Growing Deep and Wide in Jacksonville

The following article was written by Bill Jordan and will appear in the 2010 Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study.

Take one second career minister who is a lifetime outdoorsman and has an undergraduate degree in biology and put him with a small church that dates back to 1871 in a community with rural roots and a growing suburban population, and see what happens. The Jacksonville Church is engaged in the mission: “To serve Jesus Christ by caring for God’s creation and its people.”

Pastor Dana Eglinton was a contractor who built energy efficient houses. Before he heard God’s call to ordained ministry he believed that a Christian is responsible for the care of God’s earth. In worship, Bible study and retreats the church explored many avenues of service and discipleship related to the care of the earth. Eglinton discovered that there were already people in the congregation who were concerned about environmental issues. Together, pastor and people developed the Jacksonville Presbyterian Church Earthcare Ministry.

The Earthcare Ministry reached out to the neighbors of the congregation members with the distribution of compact fluorescent bulbs and an invitation to join the congregation in caring for creation. Other projects include working with the High School Science Club in building bird houses on property that is void of trees. Members of the congregation are involved with a watershed project that monitors chemicals in creeks and streamsas well as in clean-up projects in their township. All ages enjoy canoe and camping trips, and outings where the emphasis is on enjoying the earth and caring for God’s creation and all of God’s creatures.

Make social and environmental justice part of your congregation's Palm Sunday celebration

Palm Sunday is April 5, 2009

The Eco-Palm Project
Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem, accented by the jubilant waving of palm branches, is re-enacted each Palm Sunday in Presbyterian and other Christian congregations worldwide as Holy Week observances begin. Unfortunately for the communities where these palms are harvested, palm fronds do not always represent the same jubilation they do for us.

In 2007 the PC(USA) teamed up with Lutheran World Relief, Catholic Relief Services and the University of Minnesota to offer congregations the option of purchasing responsibly harvested eco-palm branches for Palm Sunday. The palms come from communities in Mexico and Guatamala where workers are paid fairly and engage in sustainable harvesting in order to protect the local ecosystem. Learn more about the benefits of Eco-Palms.

Online ordering new for 2009! Orders are due by March 9 if paying by credit card (March 2 if paying by check). Learn about pricing, ordering options and more.

Read the Presbyterian News Service article about Eco-Palms.

Ecumenical Advocacy Days - March 13-16 in Washingston DC

1. Would you like to know more about the connections between climate change, migration, and poverty here in the U.S. and around the world?
2. Would you like the opportunity to come together with faith-based advocates and activists from other Christian communities?
3. Would you like to meet and talk with other Presbyterians from all over the country who are concerned about these issues?
   
4. Would you like to learn more about the abundance of our world and how it can be allocated in a way that's fair and just for all creation?
5. Would you like to talk personally about your concerns with your representative and senators (or their staff members)?
6. Do you have a pulse?
   

If you can answer "yes" to at least one of the above and if your schedule is open, Ecumenical Advocacy Days is for you! Scholarship assistance of $500 is available from the Synod of the Northeast for use by Ministers and for Members of churches with membership greater than 150. Student scholarships are also available from Ecumenical Advocacy Days (applications due by February 6).

Registration Information

• Conference fee: $160 including two lunches and Sunday reception.
• Registration after February 13th will be $175. Register early!
• Student scholarships are available, visit the young adult page or email scholarships@advocacydays.org.
• Consider making a donation to help students attend the conference.

Click here to Register Now!

After the Palms - Imagine Scene 2

The following essay is by Peter Sawtell, Executive Director of Eco-Justice Ministries. It really is "food for thought"!

"Palm Sunday is that occasion in the church year when we try and get ourselves into a really joyous mood, so that we can experience the full roller coaster effect of Holy Week.

"In many churches this weekend, the members of the Sunday School will be drafted to form a palm-waving procession through the sanctuary. Some lucky child may even get to play the part of Jesus, and ride the wooden donkey, the same one used by Mary in the Christmas pageant. Meanwhile, in the pews, well-dressed adults will sing All Glory, Laud and Honor and look very self-conscious about waving their fronds.

"Through it all, we make a noble attempt to capture the genuine spirit of celebration that is part and parcel of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem. We try to claim the hope and excitement of the Messiah's arrival in the capitol city. And we set aside the awareness of what comes later in this Holy Week -- the agonizing times of betrayal and death, and the astounding joy of resurrection.

"The Christian liturgical tradition packs a lot into Holy Week. We observe Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, the Easter Vigil, and Easter itself.

"And yet, as I re-read the Palm Sunday account in the gospels, I'm struck by what our liturgies skip over. The tradition of the triumphal entry is truncated. Scene 2 is skipped.

"Picture this in your church's observation of the day: The bathrobe-clad Jesus rides the wheeled donkey down the aisle, while the congregation sings familiar hymns of praise and wave their palm branches. Then, as the music comes to a close, Jesus strides to the chancel, sweeps the silver communionware onto the floor, and shouts, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer', but you are making it a den of robbers."

What do you think? Is this true? Read the rest of the article

The painting is undated by Solomon Raj. Asian Christian Art Association

The sculpture of Christ cleansing the Temple is by Brian Burgess.

Food for Thought: Do you know how much your burger costs the earth?

The Food and Faith site of the Presbyterian Hunger Program is "chock full" of good information. The following is directly from there.

Grain

It takes 12 pounds of grain to produce one pound of hamburger. This could make eight loaves of bread, or 24 plates of spaghetti. Grain consumption by livestock is increasing twice as fast as grain consumption by people. Cattle consume 70 percent of all U.S. grain.

Rain forest

While not all hamburgers come from the rain forest, for every pound of rain forest beef, approximately 660 pounds of precious living matter is destroyed, including 20—30 different plant species, over 100 insect species, and dozens of mammals and reptiles.

Water

It takes 2,500 gallons of water to produce one pound of hamburger. This could be used to grow more than 50 pounds of fruits and vegetables. Half of all water consumed in the United States is used to grow feed and provide drinking water for cattle and other livestock.

Three Cents-Ability Grants Announced

The Cents-Ability Grants Committee approved grants of $750 each to three hunger projects chosen from the Break Free From Hunger catalog of the Presbyterian Hunger Program. (In accordance with the Cents-Ability Program guidelines, 60% of the funds collected is used for grants outside the bounds of the Presbytery.) One of the projects is located in nearby Trenton, NJ; the others are in Gambia and Ethiopia.

The ISLES Community Gardens Program is a community development and environmental organization that fosters a permanent and community-based solution to the problems of hunger and urban blight. ISLES maintains 43 gardens that provide fresh produce to low-income families in Trenton. The benefits include fresh garden produce that provides nutrition and promotes healthy lifestyles; a place for after-school activities in which students learn about sustainable living concepts; and an opportunity for senior citizens to become intergenerational links with the community.

The Development Program for the Meshangir Community Near Dembi Dollo, Ethiopia was developed in response to a request of the Meshangir people of Ethiopia. For countless generations, the Meshangir lived as nomad hunters, but their lifestyle changed dramatically when the Ethiopian government disarmed the people, making it necessary to transition from living as nomad hunters to living in a settled community. The program introduces sustainable food production techniques and develops income-generating products based on the traditional skills of the people.

In Senegal, the Moringa tree has been called the “miracle tree” because it is easy to grow and provides significant nutritional benefitis. Church World Service worked with local partners in Senegal for several years on a Moringa pilot project. Our gift to the Gambia Nutrition Program is an expansion of the pilot project into the West African country of Gambia. This expansion will extend the benefits of the Moringa to many more mothers and children while offering an opportunity for scientific research to validate the Moringa’s nutritional and socio-economic benefits.

Food for Thought: Lord I want to be GREEN and CHRISTIAN in my HEART

I don’t want to have to deal with climate change! I feel hopeless and powerless when I see pictures of polar bears stranded on ice, or think about the rising ocean temperatures and sea levels that we know will eventually submerge an entire nation, or when I visit a rapidly disappearing glacier high up in the Bolivian Andes and learn about the effect on the people who depend on it for their water.

But after a long time of hoping global warming would go away (a.k.a. being in denial),I’ve come to terms with the need to make some changes in my lifestyle. A lot of them are cosmetic: compact fluorescent light bulbs, alternative energy sources, less driving. They’re becoming good habits that I really like.

But there’s a deeper change that I really struggle with, and that is the need to turn away from the individualism and materialism of our market-driven society. I need another kind of change—a paraphrase of an old Slave Song: “Lord, I want to be green (and Christian) in my heart.” And that means a deep spiritual change leading to voluntary simplicity, real community, and the genuine abundance of “enough”—which is, after all the abundant life that God offers us.

That kind of change isn’t easy in a world where we hear the story “more is better” 24/7. But we have God’s promise of shalom, and we have hope that calls us to committed and active engagement with the “principalities and powers” and compassionate relationship with all of creation.

It may not be quite as easy bein’ green on the inside, but “it’s beautiful and it’s what I want to be.”

Wishing you traveling mercies and many glimpses of redemption on your journey with Jesus.

For a really good article which says this so much better than I can, check out Peter Sawtell's recent article "Only a symptom" in Eco-Justice Notes.

Feast and Fast in Lent or Anytime

We are called both to attend to the sacredness of Creation and to respond to it by active participation in the protection of Creation. This list from Presbyterians for Restoring Creation uses the metaphors of feasting and fasting to invite both these elements of caring for Creation into our Lenten observance. Which ones will you choose?

1. Feast on foods lower on the food chain such as whole grains and vegetables.

2. Fast from purchases at national chains by shopping at local stores.

3. Feast on the light of God by having one meal by candlelight.

4. Fast from television.

5. Feast on the beauty of community by calling or visiting with a loved one.

6. Fast from extra energy use by adjusting your thermostat when you will be away for more than a few hours.

7. Feast on local agriculture by finding out the location of the closest farm stand, farmers’ market, or grocery stocking local produce (and then supporting it!)

8. Fast from giving consumer products as gifts and instead give donations or subscriptions on someone’s behalf to worthwhile organizations (such as giving a PRC gift membership!)

Read more ideas for Feasting and Fasting.

Make social and environmental justice part of your Palm Sunday celebration

The great crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting, "Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord — the King of Israel!" (John 12:12-13)

Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem, accented by the jubilant waving of palm branches, is re-enacted each Palm Sunday in Presbyterian and other Christian congregations worldwide as Holy Week observances begin. Unfortunately for the communities where these palms are harvested, palm fronds do not always represent the same jubilation they do for us.

For a second year, the PC(USA) is teaming up with Lutheran World Relief, Catholic Relief Services and the University of Minnesota to offer congregations the option of purchasing responsibly harvested eco-palm branches for Palm Sunday. The palms come from communities in Mexico and Guatemala where workers are paid fairly and engage in sustainable harvesting in order to protect the local ecosystem.

The Eco-Palm Project is part of the Enough for Everyone initiative. Read more . . .

This year Palm Sunday falls on March 16, 2008. The last date congregations can order eco-palms in time for Palm Sunday 2008 is February 20, 2008. Placing your order early ensures the best availability.

Lenten Series - Wednesdays at Noon - Just Eating

Wednesdays February 6, 13, 20, 27 and March 6 and12
noon to 1 p.m. at the Presbytery Center, Tennent, NJ

Special for Lent—our Hunger Action Program offers an innovative Lenten Series that explores the way we eat and live. Just Eating? Practicing Our Faith at the Table aims to bring into dialog daily eating habits, the Christian faith, and the needs of the broader world through readings, action steps, and healthy eating tips. The title is a reminder that we can eat as an everyday activity or we can eat justly and explore the relationship between our food and our faith.

The curriculum will take us on a journey from the table of the Lord to the table of the world that will challenge, encourage, and enrich all who participate. Scripture, prayer, and stories from the local and global community are used to explore five key aspects of our relationship with food:

• the health of our bodies;

• the challenge of hunger;

• the health of the earth that provides our food;

• the ways we use food to extend hospitality and enrich relationships;

• the opportunities for action, renewal, and transformation in our eating practices—as individuals and as faith communities.

Please register by phone at 201-910-7047 or email phylliszoon@gmail.com. A copy of the curriculum can be picked up at the Presbytery Center.

Food and Faith Series

Just Eating? Practicing Our Faith at the Table works really well during Lent (and any other time). This series for adults and/or youth aims to bring into dialogue daily eating habits, the Christian faith, and the needs of the broader world through readings, action steps, and healthy eating tips. The title is a reminder that we can eat as an everyday activity or we can eat justly and explore the relationship between our food and our faith.

The curriculum takes participants on a journey from the table of the Lord to the table of the world that will challenge, encourage, and enrich all who participate. Scripture, prayer, and stories from the local and global community are used to explore five key aspects of our relationship with food:

• the health of our bodies;
  
• the challenge of hunger;
  
• the health of the earth that provides our food;
  
• the ways we use food to extend hospitality and enrich relationships;
  
• the opportunities for action, renewal, and transformation in our eating practices—as individuals and as faith communities.

You can get the Just Eating curriculum through Presbyterian Distribution Service. There is a link from the Presbyterian Hunger Program: http://www.pcusa.org/hunger/features/justeating.htm that will get you there. You can also get it free online as a PDF: http://www.pcusa.org/hunger/downloads/resource_justeatpart.pdf for the participant's guide and http://www.pcusa.org/hunger/downloads/resource_justeatlead.pdf for the leader's guide.
We also have a limited number of sets of the curriculum available at the Presbytery office. Contact Phyllis Zoon for more info.