Care for Creation
Care for Creation Commission
Commission Officer: Doug Holy, acting Chair and Vestry Liaison
Mission Statement
We believe that our world is sacred, having been created by God, through Christ and in Christ. We are therefore committed to promoting respectful care for God’s creation and in particular to work against climate change and on behalf of climate justice.
Action Plan
The Care for Creation Commission is pursuing care for the Earth as an on-going everyday responsibility of our St. James’ parish members. In the process, the commission collaborates with our Episcopal diocese; local, regional, and national communities of faith; and other partners (e.g., Montgomery County Dept. of Environmental Protection, Maryland Dept of Natural Resources, Chesapeake Bay Trust) in order to achieve the most benefits for protection of our Earth and its resources.
What we look forward to
- Regular communications with St. James’ parishioners about Care for Creation as an on-going mission
- Continued involvement with the Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake and Interfaith Power and Light and making their resources available to the parish
Recent Care for Creation Events
Paint the Plow, October 2023
See more photos and read the news from Friends of Cabin John Creek here.
St. James’ teamed up with Salt Watch and Friends of Cabin John Creek to illustrate the impact of salting roads/driveways on our lovely Cabin John Creek. This plow blade will be used in our local neighborhoods, reminding everyone who sees to care for our waterways but minimizing the use of salt on roads and sidewalks.
Creation Care Opportunities
What You Can Do
- Regenerative Agriculture: 5 Ways to Make Your Garden Regenerative, two-minute video
- Composting: Free Composting Guide
- Responsible Food Purchasing: Kiss the Ground’s Purchasing Guide
- Multiple ways to save money while going green: The Money Saving Guide to Going Green at Home
Collaboration Opportunities
- Interfaith Power and Light – Cool Congregations
- Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake
- Episcopal Network for Animal Welfare
Episcopal and Interfaith Partners and Statements
Presentations and Programs
Easter Care for Creation Faith Formation Series 2024
Grab your coffee and pull up a seat at the Care for Creation conversation table following the 10:30 worship service April 14 through May 5!
Members of St. James’ Care for Creation team will be providing updates about ongoing projects. Each session will last 30-45 minutes and include time for prayer, conversation, and resources to take home.
Each week we’ll post the previous Sunday’s discussion resources here.
2023 Easter Series: Sustainable Practices in Everyday Life
This Easter season, we grabbed our coffee and participated as the Creation team offered a four-part series exploring ways that we can incorporate sustainable practices into our everyday lives. For past presentations and information, explore the bins below.
April 16: Caring for Creation as a spiritual practice
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- Presentation slides: Caring for Creation as a Spiritual Practice
April 23: Caring for your own green spaces with integrated pest management
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- Video: Pollinators and Beneficial Insects, from University of Maryland
- Video: Integrated pest management and how to use it in your garden
- Video: Identifying 11 Common Garden Pests
- Handout: Integrated Pest Management presentation notes
April 30: Considering all of God’s creatures with ethical/sustainable food choices
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- Presentation slides: Sustainable Food Choices
May 7: Exploring options for green burials
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- Presentation slides: Green Burials
- Handout: Green Burial Resource List
2022 Easter Series: Climate Change
- Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing by Dr. Katharine Hayhoe – presented at FaithTalk on April 23, 2022
- Solar panel co-ops – Presented at FaithTalk, May 1, 2022
- Forest gardens, trees.org – Presented at FaithTalk, May 8, 2022
- Dietary Choices and God’s Animals – by Lois Godfrey Wye; she writes at dominionintheimage.com and becreaturekind.org – Presented at FaithTalk, May 15, 2022
View the recorded video of this FaithTalk here.
Other Commission Presentations and Information
- Food: More plants, less packaging, less waste
- Climate Change 101: Understanding Climate Change
- Soil: Are You Aware of the Essential Role of Soil? Article by John Combs
- Integrated Pest Management – Article by John Combs
- Native Plants – Article by John Combs
- Non-Native Invasive Plants – Article by John Combs
- Chesapeake Network – A site for sharing resources, webinars, events, jobs, and more, hosted by the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay.
- Kiss the Ground – Regenerative Agriculture resources, courses, and events
- Earth Emergency: a PBS video on the dangers of climate change, accessible until May 20, 2022