Green Chalice News

Green Chalice News

Green Chalice News
A monthly e-newsletter from Green Chalice, a ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

In This Issue

People's Climate March

Children's Sabbath

Food for Thought

Learning Garden

Neil Young Song

Indiana Green Chalice

Become a GC Ministry

GC Congregations

Sign On

Green Chalice?

Green Chalice is a partnership Creation Care ministry of Disciples Home Missions and the Christian Church in Kentucky.
Our mission is to connect Christian faith, spiritual practice and creation consciousness in order to demonstrate the fullness of God's shalom.

Disciples Home Missions

Christian Church in Kentucky

Green Links

DOC Ecology Resolutions

Facebook

Eco-Palms

Disciples Coffee Project

Subscribe to receive Green Chalice News each month. The link will take you to Disciples Home Missions features. If you receive e-mails from DHM, you can update your preferences to add Green Chalice News. If you are a new subscriber, you may select DHM news you want to receive.

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October 2014

People's Climate March

More than 400,000 people turned out for the People's Climate March in New York City, just days before many of the world's leaders gathered to debate environmental action at the United Nations climate summit. Early reports from event organizers are hailing the turnout as the largest climate march in history. High-profile environmentalists including Bill McKibben, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jane Goodall and Vandana Shiva marched alongside policymakers such as Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.). U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and former Vice President Al Gore were also there, and more than 550 buses carried in people, including many people of faith, from around the country.

Children's Sabbath

The 2014 National Observance of Children's Sabbaths is titled "Precious in God's Sight." As part of caring, loving and supporting all God's precious children, we must be sure all children have regular access to the natural world. Research overwhelmingly supports a connection between good physical, cognitive and emotional health with time outside. Check out some of the research at Children and Nature Network. Children need time each and every day outside in the backyard, in a park, or on a playground with time also in wilderness areas.

As a pastor with an early childhood education background, I have long felt that a connection to God is inborn and that faith development is supported by the natural world. An article in Christianity Today confirms my intuition or common sense feelings. Holly Catterton Allen, professor of Christian ministries at John Brown University, spoke with Justin L. Barrett, a psychology professor at Fuller Theological Seminary about the scientific evidence testifying to children's religious beliefs.

Why do you suggest children are "born believers"?

"I'm using that term in a folk sense, the way we might say that Michael Jordan was a born basketball player, or Mozart was a born musician. I don't mean that Mozart came out of the womb playing the clavichord, but that given very minimal cultural and environmental input, he was going to take to it like ducks to water. Virtually all humans are essentially born believers-they have a natural receptivity to religious belief....New research is showing that by the age of 4, children say that humans make some things, such as chairs and tables, but not mountains and trees. Even preschoolers know that humans are not the answer to the "who made the world?" question. Someone else is needed....Children have a natural disposition to see the natural world as having purpose. Research has shown that children have a strong inclination to see design in the world around them, but they are left wondering who did it. If a child is exposed to the idea of a god that is immortal, super-knowing, super-perceiving, the child doesn't have to do a lot of work to learn that idea; it fits the child's intuitions."

Children who spend time outside experience miracles, large and small. They experience the holy in the blowing of the wind, the changing of the weather and seasons and in the circle of life. Children who spend regular time outside develop a well grounded faith that is not dependent on the teachings of a Sunday School teacher, parent, Pastor or friend. The natural world both makes sense and is mind-blowing, just like God. Not only should we advocate for recess in our schools, we should have recess in our churches and take faith education outside.

Food for Thought

If planetary peace seems beyond our reach, recall: Miracles are natural when we rely on the Source of All to carry our burdens with us. Then, even peace is possible.

Nan Merrill with Barbara Taylor

Peace Planet: Light for Our World

Learning Garden

The Tarrant Area Food Bank in Fort Worth, Texas has teamed up with Ridgela Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and Archie's Gardenland, in transforming what was a vacant lot into a demonstration garden and training center. The garden welcomes all those interested in garden projects aimed at feeding hungry people within our community.
The volunteer team has been working hard over the past year to get the Learning Garden up and running. From building our first compost bins, to installing irrigation, planting, tending, and harvesting the first crop, much has gone into the first phase of this project.

Who's Gonna Stand Up?

Neil Young

Protect the wild
Tomorrow's child
Protect the land
From the greed of man

Take out the dams
Stand up to oil
Protect the plants
And renew the soil

Who's gonna stand up and save the earth?
Who's gonna say that she's had enough?
Who's gonna take on the big machine?
Who's gonna stand up and save the earth?

This all starts with you and me

End fossile fuel
Draw the line
Before we build
One more pipeline

End fracking now
Let's save the water
And build a life
For our sons and daughters

Who's gonna stand up and save the earth?
Who's gonna say that she's had enough?
Who's gonna take on the big machine?
Who's gonna stand up and save the earth?

This all starts with you and me

Damn the dams
Save the rivers
Starve the takers
And feed the givers

Let's build the green
And save the world
We're the people
Known as Earth

Who's gonna stand up and save the earth?
Who's gonna say that she's had enough?
Who's gonna take on the big machine?
Who's gonna stand up and save the earth?

This all starts with you and me

Click here to listen to Neil Young sing this song.

Indiana Green Chalice

Indiana Green Chalice was present at the 2014 Indiana Regional Assembly last month. Jennie and Bob Baker created this booth in order to support other Indiana DOC congregations in their care for creation mission. In addition, Indiana Green Chalice partnered with Hoosier Interfaith Power and Light in order to present a great Energy Efficiency workshop. Twelve congregations were represented and committed to leading their churches in cutting their energy use by 25%!

If God is calling you to lead your Region in creation care, email Carol Devine. We are here to provide guidance and support and to partner with you as we support all Disciples to live out their faith by walking more gently on the earth.

Become a GC Ministry!

Many congregations already qualify to be a GC Congregation and simply need to apply.

STEPS:

1. Have an active Green Team.

2. Sign the Alverna Covenant as a team or as a congregation.

3. Make at least 3 changes that demonstrate your congregation's commitment to caring for God's creation.

THEN e-mail the following information :

1. Congregation name, City, State, address and phone number;

2. the date the Alverna Covenant was signed;

3. and the changes made by your congregation to walk more gently on God's creation.

Green Chalice

Green Chalice Congregations

Arlington Christian Church, Lexington, KY

Butler Christian Church, Butler, KY
Central Christian Church, Lexington, KY

Central Christian Church, Marshalltown, IA

Central Woodward Christian Church, Troy, MI

Community Christian Church, Tempe, AZ

Crestwood Christian Church, Lexington, KY

Crestwood Christian Church, Lincoln, NE

Desert Dove Christian Church, Tucson, AZ

Disciples Christian Church, Bartlesville, OK

Disciples Christian Church, Cleveland Heights, OH

Downey Avenue Christian Church, Indianapolis, IN

Edmond Trinity Christian Church, Edmond, OK.

Evergreen Christian Church, Athens, GA

First Christian Church, Bardstown, KY

First Christian Church, Beaumont, TX

First Christian Church, Bellingham, WA

First Christian Church, Carbondale, IL

First Christian Church, Danville, KY

First Christian Church, Frankfort, KY

First Christian Church, Glasgow, KY

First Christian Church, Henderson, KY

First Christian Church, Leavenworth, KS

First Christian Church, Lexington, TX

First Christian Church, Little Rock, AR

First Christian Church, Lynchburg, VA

First Christian Church, Mount Vernon, WA

First Christian Church, Ocala, FL

First Christian Church, Owensboro, KY

First Christian Church, Paducah, KY

First Christian Church, Paris, KY

First Christian Church, Pasadena, TX

First Christian Church, Puyallup, WA

First Christian Church, Rockwall, TX

First Christian Church, West Palm Beach, FL

Florence Christian Church/Harmony Place, KY

Harmony Springs Christian Church, Uniontown, OH

Heights Christian Church, Shaker Heights, OH

Hood River Valley Christian Church, Hood River, OR

Journey of Faith, Ann Arbor, MI

Lake Washington Christian Church, Kirkland, WA

Lakewood Christian Church, Lakewood, OH

Lee's Summit Christian Church, MO

Marshall Avenue Christian Church, Mattoon, IL

Midway Christian Church, Midway, KY

Midway Hills Christian Church, Dallas, TX

Mt. Zion Christian Church, Richmond, KY

Nicholasville Christian Church, Nicholasville, KY

North Christian Church, Fort Wayne, IN

Northside Christian Church, Knoxville, TN

Norwalk Christian Church, Norwalk, IA

Ridglea Christian Church, Ft. Worth, TX

Saint Andrew Christian Church, Olathe, KS
Salvisa Christian Church, Salvisa, KY

Southern Hills Christian Church, Edmond, OK

Southside Christian Church, Kokomo, IN

South Street Christian Church, Springfield, MO

Sugarbush Christian Church, Guelp, Ontario

The Healing Cathedral Christian Church, Memphis, TN

Valley Christian Church, Birmingham, AL

Waling Faith (Korean-Am) Christian Church, Sunnyvale, CA

Webster Grove Christian Church, Saint Louis, MO

White Oak Pond Christian Church, Richmond, KY

Woodland Christian Church, Lexington, KY

15th Avenue Christian Church, Rock Island, IL

Green Chalice Ministries

Christmount Retreat and Conference Center

Black Mountain, NC

Green Chalice Regional Offices

Christian Church Capital Area

CERTIFIED Green Chalice Congregations

Bridgeport Christian Church, Frankfort, KY

Christ Church Uniting, Kailua, Hawaii

Cynthiana Christian Church, Cynthiana Kentucky

Salvisa Christian Church, Salvisa, Kentucky

Have you signed?

National Religious Partnership for the Environment invites Disciples to add our names to a petition and call on our political leaders to take a lead role in helping to craft a moral global framework for the UN climate negotiations that will culminate in Paris 2015.

Click here to sign the petition.

Select "Disciples of Christ" as your religious affiliation.

Rev. Carol Devine

carol.devine@providenceccdoc.org

Minister for Green Chalice

Contemplative Image by Rev. Chuck Summers

Ours is not the task of fixing the entire world at once, but of stretching out to mend the part of the world that is within our reach.

Clarissa Pinkola Estes