Bishop Wayne Smith commends to us this article from the Anglican Communion News Service (online link). Posted June 4, 2010 3:23 PM
Members of the worldwide Anglican Communion are working together on a project to discover what the Bible tells the church about saving the planet from environmental damage.
The Bible in the Life of the Church project manager, Stephen Lyon, said that World Environment Day was the perfect moment to reveal that the first issue under discussion would be the Environment.
“We are already seeing the impact of climate change, particularly in the developing world,” he said. “Most Anglicans live in countries like India and Nigeria that will be worst hit by greater flooding, or diminishing levels of potable water.
“All faiths have a duty to protect the environment, for themselves and others. Our particular tradition, Anglicanism, has enshrined the need to protect our world in its mission statement The Five Marks of Mission*. This is one of the reasons why we have picked this issue—to ensure that all Anglicans everywhere realise the biblical imperative to protect and sustain God’s creation.
Every year the diocese and cathedral celebrate the splendor of God’s creation at what has come to be known as Flower Festival, because of the resplendent arrays of flowers and vegetables that adorn the cathedral this weekend. The legacy of Henry Shaw, founder of the Missouri Botanical Garden and Episcopalian leader, intertwines the organizations: the Bishop of Missouri traditionally serves on the garden’s board, and a bequest provides for flowers from the garden for this celebration. (more…)
Following last year’s successes at Church of the Advent, Crestwood (Nov. 2009 Seek), and Christ Church, Cape Girardeau (July 2009 Seek, p. 7), many more plans for gardens are springing up around the diocese. (more…)
Sustainability and stewardship are topics circulating with renewed vigor in the Diocese of Missouri.
On Saturday, March 20, 9:00 am to 1:00 pm, at Christ Church Cathedral, attend the Global Warming Cafe: from Conversation to Action. We know that global warming is a dangerous reality, one that will increasingly touch our lives, those of our children and grandchildren, and many of the poorest people on our planet. Serious consequences can already be seen in the form of floods, heat waves, more violent storms and the rise of sea levels. World Cafe is a wonderfully facilitated conversation. (Your editor has a good deal of experience with the conversation cafe movement, and when we were planning the first meeting of the online Episcopal School for Ministry book club mentioned this conversation style to Fr. Rod Wiltse, book club facilitator. Father Rod exclaimed, “Oh, Lectio Divina!”) (more…)
Veronica Kyle, Congregational Outreach for Chicago-based Faith in Place, spoke this past Friday to the Province V gathering at the annual ENEJ (Episcopal Network for Economic Justice) conference. Faith in Place has partnered with over 500 congregations in Illinois—Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Zoroastrian, Baha’i and Unitarian—to promote clean energy & sustainable farming. They’re also part of the national Interfaith Power & Light campaign. Bullet points from the presentation:
We need to merge our efforts to bridge the ecological divide and to bridge the economic divide. Our job should be to educate everyone about issues of sustainability.
The faith community needs to be involved in the conversation about the green economy.
We often think about the secular green organizations, the Sierra Clubs. How can we connect our faith to thinking green? Can we make changing light bulbs and recycling an expression of our gratitude to God? (more…)
Returning from Lui last Christmas, Fr. Dan Handschy, Rector of Church of the Advent, in Crestwood, described part of his experience there in words not found in the everyday Episcopal lexicon. Dan shared that he’d had a conversion experience.
For the Advent community, life began to change. Dan told the congregation that he expected that by the end of 2009 at least 30% of the congregation would be involved in hands-on ministry beyond the people and walls of Advent. Dan’s enthusiasm for mission has been so contagious that by mid-2009, the 30% goal was met and continues to grow. Members are volunteering at Feed My People and Ronald McDonald House, serving as listening guests at a nursing home, and a variety of other individual mission endeavors. (more…)
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Every year the diocese and cathedral celebrate the splendor of God’s creation at what has come to be known as Flower Festival, because of the resplendent arrays of flowers and vegetables that adorn the cathedral this weekend. The legacy of Henry Shaw, founder of the Missouri Botanical Garden and Episcopalian leader, intertwines the organizations: the Bishop of Missouri traditionally serves on the garden’s board, and a bequest provides for flowers from the garden for this celebration. 
Following last year’s successes at Church of the Advent, Crestwood (
