Update Sept 24, 2023: "FYI NOTES" 

Purpose

Our Creation Care group seeks to serve the Emmanuel community in discerning God’s will for us to better care for God’s creation.  These “fyi notes” will share a bit of this journey.

Prayer

We need to regularly pray for wisdom in our search for learning and action.  If God made this earth, made each and all of us, God will know how we are to proceed.

Our Approach

Rather than rushing to take on a project, we are seeking to build our knowledge, understanding, connections as a group, and our discernment of God’s will for us in this service.  We are a small group who will intentionally take time to care and connect with each other. Most in our group know some folks who actively deny climate change. Most of us recognize that there are changes we ourselves need to be making.  By next meeting, we will have completed Hayhoe (2021). The second half of the book outlines practical step-by-step actions.

Possibilities?

We will be working towards opportunities for action. However at this point, even with the urgency of climate change, we feel pressed to take the time to be thoughtful and inclusive, spirit-led.  Possibilities to consider:

1.    A survey, poll, or lots of conversation to discover more about ECC members’ climate caring: what people are currently doing, not doing, learning, questioning, wondering, prioritizing.

2.    One or two “pilot” climate care undertaking/projects within the community.

3.    Connect with a Canadian active climate mending/defending organization, such as Arocha (https://arocha.ca/where-we-work/brooksdale/) or Citizens Climate Lobby Canada (https://canada.citizensclimatelobby.org/)

4.    Learn about other faith groups’ work on climate change (United, Anglican, Mennonite, Lutheran churches, Green Church alliance)

5.    Creation Collective: “A network of churches and Christian organizations with a passion for taking bold action with regard to climate change” (incl. Arocha); https://www.creationcollective.ca/#

6.    Follow up on K. Hayhoe’s recommended book titles.

Sharing

After our bi-weekly group meeting, we will publish a short “fyi” update (this one, for example) to share with the ECC community.  We ask that members pray that God give us wisdom regarding how we proceed, as this can feel overwhelming. Suggestions will also be welcome!

Resources

• Currently, our prime resource is Katharine Hayhoe’s (2021) Saving us: A climate scientist’s case for help and healing in a divided world. She is a United Nations Earth Defender, Evangelical Christian Canadian climate scientist, and known as "... one of the nation’s most effective communicators on climate change” by The New York Times. 
• An overview of her work as a climate scientist and an evangelical Christian is found at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katharine_Hayhoe
• Katharine’s interview with Citizens Climate Lobby (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ClzS49vj9E) provides an engaging introduction to her as a thinker and speaker.  

"To me, the most remarkable quality, even beyond her depth of gospel-filled creative connecting, is her smiling. Always smiling!" - Jo

Any questions or comments, pls contact Jo Gray at barmond70@gmail.com or 604-928-2440.