For a faith community to go on a journey towards sustainability - towards the flourishing of all Creation - it is really important that there are people committed to driving the process.
Caloundra Catholic parish social justice group, Queensland
For a faith community to go on a journey towards sustainability - towards the flourishing of all Creation - it is really important that there are people committed to driving the process.
The fact that you are reading this indicates that you are probably the likely candidate to start the ball rolling! We strongly recommend that you seek out other like-minded people from your faith community, and form a sustainability team. It is not always easy for one person to press on by themselves, but you’ll be amazed what a small group of inspired people can achieve! This can be a new team, or it can be an existing team that takes on this extra role – even just one or two other people is a good starting point. At this point, we recommend that you ‘come aboard the ARRCC’– register with us and tell us about your faith community’s commitment to take action on climate change. We can support you on your journey.
We suggest that you try to meet outside (if the weather permits!). You could try a park or garden, to grow your awareness of being part of Creation, rather than just talking about it as a cerebral exercise! An important part of making working for sustainability, sustainable, is growing in your own enjoyment of your relationship and appreciation of Creation and how it connects with your faith. Doing this with others can be even more enriching.
The basics (first meeting)
You might be well experienced in leading groups, or it might be the first time. Here are some suggestions of what to cover at your first meeting:
- Ask each member to share their own story about how they feel about or connect with Creation, and how this integrates with their faith. You could start your meetings by each sharing how you have connected with Creation since you last met and what this has meant.
- How would each of you personally like to grow in your connection with and care for Creation? Which of the Steps to Sustainability do you feel most passionate about? Which do you want to learn more about?
- Establish how often you want to meet initially. Perhaps sometimes you will meet to talk about plans for the Steps to Sustainability, or just to connect as part of Creation together, whether just for a walk, or to plant something together or take part in bush regeneration – or you may have other ideas. And don’t forget to set a time for your next meeting!
Activities
You might like to explore the following at this or subsequent meetings:
Idea 1: Take the temperature of your faith community
- How does your faith community currently connect with Creation? Where do you think people stand on the issue of climate change and sustainability? Think of all the different demographic groups (families, elderly etc). Consider how these views are reflected in teaching, conversations, how the faith community operates, activities the faith community runs/is involved with, how it saves and spends funds etc.
- What do you think may be the barriers to your faith community becoming more sustainable?
- What are the information gaps for your faith community that your team could help fill?
- Who in your faith community do you already know of who has knowledge or skills to contribute towards becoming more sustainable?
- What are ways that your faith community is already acting sustainably? How can you affirm these, create space for stories and ideas to be shared and make these actions infectious?
- What other groups involved are faith community members already engaged with in sustainability?
- Brainstorm opportunities, small and large, as to how you can engage your faith community in the Steps2Sustainability, and provide opportunities for them to connect with Creation (or become more aware of how they already are connected as part of Creation.) From this list, identify which of these opportunities would be achievable to start with.
Idea 3: Talk to your leaders
- Who do you need to talk to get their support for doing Steps2Sustainability with your faith community? Meet with them and explain what you would like to do, and ask how they can support your team to get your faith community on board. If it’s not possible to do the Steps2Sustainability with the whole faith community initially, perhaps you could do it with a small group, study group or youth group?
Resources
Article on connecting with Creation
TEAR Australia's guide to sharing your story with others
Creative thinking and brainstorming tools
Next steps
You’re now ready to start Steps2Sustainability. The followings steps are not meant to be prescriptive and don’t need to be consecutive and you don’t necessarily have to do one step before you start the next. (For example, you might have already started on some of the later steps before you heard about the Steps2Sustainability). Or some earlier steps might not be suitable for your faith community (for example, your faith community may not have its own building, in which case switching the building over to GreenPower may not make sense). So feel free to adapt the Steps2Sustainability to suit your particular situation - you and your Sustainability Team will be best placed to work out what is appropriate for your faith community and the surrounding community.
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