Environmental Committee

St Sophia Earth Stewards--Environmental Plan

Vision: We are responsible stewards of all God’s creation. In Genesis 1:28, God tells us to be faithful stewards of creation. Our relationship with God’s creation is part of our worship of Him, as it reflects our thanks for all He give us, our love for each other and future generations.

Mission: A) Bring awareness to our parish clergy and laity of the duty we have as Orthodox Christians to care for the environment, and B) Facilitate a concerted and fruitful environmental action through our parishes, homes and communities.

Objective 1: Establish the theological foundations of environmental stewardship

• 1 Organize presentations of parish clergy to provide a theological explanation for our environmental stewardship efforts.
• 2 Establish an annual environmental stewardship Sunday, week, or month focused on educating our parishioners about how to be good stewards of God’s creation.
• 3 Recruit new members for the Earth Stewards committee. Committee to meet as often as necessary.
• 4 Provide information to fellow parishioners about pertinent faith-based environmental presentations and activities throughout the diocese.
• 5 Distribute information through various modes of communication about the connections between ecology and theology, including relevant films and documentaries.
• 6 Develop and implement environmental stewardship curriculum strands for church school and adult bible study.

Objective 2: Educate for Environmental Action

• 1 Research and present positive examples of other parish environmental stewardship activities within our diocese or in other Christian communities. For example, how do different parishes implement recycling in their churches, how do they reuse, or implement waste-free choices or low energy usage?
• 2 Participate in worldwide community endeavors with the focus of caring for the environment, such as Earth Day on April 22 and World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation on September 1.
• 3 Encourage parishioners to make choices in church and in their home that reflect a Christian Orthodox environmental perspective.
• 4 Engage adults and youth within our parish in activities that help inform people of environmental care and to take action.

Objective 3: Facilitate Environmental Improvements at Church

• 1 Help identify and implement environmental stewardship actions for our church community and facilities, deal with our current concerns, and work with our available resources.
• 2 Document and disseminate information of the benefits of these environmental actions to our parishioners.

Submitted by St Sophia Green Team:

• Sophia Petratos
• John Katrakis
• Larry Welch
• For more information click here to contact our office.