The Hall of Philosophy at the Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, N.Y.
Originally posted Aug. 22, 2012, at Barefoot Pastor. Republished with permission of the author.
I came away from the Chautauqua Institution convicted that I can do more and be more than I have been. The pastors and speakers I met all had a strong sense of call. Inspired by the passion of others, I reflected: “What is unique about me and my calling? What do I care about and what can I do about it?”
I have decided to recommit myself to environmental work. Since my childhood, I have felt connected to God in nature and have been concerned about the future of the earth. In high school I wrote a big paper on the destruction of rain forests.
Twenty years later, the issues I cared about then have only become worse. This summer has had such strange weather that people who used to be climate-change deniers are now realizing that climate change is not only real, it is upon us.
One of the things I’m excited about in my new pastoral call is that the congregation where I’m headed, Peace Lutheran in Alexandria, Va., has already shown a commitment to ecological concerns.
I don’t know what it means that I am recommitting. I’ve thought of trying to become a regular blogger re: the environment or redoubling my efforts to work with our D.C. area churches. But I also have a hunch that as important as inspiration and thoughtful conversation are, I will have to get myself and others more involved in the political realm.
I figure putting it out there in the public will help me actually commit to it. So here goes.
Find a link to Sarah Scherschligt’s blog Barefoot Pastor at Lutheran Blogs.
You might also want to read:
A small seed grows into a movement
It pays to think green
Burying cousin Eric
Nice blog! I realize that you didn't ask for suggestions on what you should do but thought I'd offer one anyways.
While good bloggers are in short supply and the power of political activism cannot be overstated (witness the effectiveness of Bill McKibben), I would suggest that getting kids connected to the outdoors is something you should consider as any gains achieved today will not be sustained without commitment from the next generation.
And that, I worry, is where the problem is. Case in point: there was a news article recently saying that although national park visits have remained steady, it is the same age cohort who is visiting them (e.g. I went to Yosemite in the '80s - I was in my 20's - and I've returned this year in my 40's), the youth are not. (This was the concern of the educators who initiated the Outdoor Education program in Montgomery County, MD)
Helping kids to see wilderness not as something foreign but as an entry way to meeting God and experiencing Jesus in one another is, I think, the key to ensuring that the next generation of voters will be willing to make sacrifices - and indeed something (i.e. consumerism) will have to be given up to maintain and/or expand our environmental well-being - in order to preserve and nurture our environment.
And, I suspect, there is no one better suited to doing just that than you!!
Steve