Green Chalice Church Ministry

Care for God’s Creation in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

History

Eco-justice ministries in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) grew out of the 1977 General Assembly resolution that called for the development of a Task Force on Ecology. This group, comprised of 18 persons, six of whom represented denominational staff, was active for a number of years and authored the Alverna Covenant. Eventually, as the lifetime of that group ran its course, its responsibilities were moved to the general unit of the denomination that works most directly with congregations, Disciples Home Missions.

In the summer of 2007, by the invitation of the Kentucky regional minister, Greg Alexander, a group of concerned Kentucky Disciples came together to discuss how to better care for God’s creation. For over three years that group hosted green retreats, provided educational workshops, and supplied resources to churches. Congregations in Kentucky started community gardens, recycling programs, rain gardens, composting, using real dinnerware, eating local foods, praying for creation, celebrating creation in worship, planting trees and more. Churches lowered their carbon footprints by having energy audits, calking old windows and installing new ones, and installing geothermal systems and programmable thermostats.

This Kentucky ministry captured the attention of Disciples Home Missions President, the Rev. Dr. Ron Degges. As a result, DHM and Christian Church in Kentucky formed a new partnership in May 2011. Green Chalice became the official ministry for the Discples’ stewardship of creation movement through DHM.

Ministries

Disciples Women

Several new resources have been produced by Disciples Women on Earth Stewardship. Download the Environment Study and Leader’s Guide from Disciples Women. A General Program study was released in time for the 2009 Earth Sunday.

Church Extension

For more than a year, Church Extension has been exploring with congregations and organizations, ways to help them lower their energy bills and improve their stewardship of creation. In June 2007, Church Extension began a process to design a service for congregations to become better stewards of resources through green building options. An energy audit of an Indianapolis congregation revealed a number of ways in which that church could save money and reduce energy usage.

Church Extension now offers Green Loans, which are designed to assist Disciples congregations that wish to make environmentally-friendly improvements to their facilities.

Outdoor Ministries: Handle with Care

Christian Board of Publication, through New Earth Publishers, has an entire camp curriculum available on earth care. “Handle with Care” is the eighth title of New Earth: Christian Resources for the Outdoors. This curriculum is developed by the New Earth Publishers, a cooperative group of denominational publishing houses, in cooperation with the Committee on Outdoor Ministry (COM) of the National Council of the Churches of Christ. Christian Board of Publication has published these resources on behalf of the other denominational partners and COM.

Overseas Ministries

Addressing climate concerns is a priority of Global Ministries. Earthcare is a new UCC emphasis on care for the environment in our churches. In April 2009, the Collegium of Officers of the United Church of Christ released a significant theological statement on the environment and climate change, “And Indeed It Is Very Good – A Pastoral Letter on Faith and Environment: Living in Community with God’s Creation.”

On the Earthcare Web site you can find worship and study materials and a video related to the Pastoral Letter and helpful links to other environmental resources. Consider using some of these resources in worship or bible study on Integrity of Creation Sunday, the Sunday before Earth Day.

More information can be found at www.globalministries.org/get-involved/justice-and-advocacy/climate-change/ and www.ucc.org/earthcare/

Global Ministries has promoted Cell OUT, an organized cell phone usage boycott each October to bring awareness of the Congo conflict over natural resources. Coltan, used in many electronic devices, has caused many Congolese people to be killed since 1996.

General Assembly Resolutions/Green Events

A number of resolutions have been passed at the General Assembly over the years, including the 2001 resolution calling for Disciples to hold “green,” ecologically friendly events. Beginning In 2009, General Assembly organizers have made concerted efforts to make the assemblies gentle on the earth. Many Disciples Regions and congregations are celebrating God’s creation in worship, caring for God’s creation through changes in churches and homes, and learning about faithful living through church classes, symposiums and retreats.

All environmentally-related resolutions are posted online.

Ecumenical

For many years, DHM has contributed support to the National Council of Churches’ Eco-Justice programs. Disciples have access to useful resources produced by the NCCC’s Eco-Justice staff. Disciples serve on the National Council of Churches Eco-Justice Working Group.

Program pages

Alverna CovenantGreen Chalice Congregation ProgramReturn to the GardenEarth SundayDoC Coffee ProjectResourcesGreen Chalice Home

Contact Information

(888) 346-2631

Carol Devine
Minister of Green Chalice

Disciples Home Missions© ; 130 East Washington Street; Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 (888) 346-2631