WE ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE
We identify on this page what we as a
* Education: View our Events page to see how we are attempting to raise awareness through presentations of how the changing climate is impacting our lives.
* Public Ministry:
EARTH, OUR HOME: A GIFT AND A RESPONSIBILITY
Chris Erickson the head of the POP Creation Care small group composed this statement which was posted on the POP Facebook page as well as the POP website under Blog/ Stories and News page dated January 24th, 2020. It best describes what our small group is all about.
"God gifts us a home to live in, rich in diversity and potential for all who dwell therein. God also gives us the responsibility for tending to that home, managing its resources for the enjoyment of generations to come. We are each living organisms within that whole. What we each do or don't do impacts upon the others.
Those who are able are additionally responsible to advocate for the others who are vulnerable: the poor, children, elderly, and the rest of creation. It has become apparent that we are not doing a good job of this. "Whatsoever you do (or don't do) for the least of these, you do (or don't do) for me," says Jesus in Matthew 25.
The Poor
These are the least able to mitigate or defend against flood, drought, and the rising costs of scarce resources. The poor who are blown about by the ravages of forced migration have no safe place to anchor and rebuild. They are doubly assaulted by the resistance of the prosperous (affluent?) to live equitably and sustainably.
The Elderly
These include those whose health defenses are compromised against the rising assault of poor air, poor drinking water, inadequate heat or cooling, or respiratory illness. They may even face the inability to stay in their own homes because they cannot afford needed energy efficiency upgrades.
The Children
Isn't it our moral imperative as parents to seek to make the world a better place for our children's children? "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?" Matthew 7:9. What hope do we leave them that they will be able to enjoy the same pleasures and wonder that we experienced as children? What burdens do we leave for them to bear because we are unwilling to change our behavior?
God gives us a choice; to tenderly care for what we have been given and share it with those who have less, or to callously pass by on the other side of the street, leaving the vulnerable to fend for themselves.
The Talmud states "Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world's grief. Do justly now, love mercy now, walk humbly now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.""
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LIONS CLUB ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECTS: WHERE TO START
Kay Erickson a member of Prince of Peace Creations Care Small Group gave a presentation,
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FAITH IN ACTION: CLEAN ENERGY
The POP Creation Care team supported an interfaith effort to challenge the MN legislature to raise the renewable energy standard. The original goal or standard was set in 2007 by a bipartisan legislature and signed into law. The goal was to meet 25% of our energy use with renewable energy by 2025. Since the state was doing so well by January 2018 (21%)
We, the undersigned, represent tens of thousands of people in every corner of Minnesota. We write to you not as Democrats or Republicans but as community leaders whose mission is to unite and inspire people to work for the common good. We do this driven by the belief that all of us are enough to share in God's abundance and love and are called in the world to nurture that abundance and love.
We write to you because we believe there is a critical choice before us. Will we unite behind a vision of universal access to clean energy? Will we champion the systemic changes that are necessary to transform our unsustainable energy economy? Or will we continue to delay a just and complete transition to clean energy, trusting instead that disparate individual choices and the half measures sanctioned by market forces somehow will be adequate?
The people of Minnesota need and deserve clean, reliable and affordable energy. Now. In 2007, a Republican governor and a bipartisan coalition of legislatures passed the Next Generation Act, which established the state's first Renewable Energy Standard. The act has fueled a dramatic increase in our use of renewable sources of energy. An additional 54,000 people have good-paying jobs in communities across the state; 26 percent of these workers are people of color. We have created greater energy independence at the local level, even generating power from our own church rooftops.
We need you to build on this success. We ask that you to raise the Renewable Energy Standard to ensure that 50 percent of electricity in our state comes from sources like wind and solar by 2030. We urge you to do this for reasons that are both theological and practical.
Every faith tradition calls on God's children to act powerfully as stewards of God's creation. As stewards, we care for and shepherd an inheritance only God could give us. As stewards, we treasure our inheritance and pledge to pass it on to future generations. Every faith tradition rejects consumption for its own sake and rejects the idea that humans can extract resources without limit or regard for God's creation.
Practically, we know the bold step of increasing the Renewable Energy Standard will help address racial and economic justice questions we face every day in our communities. It will create 1,500 jobs annually, spur economic development statewide and save money for vital institutions like churches and local businesses. In underdeveloped parts of our state, including low-income communities, communities of color, and rural communities, these benefits carry a compelling promise of economic revitalization.
Many of the people we pray with every week worry about the future of God's creation, locally and globally. What's more, they worry that a deeply divided Legislature will not act boldly to address their concerns, feeding a cycle of cynicism and a disheartening sense of powerlessness that is not of God.
We believe in a God of possibility and hope. We believe in a God of renewal and healing. That belief inspires us to engage the members of our faith communities and to engage you in meaningful and spiritual dialogue about the choice before us. We look forward to working with you to make our state a healthier, more whole place."
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