Summer 2002

Office of Social Witness

of the Reformed Church
in America

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Bread, Wine, and 1

Greenhouse Gases
The nation of Tuvalu lies about
Bread, Wine, and 100 miles northwest of America
RCA Caring for 2
Creation Network’s Greenhouse Gases: Samoa in the South Pacific. This
New Coordinators The Lord’s Supper and island nation of 11,000 inhabitants
Global Warming has been negotiating with New
Support the Clean 2 Zealand about the full-scale
Power Act evacuation of its population,
“When you come together, it is because rising sea levels are
not really to eat the Lord’s Supper. inundating the island, making it
Tending the Garden: 3 For when the time comes to eat, uninhabitable. The first group of
Tips on Creation each of you goes ahead with your evacuees is scheduled to leave this
Careful Living own supper, and one goes hungry year. 11,000 people are due to
while another becomes drunk.” (I become environmental refugees
News from Caring 4 Corinthians 11: 20-21) due to human-induced climate
for Creation change and rising sea levels.
Coordinators The Lord’s Supper is not a private Tuvalu is not the only nation at
meal, but a shared fellowship risk: seven million people live on
New Guide Outlines 5 around one table. Our other low-lying islands around the
Eight Action Steps participation in the Supper has world. Twenty million people live
for Congregations everything to do with our in low-lying areas of Bangladesh.
relationship to brothers and sisters Some have predicted that by the
in faith. We should not come to year 2050 there could be as many
Web Resources 6 the table, writes Paul, “without as 150 million people displaced by
discerning the body of Christ;” rising sea levels caused by global
Resources Available 7 that is, without giving careful
from TRAVARCA and warming.
thought to the body of Christ, the
the RCA Distribution church, and the needs and the
Center Now come back to the Table.
well-being of all those who join us John Calvin wrote of the Lord’s
at the table. Supper, “The Lord communicates
his body to us so that he is made
CARING FOR CREATION How large is the Lord’s Table? one with us and we with him. We
NEWSLETTER How far does that fellowship shall very much benefit from the
extend? Where and how do we Sacrament if this thought is
Rev. John D. Paarlberg discern the body of Christ today? impressed and engraved on our
Minister for Social The invitation to the Lord’s minds: None of our brothers or
Witness and Worship Supper reminds us that this is an sisters can be injured, despised,
jpaarlberg@rca.org expansive fellowship, indeed: rejected, abused or in any way
(212) 870-3020 “Friends, this is the joyful feast of offended by us without at the
the people of God! Many will same time injuring, despising, and
Robin Hoy come from east and west and from abusing Christ by the wrongs we
Editor north and south, and sit at table in do; that we cannot love Christ
the kingdom of God.”
ecorobinhood@earthlink.net without loving him in our brothers
(215) 860-7081 and sisters. We ought not allow a
Consider the situation of some of brother or sister to be affected by
our brothers and sisters from the any evil without being touched
south: with compassion for them.”
2 Caring for Creation
Concern for issues like climate
change, or violence in Israel and
Palestine, or hunger in Africa and
hunger next door are not at all
tangential to our faith. They have
everything to do with our
participation in the body and
blood of Christ. If the way we live,
the decisions we make, the
policies we support or oppose, and
the things we buy or don’t buy
cause injury, abuse, or offense to a
sister or brother, we are injuring,
abusing, and offending Christ. We
cannot love Christ without loving
him in our brothers and sisters.
The next time you are invited to
the Lord’s Table and are reminded
“to receive this Supper in true
love, mindful of the communion of
saints,” be mindful of your
neighbor in the pew and your
neighbor next door, but also for
the environmental refugees of
Tuvalu and Bangladesh, for the
victims of oppression and violence
in the Middle East, for the hungry
and homeless near at hand and
around the world. We dare not
“go ahead with our own supper”
and fail to eat the Lord’s Supper
by neglecting to care for neighbors
in need both near and far away.
John D. Paarlberg
RCA Welcomes New
Caring for Creation
Coordinators
The Caring for Creation
Network is expanding by leaps
and bounds!
• Bonnie Allen, Interlaken
Reformed, Ithaca, NY
• Mary Flanders, Niskayuna
Reformed, Rexford, NY
• Bonnie Palmer, Interlaken
Reformed, Ithaca, NY
• Elizabeth Vermilyea, Palenville,
NY
• Hugo Ayala, La Senda del Amor,
Toronto
• Karin & Alain Boisclair-Joly,New
Life Community, Burnaby, BC
• George Zubik, Immanuel,
London, ON
• Peter Boogaart, Hope Church,
Holland, MI
• Harry & June Kooyman,
Community Reformed, Grand
Rapids, MI
• Dan Kruithof, Trinity Reformed,
Holland, MI
• Rev. Mike Van Buren, Fellowship
Reformed, Hudsonville, MI
• Paul Frerichs, Good News
Church,
Spirit Lake, Iowa
• Dr. Glen Hegstad, Trinity
Reformed, Orange City, IA
• Sara Veldhuizen Stealy, Christ’s
Family, East Moline, IL
• Daniel Kroon, North Branch
Reformed, Flemington, NJ
• Doreen Panynter, Monocacy
Valley Reformed, Westminster,
MD
• Aaron Pulhamus, Preakness
Reformed, Wayne, NJ
• Debbie Ruisard, Rockaway
Church, Whitehouse Station, NJ
• Astrid Zabriskie, Wyckoff
Reformed, Oakland, NJ
• Mary Carlson, Knox Reformed,
Knox, NY
• Carolyn Wolz, Kingston, NY
Experienced and new coordinators
are encouraged to contact other
coordinators in your synod to
share resources, ideas, experiences
and enthusiasm! Please also
contact Robin Hoy and let us
know what your church is doing to
care for creation.
Support the Clean Power
Act
The Senate Environment and
Public Works Committee has
passed a bill that would limit
power plants’ emissions of carbon
dioxide, one of the highest
contributors to global warming,
and three other common
pollutants: Mercury, Nitrogen
Oxides, and Sulfur Dioxides.
The panel is led by Independent
Vermont Senator Jim Jeffords, who
Summer 2002
has proposed a reduction of twenty-
three percent in carbon dioxide
emissions by the year 2008. The
Clean Power Act has been called
“the first historic step on global
warming.”
An alternate initiative, offered by
the White House, proposes much
smaller reductions in the three
common pollutants, and no
reductions whatsoever on carbon
dioxide. In addition, the Clean
Power Act would force older plants
to comply with regulations by 2013,
while the White House initiative
proposes no regulations on old
plants, many of which were built
before the age of limitations on
pollutant emissions. The White
House energy plan of May 2001
supports the increased use of coal-
burning plants, despite the fact that
coal has been proven to be one of
the dirtiest energy sources available.
The Bush administration’s climate
action report estimates that carbon
The burden of global
warming will fall most
heavily on the world’s
poor—on those who have
the least resources to fight
it, and the smallest
capacity to adapt to it.
dioxide emissions in the United States
will rise another forty-three
percent in the next eighteen years.
Scientists have called for a sixty
percent reduction in carbon dioxide
emissions by the year 2050. The
United States, Jeffords points out, is
on the verge of a period of increased
construction of new power plants,
and that gives citizens and Congress
the opportunity to strengthen
pollution regulations before new
emissions begin. Moreover, a report
by the Union of Concerned
Scientists states that aspects of the
bill would save consumers more
than seventeen billion dollars in the
next eighteen years.
We are called by God to be
stewards, tenders, and keepers of
3 Caring for Creation
creation. Current practices of energy
extraction and energy use are
already seriously harming creation
and are likely to have long-term and
devastating consequences for the
planet. The 1993 General Synod of
the Reformed Church in America
affirmed that the
issue of climate change is one that
calls for the Church’s response, and
urged its members to advocate for
policies that promote energy
efficiency and conservation through
such measures as higher energy
efficiency standards and economic
incentives.
The Church is concerned about this
issue for various reasons. Climate
change is a question of global
justice, especially because the
burden of global warming will fall
most heavily on the world’s
poor—on those who have the least
resources to fight it, and the smallest
capacity to adapt to it. The burden of
climate change will
also be visited on future generations.
Climate instability, dangerous rises
in the sea level, disrupted production
in agriculture, and the migration of
diseases from the tropics are almost
certain if emissions go unchecked.
Urge your senator to support the
Clean Power Act (S.556) and its
House companion bill, H.R. 1256. A
letter can be sent online, with just a
few clicks, from
http://www.protectingcreation.org/a
ction/ that will ask your senator to
support conservation and emission
regulations. A specific letter about
the Clean Power Act can also be
sent from
http://www.npca.org/take_action/act
ion_alerts/actionalert.asp .
John D. Paarlberg
Tending the Garden:
Tips on Creation
Careful Living
A LOOK AT LAWNS
I was appalled to learn recently from
a U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency publication that a lawn-
mower can pollute as much in one
hour as an automobile driven 350
miles! (“A Gardener’s Guide to a
Healthier Environment,” Jan.’00)
It also reported that annually 30-
60% of urban fresh water is used to
water lawns and that the average
home
gardener uses
pesticides at a
rate per acre
of 10 times
that of a
farmer!!!
Furthermore,
20 million
acres in the
U.S. are
planted in residential lawns! I knew
lawns weren’t great for biodiversity,
but this was worse than I thought!
Watering can be reduced by keeping
grass a little longer and by watering
in the morning or evening.
Beneficial insects can help with
pests. Turning in your gasoline-
powered lawnmower for a push
mower is one way to eliminate your
contribution to mower pollution.
Another option is to reduce
pollution by reducing the area of
lawn. Here’s where the fun can
start!
A project converting all or part of a
lawn space to a wildlife habitat
garden or butterfly garden is a great
way to celebrate God’s gifts.
Planting native species saves
watering, fertilizers and pesticides,
and avoids air pollution from
mowing! A church garden lets
others know that a congregation
Summer 2002
appreciates and tends God’s
creation.
For ideas and how-to about creation-
sensitive landscaping, see the
National Wildlife Federation’s web
page
http://www.nwf.org/backyardwildlif
ehabitat/ or Sara Stein’s books
Noah’s Garden: Restoring the
Ecology of Our Own Back Yards
(Houghton Mifflin, 1993) and
Planting Noah’s Garden: Further
Adventures in Backyard Ecology
(Houghton Mifflin, 1993.) You also
may want to contact the following
Caring for Creation Coordinators
who have coordinated garden
projects or habitat plantings through
their churches: Kent Busman, Marge
Vander Wagen, David Bach, Glen
Hegstad, Sarah Lane, and Robin
Hoy.
Robin Hoy
PAPER OR PLASTIC? …
OR BYOB?
Cloth grocery bags and other tote
bags made out of 100% recycled
soda bottles and other #1 plastic are
now available. These bags are white
cloth, washable, durable and
attractive. Since one reason
recycling is not viable for some
municipalities is that it’s not yet
profitable to sell recycled products,
this is a great way to close the
recycling loop, saving trees and
fossil fuel burning while promoting
your church or project.
A directory of sources for all kinds
of recycled plastic products is
available free from the American
Plastics Council at 1-800-243-5790,
or
http://www.plasticsresource.com/.O
ne company, Enviro-Tote, Inc. (1-
800-totebag or http://www.enviro-
tote.com/), accepts orders of as few
as 25 bags and will emblazon them
with your church logo or other
graphics.
Robin Hoy
4 Caring for Creation
INTERFAITH CLIMATE CAMPAIGN
INVITES CONGREGATIONS TO
SUPPORT DEVELOPMENT OF NEW
WIND ENERGY
Electricity generated by wind energy
is now available to every consumer
of electricity in the United States,
and faith groups are working to
support the viability of new wind
companies.
The Interfaith Global Climate
Change Campaign is a group
sponsored by the National Religious
Partnership for the Environment and
the National Council of Churches to
promote education in congregations
about global warming and energy
stewardship activities. This work
has been strongly supported by the
RCA, and some Caring for Creation
Coordinators have been involved in
their state interfaith campaigns.
Because reducing fossil fuel burning
is essential to reducing the
greenhouse gas emissions that warm
the Earth, and generating electricity
produces one third of the
greenhouse gas
emissions generated in the United
States, one of the most important
things people can do to reduce their
greenhouse gas emissions is to
purchase electricity that is not
generated by fossil fuels. Wind
energy is a great alternative;
however, it can cost a few cents
more to produce than fossil fuel
electricity, in part because of
subsidies to the fossil fuel industry.
One new company is developing the
largest wind farm east of the
Mississippi River and its electricity
is produced for the electric grid
shared by the entire United States.
However, the wind farm will not be
sustainable unless there are
individuals and businesses that
recognize the importance of
reducing our acid rain, smog and
greenhouse gases and are willing to
pay the extra 2.5¢ per kilowatt that
it costs (about $10 more per month
for average households).
The Interfaith Climate Campaign
invites congregations from across
the country to join in an “Adopt a
Windmill” project by which each
participating church encourages
purchases of certificates for the
production of wind energy on behalf
of their church buildings or
members.
http://www.newwindenergy.com/re
gional/mid-atlantic/adopt.html
Together they are working to
subscribe enough wind energy to
support an entire 1.5 megawatt state-
of-the-art wind turbine. If you would
like more information, contact
Robin Hoy at 215-860-7081 or at
ecorobinhood@earthlink.net.
Robin Hoy
Help us save paper!
The Caring for Creation
Newsletter is online at the
www.rca.org website. If you
are not receiving the link to
this document by email, but
you have an email address,
please notify the Office of
Social Witness.
Summer 2002
News from Caring for
Creation Coordinators
SIMPLER LIVING,
COMPASSIONATE LIFE
RETREAT STIRS SENSES
“I needed time away from the
busyness and pressure. This served
that need very well.”
“I valued being with other
Christians who want to change
their lifestyle and affect those
around them for a better, simpler,
more complete life.”
“This was one of the very best
retreats I’ve been on. I go home
with peace and a big smile.”
These thoughts reflect those of the
29 participants who gathered at the
Fowler Camp and Retreat Center in
the beautiful Adirondack Moun-
tains, to consider ways to simplify
their lives, preserve and protect
God’s world, and encourage time
for personal spiritual growth.
Planned by the Witness Commis-
sion of Albany Synod, the over-
night retreat was based on the
book, Simpler Living, Compassion-
ate Life, edited by Michael Schut.
Retreat participants received a copy
of the book and were asked to read
certain essays and studies in
preparation for the weekend.
The retreat included sessions on the
sacredness of time, consumption
habits and how they effect global
economy and the environment, a
plenary session on the theology of
creation, a tour around the camp to
see how Fowler is addressing
environmental stewardship issues,
a resource table full of pertinent
print and video materials, and time
set aside to star gaze or to take a
quiet walk.
5 Caring for Creation
Rev. Art Hudak (Woodlawn
Reformed Church) lead the group in a
series of exercises that focused on the
spiritual life and our need to find
times for quiet and reflection. Mary
Carlson (from Knox Reformed and
the Second Reformed Church of
Berne) used humorous skits and
stories to encourage participants to
rethink American consumerism and
consider new ways to value all life.
Kent Busman (Albany Synod staff)
led biblical study and reflection and
challenged participants to act and live
out God’s call to care for his world.
The retreat was such a success that the
model will be repeated sometime in
2003.
Nancy Mc Niven,
Synod of Albany
NEWS FROM CENTRAL
REFORMED CHURCH IN GRAND
RAPIDS, MI
Members of Central Reformed
Church in Grand Rapids have had a
variety of ways to learn about and
care for God’s creation. People from
the congregation collected phone
books from church members for 6
weeks. The phone books are
recycled into insulation for Habitat
for Humanity houses. The
congregation sold compact
florescent light bulbs (CFLs) to
members of the congregation, and
conducted an annual clean up of
Plaster Creek in Grand Rapids,
filling a city dumpster with bags of
trash, a door, barrels, etc. The
congregation also conducted a series
of 3 adult education Sunday morning
classes. Participants…
• viewed and discussed the video
“God’s Creation and
Global Warming”
• heard a presentation on
sustainability and watched the
video “How Much Is Enough?”
• invited Hope College professor
Steve Bouma-Prediger, author
of For the Beauty of The Earth: A
Christian Vision of Creation Care
(Baker 2001) to speak on “Is
God Green?”
Elise Roe,
Central Reformed Church
PRAYER WALKING
Third Reformed Church in
Holland, Michigan, has helped
people connect more closely with
God by offering opportunities for
worshipping in God’s creation. On
several Sundays, before or after the
Sunday service, we sponsored
“prayer walks.”
The first walk followed the format
of a labyrinth. Using Psalms to
lead us, we entered into the
labyrinth of nature by walking a
mile or so through the woods to
the shore of Lake Michigan.
Selected Psalms then centered us,
inviting us to focus on our own
relationship to God as we walked
or rested on the beach. Another
Psalm prepared us to return from
the lake into the world we had left
behind. On the second walk our
resident historian led us on a hike
through a city-owned natural
preserve that was once part of the
Holland city founder’s farm. At
stations throughout the preserve,
we paused to reflect on our
congregation’s relationship to the
city’s history and to pray for our
present and future missions in the
world. On the third walk, we
returned to the shores of Lake
Michigan to reflect on the power
of God in this world and how we
interact in that world. We scoured
the beach, picking up the
remnants left from different types
of human activity. The final walk
was at another small wooded
preserve within the city of
Holland. On this day, selected
Summer 2002
Psalms again led us as we
wandered the trails. We ended by
sharing with each other a story
about our favorite tree. It struck
me that, rather than stories about
different types of trees, each story
revolved around an individual tree
that had played a role in one’s life.
For me, this was the peak of the
experiences and the point of the
walks. Whether climbing a tree as
a child or standing before a
centuries old Sequoia on vacation,
we have all related personally with
creation. By seeing and knowing
our lives are a shared experience
with creation, we can more fully
understand our humanity.
Steve De Young,
Third Reformed Church,
Holland, Michigan
Prayer-Walking Resources :
Prayer-Walking: A Simple Path to
Body-and-Soul Fitness, by Linus
Mundy; Meditations for Walking, by
Lynne Hinton.
New Guide Outlines Eight
Action Steps for
Congregations
The Center for a New American
Dream has just completed The
Responsible Purchasing Guide for Faith
Communities. The thirty-four page
guide is a great tool to help
congregations “walk the talk” to be
environmentally and socially
responsible. It provides key steps
congregations can take, outlines
ways to undertake each action, and
calculates the positive impact of
6 Caring for Creation Summer 2002
those actions. The guide provides
information and resources for 8
actions that have a significant Helpful Resources and Links
environmental impact, help
promote social justice, and are
fairly easy to implement.

THE WEB OF CREATION TRANSFORMING FAITH-BASED

COMMUNITIES
FOR A SUSTAINABLE WORLD
THE ACTION STEPS
Provides a number of resources for worship, religious education,
1. Replace standard light bulbs congregational and personal lifestyles, and public ministry and
with compact fluorescent advocacy. Includes text and audio-visual resources, information on
lights
CFLs). various issues, and practical suggestions for congregational action.
2. Use organic, shade grown, fair
trade coffee during events and http://www.webofcreation.org
in the office.
3. Free your congregation from
junk mail.
4. Buy post-consumer waste,
recycled, process chlorine-free
office paper.
5. Eliminate pesticide use on the
grounds of your house of
worship.
6. Use environmentally friendly
cleaning products.
7. Use recycled content, process
chlorine-free paper towels and
toilet paper. THE INTERFAITH CLIMATE CHANGE NETWORK: JOINING TOGETHER IN
8. Inspire another faith PROTECTING CREATION
community to participate in
the Responsible A collaborative effort of the Eco-Justice Working Group of the National
Purchasing Program. Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA and the Coalition on the
Environment and Jewish Life. The ICCN’s goal is to pursue justice for
A complimentary copy of The the poor around the world and protect all life on Earth by taking action
Responsible Purchasing Guide for to address global climate change. The website includes resources and
Faith Communities will suggestions for congregational study and action, energy conservation
be sent to each Caring for measures, and public advocacy.
Creation Coordinator.
Additional copies can be ordered http://www.protectingcreation.org
from the RCA Distribution
Center.
7 Caring for Creation
http://www.rca.org/resource/material/ecology.html
Videos
Faithful Earthkeeping: The Church As a Creation
Awareness Center. 79 minutes/senior high-adult. This
three-part series is designed to help congregations
learn about the issues related to the care of God's
creation and to suggest ways for individuals and
congregations to act as earthkeepers.
1997/Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
God's Creation and Global Warming. 14 min./college-
adult. Calvin DeWitt and other environmental
specialists provide insights about global warming and
how as God's stewards people need to be effective
earthkeepers. Video / National Council of Churches
of Christ (2000)
The Greening of Faith: Why the Environment Is a
Christian Concern Series. college-adult. These videos
explore the religious dimensions of ecology and
define care for the earth as central to the church's
vocation. Titles include Theology and Spirituality (30
minutes) and Ethics (27 minutes). 1993/Cathedral
Films and Videos.
Escape from Affluenza. 60 minutes/high school-adult.
Shows creative and insightful ways to escape from
the rampant materialism of modern North
American culture. 1998/KCTS Seattle and Oregon
Public Broadcasting.
Books
Bouma-Prediger, Steven. For the
Beauty of the Earth: A Christian
Vision for Creation Care. Grand
Rapids: Baker Academic, 2001. A
comprehensive treatment of a
variety of issues: ecology,
environmental science, history,
Bible, theology, ethics, apologetic.
In support of the claim that caring
for the earth is an integral feature
of authentic Christian discipleship.
Summer 2002
Books, continued
Daly, Herman, and John Cobb. For the Common Good:
Redirecting the Economy Toward Community, the
Environment, and a Sustainable Future. Boston:
Beacon, 1994. Explains what is wrong with our
current economic system and what a more hope-
filled future might look like.
DeWitt, Calvin B. Earth-Wise: A Biblical Response to
Environmental Issues. Grand Rapids: CRC
Publications, 1994. In this six-session adult course,
DeWitt describes in detail the wonders of God's
creation, how fallen humanity and modern society
have abused God's creation, and how Christians can
respond to the crisis of environmental abuse.
Rasmussen, Larry L. Earth
Community, Earth Ethics.
Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 1996. An
award-winning volume by an
influential Christian ethicist on
why and how Christians ought to
build sustainable communities on
this, God's good earth.
Schut, Michael, ed. Simpler Living,
Compassionate Life: A Christian
Perspective. Living the Good News Inc., 1999. A
compelling text that pulls together a wide variety of
authors as it makes a case for living more simply.
Taylor, Betsy. More Fun Less Stuff Starter Kit.
This book offers many practical ideas to individuals
and families about how to simplify their life, free up
time, money, personal energy, and protect the
environment.
RCA DISTRIBUTION CENTER /
TRAVARCA
(800) 968-7221 / ORDERS@RCA.ORG