WCC News: Climate change poses a growing threat to children’s health and well-being, highlights study

A new study published in the journals “The Lancet” and “Child Abuse and Neglect” co-authored by the World Council of Churches (WCC) highlights the alarming impact of climate change on the health and wellbeing of children. Participants in the Fridays for Future march in Glasgow, UK, 5 November 2021, during COP26. Photo: Marcelo Schneider/WCC 30 August 2023 “This study underscores the urgent need to recognize that inadequate responses to the climate emergency pose a profound ethical concern affecting every aspect of the rights, physical and emotional wellbeing of children,” said Frederique Seidel, WCC senior advisor on child rights. “As people of faith, we are called to tackle the root causes of the climate emergency, as an urgent measure for protecting children from the dire consequences of a warming world.”  Drawing from various sources, the research describes the impacts of the climate crisis as a form of structural violence against children. It highlights an urgency to revise definitions, research agendas, policy actions, and legal frameworks to adequately address the physical and psychological consequences of global warming on children.   “The study’s message is clear: “Besides a  radical decrease in emissions of greenhouse gas into the atmosphere, there is an urgent need for recognition that climate destruction is a trigger of violence against children and against future generations,” said Seidel. In the meantime, WCC and partners made available a guide for asset owners, addressing such violence against children by verifying their own banks and pension funds are not accelerating global warming through the financing of fossil fuel expansion. The guide is entitled “Save Children’s Lives: Climate-Responsible Banking Survival Guide.”  Save Children’s Lives: Climate-Responsible Banking Survival Guide More information about the study here and here. See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 352 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches 150 route de Ferney Geneve 2 1211 Switzerland

SojoMail - How to heal when religion hurts

How To Find Healing From Religious Trauma This week we're sharing our latest cover story, in which therapist Matthias Roberts explores what it takes for people to heal from the negative religious environments in which they were raised. The first time I became conscious that I was carrying the effects of religious trauma, I had just moved to Seattle and was sitting in a church, sweating. My heart was beating fast; I couldn’t understand what was happening. This church, one I had chosen expressly because of its progressive, LGBTQ+ affirming stance, was supposed to be safe for someone like me, a queer person who deeply valued my faith. But I didn’t feel safe. I looked at the faces in the room with suspicion, searching for any indication of a bait-and-switch, and left the building quickly once the service was over. Despite what I knew about the church — they welcomed LGBTQ+ people at any level of leadership, were committed to anti-racism work, and weren’t afraid of doubt or theological exploration — my body told me another story. As I sat in the cold folding chair, I tried to reason with myself, repeating these facts to calm down. But I didn’t feel calmer; I felt worse. I sat on my hands, legs shaking, as I waited for the service to end. Because I had moved to Seattle to work on a master’s degree in counseling psychology from an institution that specialized in trauma, I soon learned what had happened: In that moment, my body had experienced the effects of trauma. Even though I cognitively knew the church was supposed to be safe, my body couldn’t discern this church from all the churches I had been in before — churches filled with people who weren’t afraid to tell me I needed to become straight for God to save me from hell. My body was sending warning signs: Be careful, environments like this aren’t safe. Despite the years of work I had done to detach myself from the rigid belief system of my youth, despite the ways I had fought to find a more life-giving approach to theology, I was beginning to reckon with the reality that changing my beliefs didn’t mean I had healed from the environments in which I was raised. READ THE FULL ARTICLE Forward Share

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Our Latest What Families With Disabled Kids Need From the Church (by Bekah McNeel) Too often, the burden to assimilate into church life falls on disabled people, those with medical complexities, and their families. AI Is Made In Our Image. Here’s Why That’s a Problem (by Zachary Lee) Noreen L. Herzfeld wants Christians to face the practical and theological implications of artificial intelligence. 6 Warning Signs of Christian Nationalism in US Politics (by Adam Russell Taylor) Voters need to be savvy in recognizing when candidates’ behavior and rhetoric aligns with anti-democratic beliefs. Young Evangelical Activists Face a Key Climate Barrier: Their Elders (by Bekah McNeel) In a world of adult inaction, a recent Montana ruling is a rare win for youth climate activists.

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From the Magazine Poet Maggie Smith Finds Beauty After Divorce (by Olivia Bardo) The author of “Good Bones” teaches us to change direction, create a new path, and let the light in.

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Check out our colorful and doodle-filled Climate Zine  If I want to talk to my church about climate change, where do I begin? We’ve got you, friend! We're proud to present the story of creation care and climate justice…all wrapped up in an action-packed zine. Our zine provides an engaging way to learn, jumpstart conversations, and act together to protect our common home.  Enrich your anti-racism journey  Check out our anti-racism reading list to learn about racial justice through a variety of lenses. It is a growing resource featuring more than thirty books.

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Presbyterians for Earth Care - Invitation to March

Join the March to End Fossil Fuels

Dear PEC members and Friends: My name is Fred Milligan and I am writing to invite you to join Presbyterians for Earth Care, Fossil Free PC(USA), Green Faith, Greenpeace, and numerous other people of faith and good will in a March to End Fossil Fuels on Sunday afternoon, September 17. This is just three days before the Climate Ambition Summit that has been called by Antonio Guterres, the General Secretary of the U.N. Leaders from across the globe will be in attendance in the city on this day and they need to hear from we the people if things are going to change. But our voices will be primarily focused on a call for President Biden to call a stop to fossil fuel exploration and subsidies. We will gather at Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church between 11:20-12:00 or in front of the Ed Sullivan Theatre (between 53rd and 54th streets on Broadway) at 12:30 p.m. near to where we will will be positioned in the march just behind the Labor and Youth Hubs. The March will then proceed to First ave and 49th neat to the United Nations headquarters.  After you sign up for the march using the link below, please let me know so I can be on the lookout for you that day on Columbus Circle. I will be carrying a PEC sign and wearing my PEC t-shirt. My direct phone number is 917-544-2931. Please go to this link: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/march-end-fossil-fuels/ I look forward to seeing you on the 17th. Blessings, Fred Milligan PEC Advocacy Team Co-facilitator, with Jenny Holmes

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP

Help us grow! Please let us know if there is anyone we should add to our list!  Just reply to this email. Please help us to continue to assist individuals and churches in creation care work by donating to PEC through our website by CLICKING HERE. How can we help you care for God’s creation?  Drop us an email and let us know at presbyearthcare@gmail.com.

Copyright (C) 2023 Presbyterians for Earth Care. All rights reserved.

WCC News: WCC extends condolences, expresses solidarity in wake of mass shooting in Florida

World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof Dr Jerry Pillay extended condolences and expressed solidarity with the victims of a mass shooting in Jacksonville, Florida (USA). Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC 30 August 2023 Pillay joined the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA in condemning the act of hatred that took the lives of three innocent people on 26 August. The shooting took place the same day thousands of people gathered in Washington, DC, for a March on Washington to continue to pursue the justice and equality Rev. Dr Martin Luther King called for in his famous “I have a dream” speech.  “Racism is not just an issue for Black and Brown people,” said National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA president and general secretary Bishop Vashti McKenzie, who also spoke at the March on Washington. “We need to enact and enforce legislation that targets systemic racism.” Pillay expressed both grief and determination for action in solidarity with the victims, their families, and the churches in the USA. He expressed that it is both alarming and unacceptable that lives continue to be injured and lost because of racially invoked hate speeches and tendencies.  “As we walk with the Jacksonville community and churches in their pain and sorrow, we also stand with those who are demanding an end to complacency, an end to violence, and an end to racially motivated hate,” Pillay wrote. “We will pray and we will act to end the scourge of racism and extremism that affects not only those in the USA but across the world.” "National Council of Churches Condemns the Jacksonville Mass Murder" - NCC USA news release 28 August 2023 March on Washington: “We must reset the moral compass of the nations” - WCC news release 28 August 2023 See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 352 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches 150 route de Ferney Geneve 2 1211 Switzerland

WCC News: As Armenian ambassador visits, WCC reiterates calls to lift blockade of Nagorno-Karabagh

On 28th August, during a visit with Ambassador Andranik Hovhannisyan, Permanent Mission of the Republic of Armenia to the UN Office, World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay expressed solidarity with those making efforts to lift the blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh by reopening the Lachin corridor. WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay with the Ambassador Andranik Hovhannisyan, Permanent Mission of the Republic of Armenia to the UN Office, 28 August 2023, Photo: Grégoire de Fombelle/WCC 29 August 2023 Pillay also expressed ongoing grave concern about the escalating humanitarian crisis in the blockaded enclave of Nagorno-Karabagh (Artsakh). The meeting, requested by the ambassador, was focused on the Lachin corridor—the only road that links the region to Armenia—which has been blocked for more than eight months, seriously affecting the lives and living conditions of 120,000 people, including children. Hovhannisyan expressed appreciation for the support of the WCC, and shared stories of those who are suffering. He also expressed grief and concern over the culture of Christian heritage and churches being destroyed in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Hovhannisyan warned that “If the blockade is not lifted soon, tens of thousands of people will perish, resulting in an ethnic cleansing,”  The WCC, through statements and joint letters, has been urging the international community to intervene immediately and quickly in order to end the blockade and save the lives of the Artsakh residents. The WCC—through the WCC 11th Assembly and its central committee—has repeatedly urged more efforts to find diplomatic solutions for a just peace in the region. “The WCC has called and continues to call on Azerbaijan and other forces involved for the immediate lifting of the blockade and to reopen the Lachin corridor to allow for the two-way free and safe passage of civilians, transport, and goods along the corridor and to guarantee unimpeded humanitarian access to alleviate this senseless suffering,” said Pillay. “Lasting peace can be built only with the genuine commitment to seeing people as human beings—not as collateral for winning a war.” Pillay pointed out that the WCC will continue to address issues of humanitarian concerns, human rights and religious freedom in this context. He also indicated an interest in visiting the area as soon as possible, hoping that access would be provided to the Lachin corridor as well, adding “so that we can establish the facts and see for ourselves what is going on.” The ambassador was accompanied by Vahe Hakobyan, consul of the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia to the Swiss Confederation. Pillay was accompanied by Rev. Dr Kenneth Mtata, WCC programme director of Public Witness and Diakonia; Peter Prove, director of the WCC's Commission of the Churches on International Affairs; Carla Khijoyan, WCC programme executive for the Middle East; and Dr Ani Ghazaryan Drissi, WCC Faith and Order programme executive. In joint letter to European Union, WCC and Conference of European Churches urge lifting blockade of Nagorno-Karabagh (WCC news release 4 August 2023) WCC call on Azerbaijan for the immediate lifting of the blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh WCC releases minute on consequences of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war (news release, 8 September 2022) Read the minute on consequences of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war Joint letter of the World Council of Churches and Conference of European Churches to OSCE in relation to escalation in Nagorno-Karabakh (September 2022) WCC, Conference of European Churches denounce blockade of ethnic Armenian region (news release, 20 December 2022) See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 352 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches 150 route de Ferney Geneve 2 1211 Switzerland