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Caring for Creation: A Tradition at Nativity

This week I was pleasantly surprised when I received an email from Rev. Tom Droppers, who served for longer than anyone can remember as the Chair of the Diocesan Environmental Ministry. Tom had found in his email archive the presentation he wrote for the 192nd Annual Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of NC in which Nativity was recognized with the Green Award.

Tom’s prophetic email from 2008, details an important part of our church history and reminds us of the important work that we still need to do:

“ Few people saw the giving of the so-called Green Award  to the Church of the Nativity, Raleigh, at the end of the Convention in Greensboro.  The Convention was aborted because of looming inconvenient weather conditions in the environment, so a few committees did not give their reports.

The Award reads:

THE CHARTERED COMMITTEE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL MINISTRY OF THE DIOCESE OF NORTH CAROLINA at the 192nd Annual Convention of the Diocese awards this certificate of recognition to THE CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY, Raleigh, North Carolina for its outstanding program of Faith and Science Dialogue to improve society’s ability to assimilate both the experience of faith and the observation of science so that we may better understand our proper role in God’s Creation and may more adequately achieve environmental sustainability as individuals, faith communities, and citizens of the world.

The Rev. Diane Corlett, Rector of the Church, describes the program:  ‘Our Faith and Science Dialogue has brought together our congregation and local scientists — some religious, some atheist or agnostic — to explore good science and good theology, creation and evolution, medical ethics, and most recently the environment.  Through the dialogue we have engaged the broader Triangle and energized our own congregation.  The Dialogue is led by Dr. Carl Sigel and was funded in part by the Diocese — another example of how the Diocese facilitates congregational initiatives.’

Our Diocese is fortunate to have churches that have excellent programs and projects on the environment.  The Committee for Environmental Ministry each year ties to recognize these programs in its giving of the ‘Green Award’  in order to encourage the urgent need to honor and preserve God’s creation by the Church.

It was as if God had opened large French doors and had invited everyone and everything into his house to sit at his table.  Some people consumed large quantities of what was there, and some got almost none.  Eventually and inevitably there was garbage; it rotted and smelled.  Another name for the smell is greed and irresponsibility; part of it is called global warming.

To help clean up our mess we must quickly reduce green-house gases by conserving energy, practicing energy efficiency, and by using renewable sources more than limited sources.

The Presiding Bishop says the two most urgent issues for our earth, God’s creation, are global climate change and global poverty; by working on both we can reduce them, she says.  Meanwhile, those in poverty will suffer most from the climate change; and global climate  change will cause more poverty.

As a Diocese as we plan global missions, work on the Millennium Development Goals, and establish partnerships, it’s important we allow for the disastrous effect of global warming and poverty.

Reducing greenhouse gases can be begin with the resolution ‘On Disciples Making a Difference by Conserving Energy’, which asks each congregation to undertake an energy audit.  The Committee will survey each congregation in the Diocese in 2008 and report to the 2009 Convention when it will also bestow another ‘Green Award’”.