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May 12, 2011

St. David's Embraces Environmental Stewardship

greenfaithSt. David’s Episcopal Church in Austin held an Earth Day celebration earlier this month in alignment with its increasingly holistic embrace of environmental stewardship.  The celebration included an informational booth hosted by master gardeners, a table sponsored by the City of Austin to raise awareness of issues such as water and energy conservation and waste reduction, raffles with prizes including a basket of earth-friendly household products and a bushel of locally grown vegetables, a bike valet, and a car show featuring a Smart Car and a Dodge Volt. Parishioners were encouraged to ride a bike, take the bus, walk, or carpool to church on this day---those who did were given a complimentary raffle ticket.     

 

The day also included an outdoor worship service on the church’s Labyrinth, a favorite contemplative spot for churchgoers and non-churchgoers alike.  The service included hymns celebrating the beauty of God’s creation and a sermon urging listeners to carry out God’s mandate to “keep and till” the earth, its resources, and all of the life it sustains so that those who come after us may also enjoy the many gifts of creation. 

 

The St. David’s Environmental Guild, the congregation’s volunteer ministry group, dedicated to the call of environmental stewardship, coordinated and hosted the event, with the support of the greater congregation, staff, and clergy. 

 

“We are blessed to have a clergy, staff, and membership that is supportive of these issues and eager to take an increasingly active approach to creation care,” said Rosera Tateosian, chair of the Environmental Guild.  “The energy level at the Earth Day celebration was high, and we are noticing that as we have more and more successes with our “green” initiatives, a synergy is emerging around these issues among various other ministries here and beyond our church.  We are definitely doing something right,” said Tateosian.

 

About GreenFaith

 

St. David’s Episcopal Church has been accepted into the GreenFaith Certification Program, the nation’s first interfaith environmental certification program for places of worship. St. David’s is the first place of worship in Texas to join this prestigious national program. 

 

Founded in 1992, GreenFaith is an interfaith environmental coalition which inspires, educates, and mobilizes people of diverse religious backgrounds as environmental leaders.

 

GreenFaith is widely recognized as a leader in the international religious-environmental movement. Through a range of innovative programs, GreenFaith helps diverse religious institutions put their beliefs into action for the earth. From eco-themed worship services and religious education to ‘green’ facility management and environmental justice advocacy, GreenFaith provides a unique variety of resources and opportunities for religious-environmental action. To find our more about GreenFaith, see www.greenfaith.org.