To the Clergy and Lay Leadership of the Diocese of Northern Indiana,
The current pandemic has shaken all of our routines and mindsets. We have had to re-imagine the church without our buildings and through the digital medium have made the move to worshiping in Spirit rather than in place. I hope this time has also allowed us to reexamine our use of land and resources and determine what is truly important to us.
Over the last six months, I have worked alongside Episcopal partners from across the country as part of the ChurchLands Pilot Cohort. Although our time and discussion have not gone as we planned in January, the fruits of our labor are nevertheless evident. The global shutdown showed us how quickly nature can heal herself if we but get out of the way. And all this time indoors has taught us the strength of our holy connection to the land, the water, the air, and all of creation. We are of the earth, we are called to tend to her while we age, and we return to her to aid new growth for the next generation.
To that end, I would like us to take the next step as a diocese to move forward in faith with God in the care of creation. This falls most clearly under the banner of our Fifth Mark of Mission: To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth. But we have found that in following the first command in the book of Genesis, “to guard and tend the garden” in a myriad of ways allows us to also live into the promise of the other four Marks of Mission. This may be through recycling, through planting and tending Good News Gardens, or simply engaging with our waste and resources as a parish and diocesan community.
To help us engage in this work I would like to invite each parish to name one member as a Creation Care Liaison to the Diocesan Creation Care Commission. This person will be the point of contact for our commission and will be asked to provide statistical information about your parish land and use. We are following the framework laid out by the Faithful Stewards Commission to form a network within our Diocese to help us all in this godly endeavor.
Please forward a name and contact email for your Creation Care Liaison to us at creationcare@ednin.org, by August 1, 2020.
Thank you for your time and consideration and for the good work you are doing for the Kingdom here on Earth.
Blessings in Christ,
The Rev. Joshua Nelson
EDNIN Creation Care Commission Chair