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by Marlene Gasdia-Cochrane, Editor
October/November 2008
In June, Massachusetts Conference Minister and President The Rev. Dr. Jim Antal, invited local churches to “blow the trumpet” – to ring their church bells 350 times to inspire communities to “make the necessary changes in our behavior so that our grandchildren will enjoy the Eden into which we were born.”
The campaign began with churches in two corners of the Commonwealth: First Congregational Church, UCC in Williamstown and Dennis Union Church in Dennis. Then, on 4th of July weekend, two churches in the other two corners joined: Old North Church in Marblehead and First Congregational Church in Sheffield. The goal is to have 350 of the almost 400 UCC churches in Massachusetts ring their bells before the 350th day of the year – December 15th. (350 represents the number of parts per million of carbon in the atmosphere that is sustainable on a long term basis.)
“During the times of the Revolution, the church bells were often rung as alarms,” said the Rev. Carrie Bail, pastor of the First Congregational Church in Williamstown. “This time, the bell is being struck as an urgent call to action to prevent a potential worldwide disaster.”
Bail has been involved with several environmental action groups. In fact, last year this paper reported on the Williamstown church’s involvement in the “Step-it-Up” grassroots campaign started by Environmentalist Bill McKibben, author of a 1989 book on global warming. The church held an event where interfaith, political, scientific and business representatives came together to speak to the community about global warming.
Williamstown, however, is not the only hotbed of global warming and environmental awareness events. There are ministries forming and local church activities taking place all over the Commonwealth in an effort to bring attention to the environmental crisis.
In fact, September’s Spotlight story highlighted the efforts of the First Evangelical Congregational Church of Uxbridge. Over eight weeks during the summer the church honored their covenant with the earth and its creatures by holding service at Southwick’s Zoo in Mendon. Rev. Gordon Merten, interim pastor, felt that being around the habitats and creatures themselves proved to be an appropriate setting to focus faith on the environment, conservation and protection of animals. The members also gave out 700 cloth bags to visitors of the zoo to help reduce the use of plastic bags.
What began as one person’s worry over styrofoam cups at coffee hour has turned into a greening commitment by the West Gloucester Trinitarian Congregational Church (UCC) in Gloucester. The church’s actions were recognized by the National Council of Churches of Christ Eco-Justice Program in their list of “Great Green Congregations.” To start, the church switched from styrofoam to recycled paper cups, and the group made sure the cups got recycled by placing blue recycling bins next to the trash can. Then some members began bringing in their own ceramic mugs to eliminate paper waste altogether. That movement inspired other changes, like using non-toxic cleaning products and unbleached paper, and creating a recycling station for batteries and items that contain mercury, like high-efficiency light bulbs.
First Church of Christ, UCC, in Longmeadow partnered with a local supermarket to raise environmental awareness by having the church school children decorate paper grocery bags with “save the planet” themes. Once the bags were finished, they were brought back to the store in time to be filled with groceries on Earth Day, April 22nd – gaining attention of the local shoppers in the community.
The Wellesley Congregational Church recently started an environmental ministry to explore ways to become better stewards, by educating and encouraging new behaviors in their congregation. According to Chris Noble, a deacon and chair of their Global Warming Awareness Group, the ministry looks at all aspects of church life, including the management of the church building. As part of their capital plan, there are designs to convert the old heating system from oil to geothermal energy and install energy-efficient windows. In addition, an “energy-saving tip of the week” is published in the bulletin and paper recycling bins have been placed in every room where paper is used. Even the children are involved in the church’s energy audits. The youngsters’ recurring activities include finding opportunities and proposing solutions to reduce, reuse and recycle. One Sunday, they identified every leaking faucet and toilet in the building.
As Rev. Chris Ney of the West Gloucester Trinitarian Congregational Church noted: “Stewardship is about how we use all the resources at our disposal for the benefit of our community and future generations.”
And many churches are pushing efforts outside their own gates.
The First Congregational Church of Brimfield is one of the members of the Ecumenical Fellowship Com-munity (EFS) representing churches in several different faiths in the Brimfield area. The group is sponsoring a four-event series focused on how the environment affects the physical and social health of families and communities and what the Bible says about the just care and protection of the environment and health. The series is a program of the Massachusetts Council of Churches and runs from October through May.
The Dennis Union Church is among three congregations nationally to receive the Energy Star award from the federal Environmental Protection Agency this year. The church recently completed a $2.5 million renovation, adding 5,000 square feet to its building, but lowering the overall level of energy consumed in the process by upgrading lighting, plumbing and heating systems and removing refrigerators and dehumidifiers.
“As nature is wounded we become newly aware of the care and the keeping of the Redeemer Christ,” said Dale Rosenberger, Minister of Dennis Union Church. “In a word, the dead and risen Christ is source and sustainer of all things living. This means rivers and sierras, salmon and cedars point to Christ. The church embodies and announces this message.”
Minister and President Antal is challenging all local churches to spread the message and take up the bell-ringing.
“As the largest Protestant denomination in the Commonwealth, as each congregation decides to ring its bell 350 times, more and more of our 82,000 members will learn why the number 350 is so important,” he said. “And when Christians learn that our choices threaten the most vulnerable people on earth and all future generations, they will change their behavior and demand that governments change everyone’s behavior.”