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CREATION JUSTICE MINISTRIES
  • About
    • Mission
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    • Work with Us
    • Board of Directors
    • Members and Partners
    • History
  • Campaigns
    • Take Action!
    • Climate Resilience
    • Ocean
    • Public Lands >
      • Public Lands & Church Camps
      • Public Lands: Prayers and Sermons
    • Conservation >
      • What is 30 x 30?
      • California
      • Grand Canyon
    • Youth & Young Adult Engagement
    • Water
    • Endangered
    • Energy >
      • Coal
      • Ideas for Toxic Free Living
    • Climate Change >
      • Climate Change - Get Involved
    • Environmental Health and Toxics
  • Donate
    • Monthly Giving
  • Resources
    • Resource Hub
    • Earth Day Resources
    • Racial Justice Resources
    • Video Resources
    • Events
    • Services
    • News
  • Blog
  • Policy Statements/Letters
  • Faithful Climate BIPOC Fellowship

52 Ways to Care for Creation

Download ALL the BULLETIN Inserts HERE

JANUARY

1. Make a Green New Years Resolution

Happy New Year! Start the year by choosing a "green" resolution that is meaningful to you. How can you make more eco-conscious choices this year? How can you care for creation in 2023?
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2. Host and Eco Bible Study

Host a creation-focused bible study! Scripture is full of nature verse, references , and metaphors. How does Genesis relate to our responsibility to care for the earth? Which psamls inspire reverence for nature? Check out the "resource hub" on our website for bible study resources. 
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3. Celebrate MLK Day in Your Community 

Find and attend a local/online event celebrating Dr. King's birthday! As he once wrote, "we aren't going to have peace on Earth until we recognize the basic fact of the interrelated structure of all reality.” Consider the relationship between social justice and creation justice.

4. Rest and Reflect

​Winter is a time of rest and renewal for the earth and for God’s creatures, including us. How does winter reflect the Sabbath? How can you invite the practice of Sabbath into your life this season?

5. Sing Hymns of Creation 

Find/choose some creation-themed hymns to sing at church. Some ideas: “All Things Bright and Beautiful” and “The Ocean is a Call to Worship.”
DOWNLOAD JANUARY BULLETIN HERE

FEBRUARY

6. Read Books by Black Authors 

​It's Black History Month! Enjoy books written by black authors, theologians, and ecologists. Check out The Intersectional Environmentalist" by Leah Thomas and "Undrowned: Black Feminist Lessons from Marine Mammals" by Alexis Pauline Gumbs.

7. Lenten Resource 

​The Lenten season continues, and our 2023 Lent Resource features a daily practice to reflect on and care for the earth. Download the action-calendar on our website!

8. Ash Wednesday

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As we enter the season of Lent, how can your Lenten practices honor creation? You could challenge yourself to give up single-use plastics. You could aim to eat less meat, drive less, or find ways to waste less water.  If your church hosts a fish fry, encourage sustainable seafood options!

9. Earth Day Sunday Resource 

Earth Day is coming up! Check out the 2023 Earth Day Sunday Resource on our website. Use our sermon-starters to write a sermon for Earth Day Sunday! You'll also find an earth day bible study guide, stories, liturgical resources, and more.

MARCH

10. Climate Resilience

​What affect is climate change having/going to have in your community? Learn how your church can be a hub for climate resilience by watching our webinars on Creation Justice Ministries' YouTube channel!

11. First Day of Spring 

​This is the season of rebirth. Pay attention as buds appear on the trees, seedlings sprout, and animals are born. When you come across these signs of spring, say a blessing (aloud or silently) for God's new creation.
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12. Write To Your Elected Officials 

Write to your members of congress or local elected officials, asking them to support an environmental issue that you care about. How does the issue you've chosen relate to racial justice?  Include this information in your letter or email.

​13. Women's History Month 

Learn about women making environmental change! Some inspiring creation justice heroes include Dr. Vandana Shiva, Sister Dorthy Stang, and Dr. Wangari Muta Maathai.

APRIL

14. Holy Week 

On Good Friday, we confront the ways we have caused suffering in the world. As we remember the death of Jesus, let us acknowledge the suffering we have inflicted upon God's Creation. In our mourning, may we resolve to be healers and helpers. May we participate in the resurrection of our environment.

15. Eco-Friendly Easter

This Easter, trade the plastic easter-eggs and chemical dyes for an eco-friendly Easter celebration. Try dyeing local/free range chicken eggs with dyes from beets, onions, and cabbages for a fun and natural holiday craft!
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16. Church of the Wild Service 

​Host/join a "Church of the Wild" Service at a nearby park, beach, or garden. Read Victoria Loorz's book, "Church of the Wild" to learn about this time of gathering, wondering, and admiring God's creation.
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17. Ecological Resurrection

Every ecological success is a resurrection story! Find out which animals, plants, or ecosystems have been revived after environmental degradation. For example, the Monterey Bay in California has a wonderful "resurrection" story!

18. Earth Day Reflection 

This earth day, take a moment to reflect on this proverb: "We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we have borrowed it from our children."

MAY

19. Reverent Nature Walk

Go on a walk, paying a little more attention than usual to the trees, or the water, or a blade of grass. Take the time to notice and admire. Rev. Barbara Brown Taylor speaks to this spiritual practice of paying attention in her book, "An Altar in the World."

20. Endangered Species Day

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Happy endangered species day! Check out CJM's resource to learn about and celebrate endangered plants and animals. Visit creationjustice.org/endangered.
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21. Compost 

Spring is a great time to start a compost pile. Set one up in your own backyard or find out if your county has a curbside composting program! Learn more about Jeff Chu's "theology of compost on the Evolving Faith Podcast.

22.Pentecost 

As we celebrate and imagine the holy spirit in the image of the dove, consider these words from Thomas Merton: "The sky is my prayer, the birds are my prayer, the wind in the trees is my prayer, for God is all in all."

JUNE

23. Happy Ocean Month!

What do you love about the ocean? This month, choose an ocean-related book to read, podcast to listen to, or documentary to watch. Check out our website for ocean resources.

24. Beach/Watershed Clean-Up

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Plan a beach clean-up, or trash pick-up by a nearby river or lake! Record the trash you collect in the app "Save Our Shores" to contribute to data that monitors what types of trash are the biggest issue in your area.

25. Blue Theology Mission Station 

Blue Theology is a mission station for learning about and caring for God's marine creation! A partner of CJM, Blue Theology hosts summer mission trips for teens. Visit bluetheology.com to learn more.

26. Ocean Reflection 

Whether you live in a land-locked state or right on the coast, everyone is connected to the ocean. Ecclesiastes 1:7 "All streams run to the sea."

JULY 

27. Social Media Advocacy 

Use social media to advocate for an environmental cause that matters to you. Share your favorite photos of God's creation! Be sure to tag us @creationjustice

28. Start a Creation Justice Group 

Does your church have a creation justice/creation care group? If not, you can start one! Gather and discuss how your church can be involved in caring for the earth. Learn together and get involved in local environmental causes.
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29. Meditate Outside 

God is supporting our existence with each breath. As you meditate, focus on your breathing. Oxygen is gifted to us from plants and plankton in the sea. As you breathe, consider the interconnectedness of creation.
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30. Volunteer

Find a local environmental organization doing work that interests you and sign up to volunteer! Caring for creation requires the whole community.

31. Rest and Reflect 

“Speak to the earth and it shall teach thee. Ask the creatures of earth and sea for their wisdom” Job 12:8. What do the creatures teach you? What can we learn from creation?

AUGUST 

32. Donate 

Share the Plate: Does your church have a donation or share the plate program? Consider giving to support the work of Creation Justice Ministries or another environmental group.

33. Start a Church Garden 

Plant fruits, vegetables, and native plants! Look for plants that attract your local pollinators. Use compost. Start a church gardening club to help tend to the plants. Share the harvest with your neighbors!
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35. Rest and Reflect 

Leah Thomas writes, "we can't save the planet without uplifting the voices of its people, especially those most often unheard." What does this look like in your community? How can you help?

34. Learn About a Local Plant/Animal

​Pick a native species. Observe it and learn how to identify it. Fall in love with it! A heart connection with the life around us is the root of conservation. Tell someone about your findings and connection to this new species.
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SEPTEMBER

36. Season of Creation 

​September begins the "Season of Creation!" Celebrate in your church community. Find theological reflections and liturgical resources at creationjustice.org/blog.

37. Local Food Systems 

Where does your food come from? What native plants/crops grow in your neighborhood? How is your community affected by food insecurity? Find out if there is a farmer's market in your area!
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38. Natural Protected Areas 

Learn about the state parks, city parks, and/or national parks closest to you. Is there a protected beach? A marine sanctuary? A protected forest?

39. Rest and Reflect 

As Wendell Berry writes, "There are no unsacred places. There are only sacred places and desecrated places.”  Identify a place that is sacred to you. What makes it so? How can you care for that place?

OCTOBER

40. Coffee Hour 

Consider your church’s coffee hour. Is there any single-use plastic being used? What changes can be made? Can mugs replace single-use cups? Can spoons replace plastic stirrers? Look for sustainable and/or local coffee brands as well.

41. Recycled Halloween

Host a recycled Halloween party. Challenge your kids or adult guests to create a costume solely out of recycled items. Costumes can be eco-themed too (animals, bugs, recycle-monsters, native plant species, eco-heroes)!
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44. Rest and Reflect 

As Ayana Elizabeth Johnson writes, “we need to have a whole cultural shift, where it becomes our culture to take care of the Earth." How does the earth take care of you? How can you take care of the earth?

42. Attend a Town/City Hall Meeting 

What kinds of environmental issues are being discussed? Any ideas/issues you’d like to share with your community? What work needs to be done? What work is already being done? How can you be involved?

43. Take a Break from Online Shopping 

Online shopping produces a lot of packaging waste and produces excess carbon emissions from airplanes and vehicles. Take a month off online shopping or reduce what you buy online. Try to make purchases closer to home!

NOVEMBER

45. Indigenous' People month 

Learn about the Indigenous people who lived on your land first. What is the name of that nation? How does the nation relate to the land and ecosystems? Learn, pray, acknowledge, and stand in solidarity.

46. Thanksgiving 

This thanksgiving, spend time learning about the indigenous history and the traditional ecological knowledge where you live. Begin your thanksgiving meal with a land acknowledgment of gratitude.
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47. Food Pantry

Volunteer at your local food pantry! Especially during the holiday season, your help is appreciated. Help fight hunger while reducing food waste!

48. Rest and Reflect 

Randy Woodley writes, “A society concerned with shalom will care for the most marginalized among them." How can you and your church community practice shalom?

DECEMBER

49. Advent: Rest and Reflect 

The Advent Season celebrates the incarnation of Christ, born into our world. What does incarnation have to do with creation? Where do you encounter the divine?

50. A Green Christmas

What can you reuse this Christmas? Can you create decorations out of recycled materials? Sustainable gift ideas: beeswax wrap, reusable water bottles, vegetable seeds, metal straws, bamboo utensils, reusable cloth shopping bags.
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51. Christmas Tree Shopping 

If you're going Christmas tree shopping, choose a real tree over a plastic one!  Tree farms help to sequester carbon and provide habitats for birds and other wildlife.

52. Write a Prayer for Creation 

Write a prayer of gratitude, protection, or lament for creation. This could be a prayer about environmental injustice or climate change. It could be a gratitude prayer for a specific tree. It may help to write in an outdoor setting. Be creative.

BONUS WEEK

53. As you make your year-end gifts, consider giving to support the work of Creation Justice Ministries. Visit creationjustice.org/donate to learn more and give.

Creation Justice Ministries

 Address

110 Maryland Ave. NE #203
Washington, DC 20002

Email

info@creationjustice.org

Phone

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‪(240) 528-7282‬


  • About
    • Mission
    • Staff
    • Work with Us
    • Board of Directors
    • Members and Partners
    • History
  • Campaigns
    • Take Action!
    • Climate Resilience
    • Ocean
    • Public Lands >
      • Public Lands & Church Camps
      • Public Lands: Prayers and Sermons
    • Conservation >
      • What is 30 x 30?
      • California
      • Grand Canyon
    • Youth & Young Adult Engagement
    • Water
    • Endangered
    • Energy >
      • Coal
      • Ideas for Toxic Free Living
    • Climate Change >
      • Climate Change - Get Involved
    • Environmental Health and Toxics
  • Donate
    • Monthly Giving
  • Resources
    • Resource Hub
    • Earth Day Resources
    • Racial Justice Resources
    • Video Resources
    • Events
    • Services
    • News
  • Blog
  • Policy Statements/Letters
  • Faithful Climate BIPOC Fellowship