Creation Care/Creation Justice

Chair: Janet Taylor-Smith -Earthkeeper

At the Peninsula Delaware Annual Conference of 2022, the committee Creation Care-Creation Justice was tasked with guiding and encouraging congregations and individuals within the Peninsula-Delaware Annual Conference in the areas of sustainability, environmental justice, clean water, renewable energy, and environmental advocacy. It will serve as the conference hub to the churches within the conference.

Our Creation Justice team was formed in response to this task. Our mission is to advocate for the care of the Earth by educating and mobilizing Christian individuals, congregations, and communities to protect, restore, and justly share God's creation.

We are interested in connecting with a person from each congregation in our conference who is passionate about Earth Care. That person would serve as a Communication Liaison who would update each congregation monthly with our plans & events. The liaison could post these in the church bulletin, newsletter, e-blast, or, if comfortable, announce them in service. Rather than burden pastors with additional emails explaining our projects and updates, we would prefer to have a person who would become our single point of contact.

To connect with our team, please send an email to: creationjusticeteam@gmail.com.

In the Bible, we are called to be good stewards of the Earth. We have not always been faithful to this command, and thus caused much harm to all living things and the earth that sustains them. We must realign ourselves with God’s instructions.

COMMUNICATIONS LIAISON
posted 4/10/2024

Thank you to all who have already responded to our request for a Communication Liaison from your church. Our team was created as a direct response from the Annual Conference of 2022.

Pen-Del Creation Justice Team is asking for your guidance in recommending a person in your congregation who could act as a Communication Liaison to relay updates from our team to your church members and to request earth care resources from us. We understand how busy you are and would like to communicate directly with a representative from your church, rather than send you any additional emails.

A Communication Liaison would be a person who would simply post any updates from our team in newsletters or bulletins. In turn, we would act as a resource for your church for any requests for materials or referrals, or to answer any earth care questions or concerns.

We truly appreciate your consideration of this matter. We look forward to hearing from you.

Please send your representative info to: Janet Taylor-Smith creationjusticeteam@gmail.com

Pen-Del Creation Justice Goals

Communication

To create Communication Liaisons for each church within the conference
To develop a Creation Justice e-connection through social media or website development to communicate to local churches

Partnership Development
To interact with the Climate Hub of the University of Delaware to have Climate Scholars participate in informational meetings describing the MIT Climate initiative and ENRoads program at the various church sites.
To develop relationships with the National UM Creation Justice Movement, and the Global Ministries Creation Care Network
To collaborate with MAP(Methodist Action Program)
To connect with the United Women in Faith (formerly UMW) who have a Climate Justice mission emphasis
To collaborate with the Interfaith Partners of the Chesapeake
To connect with Interfaith Power & Light

Inspiring Action
To support and motivate members to complete Earthkeeper training
To inspire our pastors to address the need for Earth care more regularly in the pulpits
To encourage schools and colleges to collaborate with government and other employers to educate students about careers in environmental fields
To create pilot projects to demonstrate what can be done for earth care on a small scale which then could be applied on a broader basis
To advocate for legislative solutions in Delaware, and Maryland, and at the Federal Level by encouraging people to contact their reps on a consistent basis.

Social Principle

To honor our covenant with God when he calls us to steward, protect, and defend his Creation.