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.”

In 2025 we are focusing on green HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning), as the parish and Vestry (the ultimate deciders) consider the choice of new HVAC system as part of St. Stephen’s renovation.

Alongside our concern for the earth’s climate crisis, we want to engage with joy, given the awe-inspiring nature that surrounds us. On April 6, we’ll be leading a Contemplative Walk at Spirit and Nature. We're collaborating with Music Director Robert Ludwig and local composer Alex Van Sant on a new composition for the 2025 Season of Creation. We hope to offer a reflection, sharing and discussion series on Creation spirituality sometime in the coming year.

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 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 11. “Understanding the Climate Crisis: A Faith-Based Call to Action” presentation by Vermont Interfaith Power & Light, with Q&A. Sunday, May 11, noon-1pm, St. Stephen’s nave.

  • May 18. St. Stephen’s HVAC Options (heating, ventilation & air conditioning) presentation with Sean Flynn, Silver Maple Construction, engineer George Martin, and other special guests, followed by Q&A. Sunday,
    May 18, noon-1pm, St. Stephen’s nave.

  • June 1. Sacred Listening Circle, Sunday, June 1, noon-1pm, St. Stephen’s nave. 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.