EARTHKEEPING NEWS A NEWSLETTER OF THE NORTH AMERICAN COALITION FOR CHRISTIANITY AND ECOLOGY Volume Eight, Number Six September/October 1999 CHURCHES OBSERVE SOIL AND WATER STEWARDSHIP WEEK Many churches observe Soil and Water Stewardship Week (SWSW). The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) distributed to local organizations over 5 million pieces of literature with the theme "In the Children's Hands," for use in 1999. Most popular were bookmarks (1.1 million), church bulletin inserts (1.1 million), litanies (675,717) and church leader guides (518,893). Examples: In an Urban Ministry - Myers Park Baptist Church, Charlotte NC, has an alternative worship service on the first Sunday of each month. We worship in the round for these services and are intentionally inclusive of the children in the elementary department. On May 2, 1999, we observed SWSW. We used the litanies, sang hymns with creation themes, and heard a homily on the parable of the mustard seed. I spoke briefly about the importance of topsoil and the importance of conserving this limited resource. Worshipers then moved to a table in the center of the worship circle where they were given a peat planting container, filled with potting soil, and a seed to take home and plant. The offering was designated for world hunger relief initiatives. Handouts on environmental stewardship topics were available. From Dennis Testerman, 3101 Irish Potato Rd, Concord NC 28025; 704/782-4105. In A Rural Ministry - On June 12, children from the four congregations in the LaSalle County (Illinois) Episcopal Ministry spent the day participating in "God's Beautiful World." Most of the day was spent at St. Andrew's Chapel in Farm Ridge, set amidst fields of corn and soy beans. The children collected recyclable trash from the cemetery and made "trashmobiles." They listened to stories and poems which focused on appreciating the natural world. In the afternoon, the children traveled to Buffalo Rock State Park for a nature hike, returning to Farm Ridge for more activities. "I especially like the activities for children in the SWSW materials," said The Rev. John Crist, Rector. The day concluded with a celebration of the Holy Eucharist at the outdoor altar. From The Rev. John Crist, 132 S. Vermilion, Streator IL 61364; 815/ 672-4311 Home     Table of Contents