
Outreach and Yoga For Creation</b></span></p><p class="Body" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", serif; text-align: left;">by Diane Waddell</span></p><p class="Body"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"> </span></p><p class="Body"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif;">We love it when
a plan comes together! We are grateful to God for our opportunity!</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"> </span></p><p class="Body"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif;">Our New
Worshiping Community, </span><span class="Hyperlink0"><a href="http://thecenterforjoy.org/"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;">Justice, Outreach, and Yoga (</span><span lang="ES-TRAD" style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; mso-ansi-language: ES-TRAD; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;">JOY NWC</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;">)</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif;">,</span><span lang="IT" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; mso-ansi-language: IT;"> in St. Joseph,
Missouri, </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif;">is part of
Heartland Presbytery. We started out as an ecumenical group celebrating and
bringing to life Pope Francis</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’ </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif;">Encyclical,
</span><span class="Hyperlink0"><a href="https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html"><span lang="IT" style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; mso-ansi-language: IT; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;">Laudato Si</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif;">, in our community. This group is now a part of our JOY
gathering, embracing justice and healing for Creation. </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"> </span></p><p class="Body"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif;">Our six leaders
engage with our community and within our building</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif;">s
sacred space (a beautiful little church/chapel). They are working on a CSA
(community supported agriculture) offering, which includes wondrous baked
goods!</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"> </span></p><p class="Body"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif;">Anne adds her
beautiful native flowers, herbs and vegetables grown in her greenhouse. She
often donates the native plants to our local parks and spaces where our group
has been invited to “</span><span lang="FR" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; mso-ansi-language: FR;">plant native.</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif;">”</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"> </span></p><p class="Body"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif;">LuAnn shares her
native plants and expertise by planting native flowers in an historic park site
(and has spent countless hours recycling cans and bottles after concerts.)</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"> </span></p><p class="Body"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif;">Saundra is a
fabric artist. She dyes wool with natural dyes and spins on her spinning wheel,
making lovely and creative pieces.</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"> </span></p><p class="Body"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif;">My granddaughter
Elizabeth loves working with clay and has enjoyed making multiple items of
pottery, which are quite popular. </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"> </span></p><p class="Body"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif;">Jessica has
added a wonderful affirming and positive spirit to the market. She sells gems
and jewelry and shares about their healing properties. </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"> </span></p><p class="Body"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif;">We are grateful
that the community has been supportive of our efforts, and have found that the
market is a place where vendors can commune and community members come together
to share bounty of God</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ascii-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif;">s
creation and the gifts and talents of their neighbors. We host outside when
possible, inside when needed, and sometimes both, depending on the weather. </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif;">We are so
appreciative of the PCUSA and grassroots groups, including Presbyterians for
Earth Care. We have chosen to ground ourselves in <i>Matthew 25</i> and also
receive the four offerings offered by the denomination. We have shared programs
on sustainable farming, such as a review of </span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",serif; mso-ansi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif;">Kiss the Ground,” and enjoy partnering
with another ecumenical group in Kansas City called Sustainable Sanctuary
Coalition for more programs on sustainable agriculture and creation care.</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"> </span></p><p>
</p><p class="Body"><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",serif;">Diane Waddell
is former moderator of Presbyterians for Earth Care.</span></i><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>PresbyEarthCare Coordinatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04116427864285701852noreply@blogger.com0