Creation Care
In Jesus, God so loved the whole world. We follow Jesus, so we love the world God loves. Concerned for the global climate emergency, drawing on diverse approaches for our diverse contexts, we commit to form and restore loving, liberating, life-giving relationships with all of Creation.
– Creation Care, The Episcopal Church
Creation Care Team
Our Mission
The Creation Care Team’s mission is to bear witness through the people of the Diocese of Maine to the need for justice in our relations with all living things, with those on the margins who bear the brunt of climate change, and with all creation. We aim to advocate, network and inspire through education, action, and worship so that the diocese as a whole might fulfill its calling to care for creation.
For more information email Sarah Braik.
The Team will fulfill its mission through:
- Spiritual Practices and Grounding – To serve as a clearinghouse for liturgical and theological resources and to promote and encourage their use so that the people of the Diocese may become more engaged in climate justice and discover a deeper relationship with God through caring for creation
- Advocacy – To promote at the national, state, and diocesan level justice issues, legislation, and social action
- Networking and Communication – So that every parish may have resources and knowledge that promote sustainable living and to educate ourselves about other efforts being made by church or secular earth-keeping organizations
Our Work
The Creation Care Team held its first meeting (known then as the Climate Justice Council) in February 2021. Made up of 9 members from across the state, the Team is busy at work. We drafted a climate resolution for Diocesan Convention. which was passed in October 2022. The Declaration of Climate Emergency and Encourage the Observance of the Season of Creation encourages all parishes to participate annually in the Season of Creation September 1 through October 4, to appoint an Earth Keeper to create a parish Covenant for Care of Creation, and to involve and invite the participation of young people. The Team provides Earth Keeper support and resources. We have also provided the Earth Week Liturgy you can find in the Resource Library, led several diocesan Sunday services, given a presentation at a Province I convocation and created a policy briefing for a meeting the Bishop attended with Senator Angus King. Legislative updates are provided by John Hennessy, who on behalf of the Council has submitted testimony in support of LD 480, a Constitutional amendment ensuring a right for all Mainers to a healthy environment, and other related legislation.
Season of Creation Celebration Guide
Here is a guides to help you plan Season of Creation 2024.
Love God, Love God's World
New small group curriculum for those interested in climate justice
EPA Environmental Justice Screening and Mapping Tool
This tool provides demographic socioeconomic and environmental information for the geographic area you choose.
Maine Climate Council's Scientific Assessment of Climate Change and Its Effects in Maine
Our Creation Care Team encourages all congregations in the diocese to assign an Earth Keeper to head up a team in their parish and we will be happy to suggest some ways the team could help their church to live out their Covenant to Care of Creation. We provide regular support and recommend that each Earth Keeper report on their work so that it can be shared with the whole diocese. Check out these updates on our blog. Do you know your church Earth Keeper? Here’s a list! FMI email the Rev. Dr. Jenny Reece at [email protected].
Our Members
Sarah Braik – Chair & Communications Coordinator (2024)
Rev. Dr. Jenny Reece – Vice-Chair & Earthkeeper Support (2024)
Steve Ward – Secretary/Treasurer (2025)
Barbara Ryland- Justice Commission Liaison (2024)
Elaine Hewes – Justice Commission Liaison (2024)
Rev. John Elliot Lein (2
Marianne Pinkham
Meredith Tipton
Creation Care Resources
Document
Earth Keepers: A Presentation by the Creation Care Team (Convention, 2024)
Link
Truth, Healing, and Repair: A Resource for Churches on Environmental Justice with Indigenous Peoples
Link
2024 Season of Creation Worship Guide