Summer 1998
Table of Contents
Inpiration (*): In his continuing series of essays on great Christian thinkers and creation care, Gary Fawver mines the writings of John Calvin, who believed we learn about God from his creation.DANGER: Abundance!: Dean Ohlman reflects on abundance, its blessings and its dangers.
Creation Care Interview (*): Fred Wiechmann is a Christian elementary school principal who brought butterflies into the lives of the children. And they said, Wow!
Through a new lens (*): Ron Messenger left a high pressure career to become a nature photographer. He provides us with a delightful meditation on life in the world today, and the healing he has felt in the great outdoors.
St. Anthony Farm (*): Drug abusers and alcoholics experience recovery on the farm, complete with hard work and visions of God's abundance, at St. Anthony Farm. By Keith Warner, OFM
Churches at work: Ginny Vroblesky's report on three churches embracing and working for the care of God's creation.
Care in Action (*): Scott Sabin reflects on Florestaīs simple work of planting trees, which restores so much abundance to deforested lands.
Family time (*): From desert sand to sandy beach, from green forest to urban streets, families can discover Godīs creation together. By Rev. Stan LeQuire
More than esthetics (*): God's creation is more than just beautiful, it's good for people. From an EEN supporter who has some very practical things to say about stewardship. By Bronwyn Schweigerdt.
(*) Full text not available online
DANGER: Abundance!
Dean OhlmanIf the meaning of Luke 12:15 could be put on a road sign, "DANGER:
Abundance!" could be one way to word it: "Then he
[Jesus] said to them, 'Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a
man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions'" (Luke 12:15
NIV). In a fallen world, abundance and greed go together like a horse and carriage.
And the universal biblical warning about material abundance is that it is an extremely dangerous condition: Greed is Mammon's
other name. The inordinate desire for material things, in fact, has a place on the Bible's top ten list of sins: "Thou shalt
not covet." Covetousness is a synonym for greed which the American Heritage Dictionary defines: "An excessive desire to acquire or possess more than what one
needs or deserves, especially with respect to material wealth."
That America is blessed (or cursed) with abundance is a given. So how do Christians living in the midst of abundance avoid being caught in the greed trap? How does one "Watch out!"?
The Bible is clear that God promises to meet all our needs, not all our wants. So our first consideration of God's will for us regarding possessions and purchases is to honestly ask, "What do I really need?" To determine that, we all must take a trip to India to see how our Christian sisters and brothers get along there. Now we all know that's a practical impossibility, but we all must learn to identify vicariously with Christians around the globe to help us understand that we need far less than we think we need. It's easy to consider doing this. What's hard is to actually do it.
When we know what we really need, almost all of us will realize that we already have too many possessions and have more than enough money. So then we must seek to use those possessions and that money by doing what we know will bring glory to His name. Any Christian ought to be able to come up with a biblically sound list for accomplishing that. It would clearly include these: giving to the needy worldwide (both believers and unbelievers), providing for the needs within the church community where we worship, providing for the propagation of the Gospel, helping to see that God's name is honored and his purposes are reflected in our society's institutions: schools, care-giving agencies, libraries, orchestra halls, conservation organizations, government. While America has the best philanthropy statistics among world nations, the figure is still woefully small -- not at all representing our abundance.
Finally, we Christians need to do our homework to determine carefully where our money and our possessions come from -- considering whether or not the condition of people and the condition of the earth is improved or harmed by our spending. This is not easy, and because of the complexities of the global economy, of which we are unavoidably a part, we will not always learn all the facts, but we must try.
To demonstrate that complexity, consider this information: Michael Jordan makes $20 million a year endorsing Nike products. That's more than the entire work force in Indonesia earns in a year making Nike products. Nike could take just one percent of its $280 million dollar advertising budget and raise all its workers in its six Indonesian factories above the poverty line. Out of the $80 spent on one pair of shoes, only $1.60 pays for the labor to make the shoes. Much of the remainder goes to the already wealthy. Should we not consider these facts when making our shoe purchases?
Now consider the story of that great-tasting fish, the orange roughy. As coastal fisheries worldwide have become depleted, fishers have turned to deeper waters. This was the case in the early 1980's when the orange roughy fishery was discovered. Huge investment was made in this fishery focusing on the species main breeding ground between Australia and New Zealand.
This fishery began in ignorance, with fishers having no knowledge of the species' total population or breeding habits. By the time this information was gathered, orange roughy stocks were in serious decline. It is now known that orange roughy live to about 120 years. Some fish alive now may have been swimming in the seas before the advent of the automobile, the airplane, and the telephone. Orange roughy do not begin breeding until they're about 40 years of age. At this stage they're about dinner plate size. Clearly if the fish are caught - as they are - before or during the early stages of breeding maturity, the species cannot survive. Despite this and the fact that the species is perilously close to falling below 30 percent of original stocks, thousands of tons of orange roughy continue to be caught for our consumption. Short-term economic factors obviously guide the decision to continue allowing for the continued take of orange roughy.
Our material abundance comes with a hidden price tag. I believe Christians need to make purchasing decisions on the basis of all the costs, not just the dollar amount that appears affixed to the product. Jesus' simple "Watch out!", like most of his other plain warnings, is not as simple as it first appears.
Churches at work
Ginny VrobleskyIf only the trees and earth could talk, what tales they might tell! Have you ever thought of land as a witness? Moses called heaven and earth to witness the Israelites pledge to God. (Deut. 30:19-20) God Himself uses the land and sky to display His handiwork and to witness to His faithfulness. (Job 38, Jer. 8:21-22) What about the land surrounding your church? What does it declare to you or about you? Several churches across the county have discovered the joy of using their property as a reflection of their belief in God and their relationship to their community.
It was a difficult time at Minter Lane Church of Christ in Abilene, Texas. Marge Wood describes it as a "very low ebb in the body life." The church was choosing new leadership. Several people had left. Morale was low. One Sunday evening, Marge's class discovered an inexpensive opportunity to buy a large number of baby trees. A deacon proposed they purchase the trees and plant them as a deliberate statement of their belief in the future of their church. It would be an object lesson to all of them.
It was a great idea. The class provided the funds. The men and the children of the church did the planting. They had to dig holes, set in each individual tree and water them. These trees were very small and the summers in Abilene are hot and dry. Despite careful nurturing and faithful watering some trees died.
Many, however, survived and continued to grow and flourish, along with the church. The tree planting took place several years ago, but Marge recalls it as a turning point. "The people who participated in the planting and care of the trees will never forget it. They learned that working together on a useful project enhances friendships and community."
Today, Minter Lane Church has a vigor and richness of worship, a caring congregation and a wide variety of attendees. The trees have provided a parable on church life itself. Marge says: "Trees send out growth above ground and below ground. Trees improve life for others on earth. Trees hold the soil in place and clean the air. Trees grow slowly and spread themselves around. Trees produce food and building materials. Tree roots open up the soil so that moisture can go in; even when they die, they enhance the soil. Trees shelter smaller growing things. Not a bad metaphor for Christians!"
Eight years ago, Mary Gerken described the grounds of Abiding Peace Lutheran Church in Kansas City, Missouri as "the most desolate four acres." She and some other members of the church began developing a creation awareness ministry. Their vision was to create a sanctuary with their facility and grounds that would welcome people and wildlife. After seeking advice from a local gardening expert, they began planting and changing their surroundings one step at a time. They planted trees and shrubs around the church building for windbreaks and shade. Marginal areas became berry patches or ponds for wildlife. Kansas is a prairie state, so they began to restore a portion of their property as a prairie meadow. The backyard was fenced and turned into a meditation garden, with grape vines, plantings for butterflies and a walking trail. A portion of the property was dedicated to community gardening, used not only by local gardeners but also as therapy by a mental health facility.
The wildlife came. Birds nested in their birdhouses and rabbits appeared. The berries fed the birds, but also the church's human neighbors. Someone jokingly asked if they were going to make wine from their grapes. Accepting the joke as a challenge, they have made their own communion wine for the last several years..
There have been difficult moments. The property, particularly the meadow, was no longer familiar to people. The first year of the meadow, the church was reported for weed violations. They learned to put up signs and to inform people of what they were doing. It has been a cultural change for many and has taken time. Now, however, the community views these gardens as their own. Neighbors bring visiting friends to walk around the trail. Many older folks grew up on farms and feel comfortable in the church surroundings. It has become a special place for children. Mary has discovered that people are more apt to open up about spiritual things if they are working together in a garden.
As the congregation has grown more environmentally conscious, it has affected their life indoors. They recycle bulletins and use mugs instead of Styrofoam cups. The parables of Jesus have come alive. The struggle between the wheat and the tares makes sense when you have been trying to grow wheat. And what of the "vine and the branches"? If you have to prune grape vines that grow 15 feet a year, you develop a new understanding and appreciation for the work of the Father, the Master Gardener.
Sterling, Virginia's Community Lutheran Church has used their property to demonstrate love for their neighbors. The sign at the end of their Hedgerow Habitat Trail reads: "The Creeks, Streams, and Rivers that lead to the Chesapeake Bay Connect Us as Neighbors. Love Your Neighbor as Yourself. Matthew 22:39." A project that began in order to meet their own need has grown to help communities far beyond their boundaries. Community Lutheran needed to maintain their five acres of degraded former farmland, with limited staff and funding. They were pressed on every side by rapid urban development.
In 1994, the landscape committee, which included Suse and Jon Greenstone, began to consider how to restore wildlife habitat and manage their land. They conducted a landscape inventory with the help of National Wildlife Federation staff. Over the next year, they developed a master plan.
Applications for funding helped to shape their vision. A hedgerow and marginal wetland were the only features on their property, so these became the cornerstones of the Hedgerow Habitat Trail. In addition to restoring habitat, the committee determined to use the land for environmental education, to provide opportunities for spiritual reflection and recreation, and to alleviate local hunger.
Construction of the trail drew volunteers from within the church and the neighborhood. Sunday School classes created a T-shirt that provided the funds for the first wildlife plantings. The cub scouts built a butterfly hibernation house; Boy Scouts constructed the benches and the bridge was an Eagle Scout project. Working on the trail was a healing activity. One survivor of the Oklahoma City Bombing planted the names of the victims along with her flowers. The finished trail has become a quiet retreat and outreach to the neighborhood. It has been used for Family Stargazing events, Sunday school lessons and "For the Beauty of the Earth" meditative nature walks. The church has three new members as a result of the trail. Suse says that it will soon be one of the last remaining green spaces in the community, but hopes that their efforts will provide ideas that can be recreated in their neighbors backyards.
Community Lutheran's environmental outreach did not stop here. Volunteers for the fall planting in 1995 included Kids House children from the Urban Family Institute in Washington, D.C. This new connection drew Community Lutheran into the lives of inner city children, whose food security is a vital issue. They began with Christmas gifts but became more practical by establishing a "baby pool" container garden at Kid's House. In 1997, the church created their own container garden, "The Giving Garden" at the edge of their parking lot. Dedicated to glorifying God by serving the poor, the garden's produce is given to the local Food Link. And Suse? She has been charged by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America with developing their program as a national model. She has already helped churches from a variety of denominations consider what they can do on their own land.
What about your church? Do you need to start afresh? To bring your church body together? To use gifts within your congregation that are not normally tapped? To provide healing spaces or quiet retreats for counseling? Do you need to conform to zoning regulations and set aside some portion of your land as a green space? Do you need to improve relations with your local community? Mary Jerkin reminds us that habitat is being destroyed all around us. Church grounds are often wasted spaces. People are eager to be involved and a few can make a major difference. Perhaps your land is God's gift to you, a witness to your own church and to your neighbors. What can you do to enhance its voice?