There are many presbyteries that have active committees or groups focused on earth care. These groups have different structures and go by many different names – environmental stewardship, creation care, earth care, etc., but they usually have the same purpose – helping churches and their members care for God’s earth.
I’d like to lift up a few of the presbytery groups that I am familiar with that are doing great work in this ministry, and that have helpful websites. As I mentioned, there are many of these groups out there, and all aren’t mentioned in this blog post. I’d love to hear what your group is working on, and feature it on the Eco-Journey blog, if you would like. If you are looking to become more involved with earth care on a presbytery level, I hope that these groups are inspirational and offer some ideas for how you might get started.
The Creation Care Group of the Baltimore Presbytery is a part of the Committee on Peace and Justice. The Creation Care Group works to help churches within the presbytery to incorporate “our spiritual connection to and love for all of God’s creation” into congregational life and the lives of church members. The group offers a Speakers Bureau, recently offered a Energy Conservation Workshop, and offers church creation care resources and stories on its website. Visit the group’s website to learn more.
The Stewardship of Creation Ministry Team (SCMT) in the Presbytery of West Virginia is “actively involved in educating and resourcing the faith community in West Virginia.” The team launched a successful program called “Churches as Guardians of Creation” in 2010 to encourage churches to take steps to care for God’s earth. The SCMT’s website includes stories from churches' environmental stewardship ministries.
Several congregations in the Greater Atlanta Presbytery have partnered to form Earth Covenant Ministry, which responds “to the biblical and denominational call to renew right relationship with God’s Earth.” The organization offers programming to churches in the presbytery, creates resources for earth care, and has an active “River of Life Project” that advocates for responsible stewardship of water in Georgia and throughout God’s earth.
The Heartland Presbytery’s "Earthkeepers" represents Presbyterians for Earth Care in the presbytery and is a sub-committee of Social Justice Ministries Division. The group offers a speakers list for educational programs and minutes for mission. They meet monthly and offer special events, including a recent Green Team training.
Does your presbytery have an environmental ministry team? If so, what are you working on? I'd love to hear and share your story – you can comment below or email me, Katie Holmes.