FAITH IN ACTION - Sierra Club

CAMPUS MINISTRY EDUCATES COMMUNITY
ON GLOBAL WARMING
MISSOULA, MT
In the fall of 2007, Lutheran Campus Ministry
(LCM) at the University of Montana teamed
up with an ecumenical group called the
Western Montana Spiritual Development
Council to host “A Faith-full Response to
Global Warming: Honest Community
Conversations about Climate Change.” The
Rev. John Lund, the campus pastor for LCM,
says opening up a dialogue about global warming
is essential for the faith community.
“Regarding climate change: if you recognize the dignity and sacredness
of life, it’s a moral imperative,” he says. “It’s our lifestyle that’s
created this problem, so we have a greater burden of responsibility.”
According to Lund, when they first started thinking of educating
people on the topic, they knew it could not just be a one-shot
event. “There are so many different layers and issues when you get
into it. You can’t do it in just one weekend,” he explains.
Lund arranged for speakers from many backgrounds to take part
in the five-week series, including experts on forestry, ethics, and
philosophy, and including Lund himself. “We also talked about how
OMAHA, NE
For thousands of years communities gathered to
cultivate the land for food and celebrate its harvest.
But due to today’s industrialized agricultural system,
this vital form of community collaboration
has all but disappeared. People now are often disconnected
from their food and the land that so
generously provides it. Even more disheartening,
many of us would not even recognize our neighbors
down the street, let alone the folks in the poverty-stricken neighborhood
across town who may suffer from malnutrition and hunger.
When Rev. Stephanie Ahlschwede sought a way to rally her
Methodist community in Omaha around these issues, “The Big
Garden” was born. One of the most extensive community garden
projects in the country, The Big Garden seeks to develop foodproducing
urban gardens in the impoverished neighborhoods of
east Omaha.
The project empowers neighbors to grow their own nutritious food
by providing individual lots on garden sites. Respect for the earth is
a central component: the gardens are organic, and the project
includes education on organic methods, composting and water conservation.
Health education is also an important part of the project.
one communicates issues of the environment
to the faith community and from the faith community
out into the greater community.”
The speakers’ series was a big hit and inspired the
Caring for Creation Network where students,
local church members and other interested individuals
meet once or twice a month to empower
each other and provide resources for local congregations
to work on environmental issues. It has
also spawned a series of related workshops with
coalition partners on faith and the environment.
“The real challenge still is for congregations to see this as a core
part of who they are, and what they’re about. What are tangible
and practical ways to make a difference?” says Lund.
When talking about faith communities caring for the environment,
Lund says its about overcoming assumed dualities that no
longer make sense. “God is with us, within our lives, within our
relationships, and in nature and creation. We can’t separate ourselves
from creation and we don’t exist without creation. We’re a
part of the ecosystem.”
THE BIG GARDEN
Bulletin boards at all of the gardens provide
healthy recipes and advice on nutrition and disease
prevention. The project is run by the United
Methodists Ministries and is funded in part by
grants from the USDA Community Foods
Project grant, The United Methodist Church,
other congregations, and individuals.
The Big Garden has been a resounding success.
In 2006, the five original gardens harvested more
than 3,000 pounds of fresh produce, one-third of which was donated
to local food pantries. Today, there are thirteen gardens and that
number is expected to expand to 30 in the near future.
Community gardening is a great way to connect people from all
different walks of life and the Big Garden project is a remarkable
example of community-building across diverse borders.
Gardeners include Burmese and Sudanese refugees, boy scouts,
80-year old Catholic nuns, members of the Latino and African-
American communities, Korean immigrants, and hundreds of
Methodist youth who have donated more than 1,000 hours of
service. This amazing project demonstrates the endless potential
that community gardening provides through reconnecting us
with our food, the land, and each other.
19