Creation Care Ministry

 

“Will you cherish the wondrous works of God,
and protect and restore the beauty and integrity of all creation?”

 

Join us in a new ministry at St Stephens

Creation Care was recognized as a new St. Stephen’s ministry at the Vestry’s October 2024 meeting. We take as our purpose and focus the call in the 2018 baptismal vow “to cherish the wondrous works of God, and protect and restore the beauty and integrity of all creation.”

Alongside our concern for the earth’s climate crisis, we want to engage with joy, given the awe-inspiring nature that surrounds us. Endeavors In 2025 include advocating for a green HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) system, as the parish and Vestry considered the choice of new HVAC system as part of St. Stephen’s renovation; sponsoring a spring Contemplative Walk at Spirit in Nature; collaborating with Music Director Robert Ludwig on a new composition for the 2025 Season of Creation; and offering a Creation theology-focused BIble study.

Want to get involved? Thoughts, questions, ideas? Talk to any of our current members: Gaen Murphree, chair; T-M Baird, Dan Beaupré, Theresa Gleason, Sarah Horton, Elizabeth Oettinger, Heather Pask. LEARN MORE

 

“Ask the animals, and they will teach you, the birds of the air, and they will tell you;
ask the plants of the earth, and they will teach you, and the fish of the sea will declare to you.”

Job 12: 7-10

 

Events Fall 2025

Bible Study: Ask the Beasts About the Trinity

“Ask the beasts and they will teach you. . . the hand of the Lord has done this. In his hand is the life of every living being.” Job 12:7, 9-10

A four-part Bible study, incorporating reading of texts from the Old and New Testaments, along with our personal reflections
Facilitator: Sarah Horton
Tuesdays, 8 - 9am, October 28–November 18, Upper Meeting Room
BRING YOUR BIBLE!

The Christian tradition, for various reasons, has long been pre-occupied with the human drama.  It has usually (though not always) presumed human superiority in thinking about God’s relationship with the world, and in acting on those assumptions of human exceptionalism. As our ecological death spiral quickens it is past time to interrogate those assumptions and to wonder about and explore the mystery of God’s care for the entire creation.

It is curious that the Church in the Christian West has paid relatively little attention to the non-human Creation in its own right, although our scriptures begin with a great mythic hymn celebrating the goodness of all whom God has made; centers on the Word becoming flesh and living among us; and concludes with the beautiful evocation of a garden transformed in the glory of God.

So what do our sacred scriptures say about God in relation to the natural world?  What has been hiding in plain sight that might help us renew understanding of our place in Creation in order to embrace a wider love?  

Oct 28, Earth is the dwelling place of God 
Texts to include:  Proverbs 8:22-31; Proverbs 9:1-6: Wisdom 7:25-26, Sirach 24:3-7;  selected Psalms.

Nov 4, Two biblical paradigms describing the human place in Creation: “dominion” framework and “community of creation” framework
Texts to include: Job 38-41; Psalm 104; Genesis 1:26; Genesis 2:1-24

Nov 11, Lamentation: Christ’s redeeming presence at the heart of a suffering Creation
Texts to include: Romans 8: 18-27; 1 Cor.1: 23-25; Mark 10:41-45;  Hosea 4:1-3

Nov 18, Promise and hope through the eternal Christ
Texts to include: Gen. 9: 8- 17;  Eph.1: 8b-12;  Eph. 1:15-23; Col. 1:15-20;

ALL ARE WELCOME

Events Spring 2025

  • April 6. Contemplative Nature Walk at Spirit in Nature, Ripton, Sunday, April 6, 2-3:30pm (rain date April 12). Meet in the parking lot at Spirit in Nature.

  • May 18. Sunday, May 18, noon-1:15 pm, St. Stephen’s nave
    Brief presentation on “Understanding Climate Change: A Faith-Based Call to Action”; followed by George Martin, engineer, LN Consulting, presenting on St. Stephen’s HVAC Options (heating, ventilation & air conditioning), with Q&A. Special guests in attendance including Sean Flynn of Silver Maple Construction.

  • June 1. Sunday, June 1, noon-1 pm, St. Stephen’s Upper Room
    Sacred Listening Circle: While the Vestry remain the ultimate deciders on St. Stephen’s HVAC choice, this Sacred Listening Circle provides an opportunity for all parishioners to reflect deeply, share their thoughts, and listen to others.

 

“The Episcopal Church, in keeping with our following a living Christ,
rather than calling to mind a Jesus who visited us once in the past, is a learning, evolving body. Thus, as the latest climate change science and the results of the 2023 Global Stocktake have demonstrated, it is no longer sufficient to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,
we must phase out the use of fossil fuels.”

— from Resolution A098, General Convention 2024

 

Understanding the Climate Crisis: A Faith-Based Call to Action

The Creation Care Ministry began as a response to the climate crisis: parishioners investigating green HVAC (heating, ventilation & air-conditioning) as part of St. Stephen’s ongoing renovation and reporting their findings to the Vestry.

As Vermonters, we’ve lived through the destruction of recent floods, we’ve seen our winters change, we’ve witnessed the spread of lyme disease (heading north as seasons warmed), we know about the hurricanes and the wildfires and the rising sea levels, but what can we do about it?

In 2024, the Episcopal Church passed a resolution calling on us to eliminate fossil fuels from our buildings, transportation, and investments by 2034. This is a call to action with hands-on, practical steps. The following resources provide context for the choices we are now considering.

 

Starting from the Anglican diocese of Montreal, our neighbor-to-the-north Mark Gibson founded Zero Emission Churches to help houses of worship eliminate fossil fuels. The diocese of Vermont is the first in the USA to join this initiative.

 

“This is an opportunity for our churches to say to our communities: We care about the environment. We care about you. We care about the future of our children and your children.”

We strive to be awake to God, listening to the still small voice in each of us and to the words of our sacred text.