Network of Earthkeeping Christian Communities in South Africa
NECCSA Update: March 2004
A monthly newsletter on Church and Environment in South Africa
1. Easter and Earth
In April last year NECCSA's Update commented on the environmental significance of the suffering, cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We are again approaching the Easter weekend. It would be wonderful if you could share your experiences of Easter 2004 with others. Any creative suggestions for the liturgy, symbols, readings, for a personal lifestyle and for earthkeeping practices would be especially welcome.
2. World Council of Churches on Climate Change: Update #31
Statement presented at Inter-religious Gathering in Milan, Dec. 2, 2003
THE EARTH DOES NOT BELONG TO US - WE BELONG TO THE EARTH: An Ethics Statement from the World Council of Churches to the 9th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP9) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, Milan, Italy, December 12, 2003
Climate Change negotiations have focused primarily on politics and economics. The World Council of Churches (WCC) considers the degradation of the environment to be primarily a matter of justice and spirituality regarding our relationship to the Creator, the Earth and the whole human community.
The highly industrialized nations extract the Earth's resources and pollute the global commons far beyond their per capita entitle-ment. The WCC has recently called for solidarity with victims of climate change. Inevitably, more and more people, especially in the South, will suffer from the impact of changing climatic conditions. It is on their behalf that we call once more for ratification of the Kyoto Protocol. Substantial reductions of emissions are in our eyes a spiritual and moral call. Increasing numbers of victims call for action.
The World Council of Churches maintains that the Kyoto Protocol must be ratified and governments must begin a new round of negotiations whose targets are based on the stabilization objective of the Climate Change Convention and a fair distribution of rights and responsibilities such as those proposed in the contraction and convergence scheme.
From an ethical perspective, the following guidelines can express this solidarity with victims of climate change:
1. A rights based approach - The UN Declaration on Human Rights demands respect and protection of the right to life. Human-induced climate change threatens life.
2. Ecological debt - highly-industrialised nations are historically responsible for the majority of emissions leading to climate change that will disproportionately impact the most vulnerable in poorer nations and future generations.
3. Indigenous communities and carbon sinks - marginalized and vulnerable Indigenous communities will be among the most affected by climate change but in fact contribute to the stabilization of GHG emissions through their sustainable lifestyles and low energy use. They have sustained forest eco-systems as their habitats which are now being commercialized as carbon sinks assessed for credits to be traded. We have much to learn from their values which underlie sustainable living.
4. Public transport - motorized transport and the infrastructure supporting private cars are among the largest sources of emissions. Global and national policy frameworks must promote public transportation.
5. Sustainability technologies - the current environmental crisis is a culmination of technological processes based on plundering natural resources. We need a reorientation from such extractive technologies toward more sustainable ones such as renewable energy sources. Inter-faith and inter-cultural solidarity can contribute to the global rehabilitation of the environment. The World Council of Churches has been deeply moved by the engagement of faith communities in Milan during COP9. The WCC endorses the interfaith perspective reflected by the faith communities in Milan that the Earth does not belong to us but that we belong to the Earth.
3. Church of the Province of Southern Africa Environment Network
A PARISH environmental audit that invites churches to assess their stewardship of God's creation is being planned by the newly-formed Church of the Province of Southern Africa Environment Network that held its first meeting in Grahamstown in February 2004.
A total of 14 delegates, from the dioceses of Cape Town, Highveld, Zululand Natal, Lebombo, Lesotho, Swaziland and the College of Transfiguration, gathered at the Hillandale Monastery near Grahamstown between 12-15 February 2004 in order to discuss the network's activities for this year. The CPSA representatives at the Global Anglican Congress on the Stewardship of Creation, held prior to the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in 2002, agreed to set up a CPSA Environmental Network. A Provincial Synod meeting a few weeks later endorsed this.
The parish audit, that will be piloted by the 14 delegates in their home parishes, will be a simple document that will help congregations identify their own environ-mental priorities and environmental management policy. Once the pilot study has been conducted the findings will be put before the CPSA Provincial Standing Committee in September for further discussion.
"We don't want to burden church structures with yet another imposed top down programme'," says Ms Kate Davies - the newly elected education officer of the Enviro Network who will be compiling the audit material. "The idea is to encourage people to start something small themselves. A small-scale project that will give them confidence in their ability to change themselves."
Environmental worship in the form of Harvest, Creation and Environment Day services that could be included in the annual CPSA church calendar is a priority that was identified by the network. Specific liturgy around these dates is to be developed by members of Natal diocese for wider distribution, the meeting decided.
The promotion of sustainable agriculture is another goal of the network. The meeting agreed that it is important to try to provide people with the skills to secure their own food. Many rural churches had land that could be used for such projects. Funding for the development of such projects would be sourced.
"The overall aim of the CPSA Enviro Network is to assist the church in fulfilling its prophetic calling regarding environmental and socio-economic issues," says Enviro network chairperson Bishop Geoff Davies who would be contacting all the Bishops of the 23 dioceses of the CPSA to encourage them to become involved in the network's activities.
Some of the objectives adopted by the Enviro Network at the meeting included: the empowering of environmental action and responsibility at parish, diocesan and provincial level; the provision of environmental resource and environmental worship material to parishes; the inclusion of environmental education in theological training in the CPSA and the speaking out and taking action against environmental and socio-economic injustice in institutions of governance and power.
The Vision of the network is captured in its motto: "Celebrating God's Creation: Ukuvuyisana Ngendalo kaThixo." Its vision is "To cherish the living planet that has been entrusted to us by our creator and to promote a more ecologically sustainable way of life." It has identified the following aims and objectives:
To assist the CPSA fulfil its prophetic calling regarding environmental and economic issues by:
1. Creating and encouraging environmental awareness and an appreciation of creation.
2. Empowering environmental action and responsibility at a Parish, Diocesan and Provincial level.
Providing environmental resource material.
3. Developing and disseminating worship resource material.
4. Ensuring environmental education is included in theological training within the CPSA.
5. Collaborating with other environmental stakeholders
6. Supporting environmental and eco-justice projects in the CPSA.
7. Speaking out and taking action against environmental and socio-economic injustice in institutions of governance and power.
For more information on the CPSA Enviro Network and its activities you are welcome to contact Enviro Network communications officer Mr Sabelo Mashwama on sabelom@ctdiocese.org.za or (021) 465-1557
4. Possibilities for a SA-Australia Christian Earthkeeping Partnership
The Sea Lake congregation of the Uniting Church of Australia is interested in establishing a partnership with a local Christian environmental project in South Africa. This congregation is based in a farming community in Victoria and has focused on issues of sustainable agriculture in recent years. The local pastor, Rev Brad Harris, writes, "At present our people are waiting for rain, and some of them are preparing for their new tree planting season. There will be plantings of native trees for windbreaks for stock and to minimise erosion, and plantings designed to reduce levels of salting in the water table. Shade trees and shelter or habitat for bird and animal life is also important. About 20,000 trees will be planted in projects near here."
This congregation wishes to support environ-mental initiatives elsewhere and hopes to establish a partnership in this regard. The nature of such a partnership will have to emerge from the sharing of information between the partner institutions. Any organisation that may be interested in such a possibility may contact Rev Brad Harris, through the Executive Secretary of NECCSA at emcemp@iafrica.com
5. Resources
a) Earthministry newsletter
Earthministry (www.earthministry.org), a church-based environment organisation in the USA which has as its executive director, Rev Roger Hudson, a former board member of NECCSA, has kindly allowed us a free copy of their newsletter. To retrieve the Earth Letter file you will need a user name and password. They are as follows: User name: reader (all lower case); Password: mind (all lower case). To access the PDF file, visit http://www.earthministry.org/earthletter.htm.
b) Sojourners
The March edition of Sojourners Magazine is a special issue focusing on the environ-ment with the theme "Down-to-Earth Theology". A number of the articles in this edition can be read in full on-line by visiting their website at "http://www.sojo.net" www.sojo.net
NECCSA website address: www.neccsa.org.za where membership details could also be found. You are invited to accept ownership of this website in order to use it to share information on Christianity and earthkeeping practices. Please send any information to the email address below.
You are welcome to distribute this NECCSA Update electronically to any other interested person. You are also welcome to send news to be included in the next NECCSA update to emcemp@iafrica.com by 19 April. You may send such contributions in the language of your choice.
Distributed by EM Conradie 23/03/2004