Caring
for Creation
The earth is the
Lord’s and all that is in it, the
world, and those who live in it; for he has founded it on
the seas, and established it on the
rivers – Psalm 24:1-2
In Genesis 1:29-30, God gives “dominion” of the earth and
all that is in it to humanity. For a very long time, many
Christians have interpreted this charge to mean that we
have license to do as we please with Creation. But what
does it mean for humans to have dominion over something if
we’re created in God’s image? After all, Christians believe
that God came to us in Jesus, whose idea of being a king
was expressed in a ministry devoted to healing, serving,
and saving humanity. In this light, dominion over the earth
doesn’t mean that the world is here to be exploited;
instead, it’s to be cared for.
At First Congregational Church, we believe that our call as
Christians involves caring for God’s creation. We are
looking at ways, small and large, to be better stewards of
what has been entrusted to our care.
Part of being good stewards is being informed. We hope you
find these resources informative and inspirational.
Our denomination, the UCC, has a number of environmental
ministries:
http://www.ucc.org/environmental-ministries/
Earth Ministry is a non-profit organization committed to
engaging the Christian community in environmental
stewardship:
http://earthministry.org/
The Church of England’s “Shrinking the Footprint” campaign
is a practical effort to help churches reduce their carbon
footprints:
http://www.shrinkingthefootprint.org/
The Episcopal Ecological Network seeks to inform and equip
people to care for the environment:
http://eenonline.org/
Christianity
Today offers
ongoing coverage on Creation Care/Stewardship of the
Environment:
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/special/globalwarming.html
The website for 350.org, which is dedicated to bringing CO2
in the atmosphere down to 350 parts per million (it’s
currently at an unsustainable 392 ppm):
http://www.350.org/
Ever wonder where your old computer or mobile phone go when
you’re done with them? This New York Times Magazine slide
show answers the question—and the answer isn’t pretty. Our
penchant for shiny new gadgets has a high environmental
cost, one that’s being paid by our neighbors in Ghana:
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2010/08/04/magazine/20100815-dump.html