Public witness
Eco-justice/environmental ministries
 History
Eco-justice ministries in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) grew out of the 1977 General Assembly resolution that called for the development of a Task Force on Ecology. This group, comprised of 18 persons, six of whom represented denominational staff, was active for a number of years and authored the Alverna Covenant. Eventually, as the lifetime of that group ran its course, its responsibilities were moved to the general unit of the denomination that works most directly with congregations, Disciples Home Missions.
DHM has continued that work by connecting Disciples to ecumenical resources and inviting them to make the Alverna Covenant as a demonstration of personal responsibility toward the environment. Additionally, DHM has developed a network that will carry on the work started by the original Task Force. Finally, DHM has launched Return to the Garden, a hands on opportunity for congregations to connect with Earth. Also, you'll find resources on how to mitigate your energy costs.
Ultimately, as faithful Disciples of Christ, God calls us to be good stewards of our resources. Integrating environmental stewardship into our daily activities is an attainable vision, if we begin now to take the appropriate steps. We offer some ideas on where you or your congregation can begin.
Earth Sunday
DHM supports Earth Sunday. Learn more about the 2007 resource or visit the National Council of Churches of Christ to get the latest Earth Sunday resources. (You will be prompted to join their network. We encourage you to do so.)
Alverna Covenant
The Alverna Covenant was written by members of the Task Force on Christian Lifestyle and Ecology of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) while meeting at Alverna Retreat Center, a Franciscan retreat in Indianapolis.
Learn more and read the covenant>
Network
The Disciples eco-justice/environmental network
provides Disciples with an opportunity to find out what others are doing, learn new ideas, and work together for a common goal. Responses to the online registration form will provide the framework around which the Disciples eco-justice/environmental network can evolve.
More >
Return to the Garden
At the 2005 Portland General Assembly, DHM, Disciples Volunteering, Yakama Christian Mission and Week of Compassion launched the nationwide program, Return to the Garden. The program will continue at Mix in ’06.
The Vision
The vision is for Return to the Garden to be a regular component of all Disciples Assemblies. This year we trained 30 participants how to return to their local communities and start community gardens. Two years from now, can we double that number? Four years from now—the sky is the limit!
Find out how Return to the Garden is important to your congregation >
How can environmental concerns be more closely integrated into the life of Disciples congregations?
Check out links to more resources , including links to study guides, for ideas on actions you can take.
Contact Angela Herrmann for more information at (317) 713-2683.
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