Creation Care

Author

Liberty Bowerman and Jacob Shultz

Have you considered how caring for the environment and Christian faith might be linked?
 
Christianity is unique in its view of creation. Many other belief-systems advocate an ‘escapist’ mindset - where the world is a broken and evil place that should be transcended. But in Christianity, the world is good. A quick read through Psalms will show that the earth was created with care and intention, full of unmatched beauty. 
 
Later in the biblical story when Jesus prayed ‘your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven’ (Matt 6:10), he touched on God’s ‘masterplan’ for humanity. That we might partner with God in the restoration of all things. That is, the restoration of hearts, minds, families, marriages and all of creation. 
 
It raises the question - why does caring for creation feel so unnatural at times? And in a developed nation marked by greed and materialism, how do we make environmentally-conscious decisions while still functioning effectively in society?
 
There is no easy answer to these questions. 
 
As a church, we are taking the first steps in becoming more aware of our environmental footprint. As we ‘Come Alive’ in Jesus, we recognise that caring for the environment is a natural outworking of a vibrant relationship with Jesus. 
 
We don’t have all the answers, and we are aware that environmental issues are deeply complex. 
 
What we want to encourage is small, simple steps towards reducing our environmental footprint - one of these ways is through the reduction of our use of single-use plastic coffee cups. It is clear that the use of plastics is having significant negative effects on our environment. Many scientific reports are recommending the immediate cease of single-use-plastics.  Interested in finding more about the impact of plastics on our environment? https://www.ciel.org/plasticandclimate/ 
 
For some context, here’s some quick stats that you might find interesting:

• New Vine Lakes uses 2080 coffee cups at our Sunday morning services every year
• Every 4 coffee cups made creates 0.5kg of CO2 emissions
• Virtually every plastic ever created still exists today

We would like to encourage you to invest in a (sealed) keep cup as a simple, cost-effective way to make an environmentally-conscious decision. Keep cups are available at reasonable prices from all major department stores.
 
You might have seen, heard or jumped on board with the ‘keep cup’ revolution. You might have asked yourself “is this worth my time and money?”, or even questioned whether it was worthwhile at all. While using a keep cup may feel insignificant, we believe that this simple act of making a life-decision that is environmentally conscious will be a significant action that will lead to life-giving conversations with your family and community, and ultimately a greater awareness of how caring for the environment is an act of worship to God the Creator.