Are We All Green Christians Now?
A magazine article where Green Christian member, John Anderson, encourages people to join Green Christian.
Are there any Christians who are not green, that is, who do not cherish all God’s creation? There are, however, many who are not Green Christians, that is, they are not members of the respected and active Green Christian movement.
Our own puny green individual activities are mightily magnified when joined with others similarly inspired. There are 1129 of us Green Christians. By visiting the extensive website, greenchristian.org.uk, we can find how we can play a part in furthering God’s green kingdom by supporting the organisation’s stated emphases of prayer, action and encouragement. Its strapline is “Responding to the cry of the earth”. At the heart of our framework for spiritual formation is the Green Christian Way of Life marked by four spiritual disciplines of prayer, lifestyle, witness and encouragement.
In print media, we produce a twice-yearly full-colour magazine, and a Storm of Hope brochure every January for wide distribution to many churches. An annual conference is held in different locations around the country. There are significant programmes to stimulate green praying, thinking and living. To help navigate our emotional responses to climate change, there is a Deep Waters programme; this short course is also available for small groups to run in their own churches. Some Green Christians are members of an email group which facilitates green discussions across the country; for over a decade I have been stimulated by the wide variety of input. The monthly workshops cover a variety of causes and campaigns: everything from allotments to affluence. I find ‘Joy in Enough’ particularly challenging and relevant; it advocates living simply that others may simply live. Responsible Christian eating is supported by resources and workshops based on LOAF: Locally produced; Organically grown; Animal friendly and Fairly traded.
Corporately, Green Christian supports, online and on the streets, groups such as Zero Hour, Climate Justice, No Faith in Fossil Fuels and Operation Noah. Our combined witness is powerful. Our mutual support reduces our isolation.
At £3 a month for individuals and families and £5 a month for whole-church membership of Green Christian, we can multiply our eco-influence. We can encourage others to understand and feel that we are not alone. The time of the Green Christian has come. I recommend everyone to join us.
John D Anderson is a member of Baildon Methodist Church, Bradford. This article was first published in the Methodist Recorder.
Please do use in your local magazine – if used in virtually the same form, please say it’s by John D Anderson and first published in the Methodist Recorder. If you significantly adapt it, please just use your own name.
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