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Rev. Rachel Thompson, Parish Associate, is leading FPCP's new Green Team! The team convened for the first time in February 2020. Rev. Rachel contributed this article to our March-April newsletter. Scroll down for more info about the team's first project and ideas.
In a recent sermon, I drew a comparison between the prophet Isaiah and climate activist Greta Thunberg, age 17, TIME Magazine's Person of the Year in 2019. Like Isaiah, Greta is delivering a message of doom, and she is enraged at the rich and the powerful, who want to keep things as they are. |
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Greta told world leaders: You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words. . . People are suffering, people are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction. and all you can talk about is money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth. How dare you!
Greta is extraordinary, and she continues to inspire millions of young activists around the world. Though she doesn’t speak out of a religious context, we can put her concerns for the planet and its people into religious context. The Bible speaks again and again of the sacredness of Earth, and the need for humans to be good stewards of the planet and all living things that call it home. People of faith are speaking out. In 2014, Pope Francis warned that the legacy we leave to future generations may be "debris, desolation, and filth," adding that "the pace of consumption, waste, and environmental change has so stretched the planet's capacity that our contemporary lifestyle, unsustainable as it is, can only precipitate catastrophes." |
Greta Thunberg, climate activist
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One of our founding myths is that once upon a time we lived in a garden. We called it Paradise. Because of the choices we've made over centuries, our garden is now endangered. We’re being called by God to make the choices that will help restore and nurture the sacred garden that we’ve been given to tend.
When I preached this sermon, it was like throwing a lit match on a pile of dry leaves! People were on fire to act before I said a word. We now have a Green Team at FPCP! With full support from Rev. Dr. Doris Chandler, our team will act on ideas for things we can all do to help make our Church of the Open Door a beacon for environmental action. You can join our Green Team, too! Your membership, ideas, and enthusiasm are welcome. You'll find a list of our initial ideas below, as well as info on our Lenten Zero Waste Challenge. To learn more, just email me at rachel@racheljack.net. Let's GO GREEN at FPCP! |
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FPCP gives up plastic for Lent this year!
Help us meet the Lenten Zero Waste Challenge. FPCP has accepted a "Zero Waste Challenge" for Lent this year. The challenge was set by the Hudson River Presbytery's own green team, HRP Green. Member churches up and down the Hudson River are in friendly competition to see who can do the best job at minimizing waste and using more recyclables! Here are the goals that FPCP's new Green Team hopes to achieve at all services, mission-related activities, and events: 1. Use ZERO paper/plastic/styrofoam cups.
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Lent: Exploring Ideas about Wilderness
Connecting Wilderness to Stewardship and Sustainability Lent begins in the wilderness. The Spirit leads Jesus into wild places. There he is tempted, he resists, he wanders. In this wild place, Jesus is shaped and formed for his ministry. During the wilderness of Lent, we are all invited to surrender to the wild leadings of the Spirit. This year during the season of Lent, we are exploring many ideas about wilderness, including the importance of protecting wild places all around us; being mindful about sustainability; and shaping ourselves into good stewards of this Earth. A few examples of our actions and reflections are described below. |
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* Teens in our Youth Group created a wilderness vase made from familiar materials we often see when we're hiking in our local wild places. Each layer in the vase holds meaning for us, for Lent, and for wilderness: sand to represent history; stones to remind us of holy ground; moss, representing resiliency; and a tree branch for renewal. Teens shared a liturgy about their vase on the first Sunday of Lent, March 1. (See slideshow above!)
* Also on the first Sunday of Lent: The Green Team distributed a "Tread Lightly for Lent" calendar. Green inspirations are offered for daily reflection, along with helpful information if you choose to take action. Download your own calendar here. * Our lively Adult Study Group is discussing how we can Care for God's Creation every Sunday during Lent at 9 am in the church library. A daily devotional calendar, weekly readings, introspection, and sharing are helping us move toward a greater appreciation of the Earth that sustains us, and what we can do to help it thrive. Rev. Rachel Thompson, FPCP Green Team coordinator, guides these inspirational sessions. Join us! * Our Green Team will distribute eco-palms on Palm Sunday. The team will also guide our Zero Waste Challenge efforts, working with Rev. Dr. Doris Chandler and the congregation to make sure our services, coffee hours, meals, and mission work are as green as they can be during Lent . . . and always. |
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FPCP Green Team Mission
To facilitate good stewardship of God’s earth within our own congregation and community, we work to develop practical policies and activities to encourage participation in a daily sustainable lifestyle. We seek to inspire our community, to raise awareness, and to enhance engagement about environmental and climate change issues -- local, national, and global. |
