Earthwise Congregation
“the Earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof”
We are the stewards of God’s creation
The New Ark United Church of Christ as an Earthwise Congregation
Approved August 1, 2010
Whereas, our United Church of Christ General Synod has passed resolutions on the Integrity of Creation, Justice and Peace, as well as on Global Warming and encourages local congregations to take action on them;
Whereas, the Bible is clear in its call for us to be caretakers and good stewards of God’s creation (ex., Genesis 2:15, Psalm 24);
Whereas, the New Ark United Church of Christ passed an Energy Stewardship Resolution in October 2007;
Whereas, the New Ark United Church of Christ has installed solar panels to curtail reliance on outside electricity;
Whereas, the New Ark United Church of Christ continues to explore ways to make our building greener, such as better insulation;
Whereas, the New Ark United Church of Christ encourages its congregants to engage in Earth-friendly practices such as use of glass mugs and free trade coffee following worship each Sunday, use of programmable thermostats, mulching of grass, and use of an electronic newsletter option;
Whereas, the New Ark United Church of Christ continues to engage in education regarding our stewardship of the earth during youth and adult Christian Education, and through frequent displays, and newsletter articles; and,
Whereas, the New Ark United Church of Christ supports the participation of member, Jane Schaefer, on the UCC Energy and Environment Task Force (EETF);
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the New Ark United Church of Christ:
• Officially be known as an EARTHWISE CONGREGATION
• Continue to explore new and better ways to make our facility and our use of it more environmentally friendly
• Provide suggestions to the congregation for living a “greener” life
• Demonstrate a commitment to environmental activism through our outreach activities
• Maintain a link on our church website dedicated to our Earthwise Church status, related activities, and “green” suggestions.
Resolution on energy stewardship
Approved October 21, 2007
Whereas, the New Ark United Church of Christ is part of the UCC General Synod’s Just Peace Church initiative; and,
Whereas, the New Ark United Church of Christ acknowledges, with the Twenty-second General Synod’s resolution stating that though “General Synod has voted broad environmental resolutions and the Integrity of Creation, Justice and Peace priority in the distant past, these broad policies do not give specific or timely policy guidance on current environmental issues such as global warming,” (quote from the UCC Resolution: Global Warming, 1999); and,
Whereas, the New Ark United Church of Christ further agrees with the 1999 resolution that more specific statements and actions regarding energy stewardship would strengthen our ministry as we respond to the call to be good stewards of God’s creation; and,
Whereas, the New Ark United Church of Christ concurs with the Twenty-sixth General Synod of the United Church of Christ, in its “Resolution on Climate Change,” that there is “Christian complicity in the damage human beings have caused to the Earth’s climate system and other planetary life systems,” and further, that it is time for “recommitment to the Christian vocation of responsible stewardship of God’s creation.” (quote from General Synod Resolution on Climate Change, 2007);
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the New Ark United Church of Christ thereby formally joins the UCC General Synod’s initiatives of 1999 and 2007 in both “acknowledging the severe nature of this global warming crisis” (2007) and in resolving to be more specific, deliberate, and visible witnesses to the stewardship of the Earth’s limited energy resources (1999) by:
- Affirming the UCC Twenty-second General Synod’s Resolution on Global Warming and the Twenty-sixth General Synod’s Resolution on Climate Change;
- Accepting the responsibility of the institutional church to educate, inspire, advocate and promote individual and congregational lifestyle changes by declaring energy stewardship as one of the mission priorities of the New Ark United Church of Christ and by encouraging and supporting individuals and/or a congregational mission group whose focus is leadership on energy stewardship;
- Pledging to be more deliberate and specific as individuals and/or as a congregation in promoting energy stewardship, including more diligently using energy-efficient light bulbs, recycling, making public statements about energy stewardship, reducing the use of disposables, contacting government officials, and, to the best of the church’s ability, transitioning our building to a more “green” facility, to name a few;
- Understanding the need, and taking action, to publicize the adoption of this resolution and its articles (as defined also in the 1999 and 2007 Synod Resolutions) so as to address the urgency of this crisis; the “Christian complicity …” and responsibilities; and the need to be more visible witnesses to the stewardship of “God’s precious planet Earth’s” limited energy resources.
