Faith, Earth, and Living Sustainably Discussion Group

A new 12-session discussion group will be starting this fall to jointly explore the intersection of faith, the earth and living sustainably; address the question of whether caring for the earth is part of our calling; and then identify and discuss potential actions that we can take as a congregation, as families and as individuals.
 

Format:  Small group discussion with 8 to 16 people. In-person meetings on Thursday evenings several times a month at church. The first session will be October 7 at 7:00 pm. with the last session in January. There will be only one or two sessions in December. Depending on the pandemic we may switch to an online format such as Zoom. A total of 12 hour and a half sessions are planned. Each session will have a topical area (see sessions list below). We’ll start with an introduction session and a session summarizing the current condition of the earth. We’ll then have several sessions exploring our faith and what that means in terms of responsible stewardship of the earth. The remaining sessions will each focus on a specific issue and ways that we can act to be better stewards of the earth.
 

Materials: No specific guide or book will be used. However, there will be suggested readings and online videos that participants should read or watch to prepare for the discussions.
 

Leader:  The discussion group will be led by Paul Nelson. Paul is a new member at Light of Christ. He is a trained facilitator and environmental scientist. Prior to retiring he worked for over 30 years in the environmental field, mostly in water resources, but also has experience with solid and hazardous waste management, environmental health, and soils. His special interest is understanding what inspires people to act and places an emphasis on acting.   

To register for the discussion group, please email the church office with your contact information. 


Outline for the Sessions

1.       Introduction, organization and intent, and definition of sustainability

2.       Brief current status of the health of the earth

3.       How Christians/Lutherans view the earth and environmental issues (including an introduction to environmental justice)

4.       Christianity and the sciences; and solving simple, complicated and complex problems

5.       Human behavior and moral judgement as they relate to complex problems

6.       Christianity and consumption

7.       Specific Issue 1: Climate Change

8.       Specific Issue 2: Plastics

9.       Specific Issue 3: Water

10.     Specific Issue 4: Soils

11.     Specific Issue 5: Food Systems

12.     Wrap-up including community and action

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