Worship And Celebration
- (Minimum of 2 projects)
- Hold "Prayers for
Plants Walks "
- Plan a Tu B Shevat Service devoted
to the environment
- Conduct a lay-led, Earth
Awareness worship service
- Present and promote a series of
Earth Awareness Week events
How to Help Out with an Action
Item
If you are interested in helping out with any Action
Item, please contact
our EarthSpirit Chairpersons and they will get
you in touch with our Action Item leaders.
Hold "Prayers
for Plants Walks "
Overview:
Hold "Prayers for Plants Walks" to forge a
friendship/reverence between people and nature. The
non-human beings that share this planet with us need
our prayers just as much as our family members and friends.
Plants and animals all over earth are threatened by
human-caused destruction, pollution, and apathy. Hikes
will be led in the San Diego area (e.g., canyons and
city/state/national parks such as Mission Trails Regional
Park, Los Peñasquitos Canyon, and Tijuana River
National Estuarine Research Reserve) by knowledgeable
naturalists to visit with some of our local natural
beauties and learn their names and unique characteristics,
wish them well, and relate plant and animal interactions
to environmental impacts. The focus will be on plants
since they can be easily approached and studied, however
animals seen along paths will also be celebrated. (While
the action item name includes "prayers," these
walks can be enjoyed by those who do and do not believe
in a higher power.)
Timeline:
Four hikes in 2007 - two in Spring and two in Fall;
hopefully ongoing in future years as well
Target Audience:
Congregation and community members (youth through seniors,
with and without physical limitations), especially those
who do not spend much time in nature
Status Update: Ongoing
- 4/15/07 - Held 1st event at Torrey Pines State
Reserve with about 25 people of all ages attending.
Very successful!
- 7/1/07 - Held 2nd walk at Mission Trails Park. Very well received.
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Plan a Tu B Shevat Service devoted
to the environment
Overview: Plan a Tu B Shevat Service devoted to the environment and serve earth-friendly food as part of service. Tu B’ Shevat, the Jewish New Year of the trees, will be celebrated with organic wine/juice and fruits of the trees according to an adapted ritual protocol. The wine/juice and fruits have ritual significance, which are discussed during the seder.
Timeline: This Jewish holiday occurs in mid-winter, the 15th day of the Jewish month of Shevat, on the following dates:
- Jewish Year 5766 : sunset February 12, 2006 - nightfall February 13, 2006
- Jewish Year 5767 : sunset February 2, 2007 - nightfall February 3, 2007
Target Audience: Adults and children who are members and friends of the church
Status Update: Completed Action
- 2/3/07 Tu B Shevat service held
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Conduct a lay-led, Earth Awareness Worship Service
Overview: Conduct a lay-led, Earth Awareness Worship Service targeted for April 15, 2007 that addresses the ways in which various spiritual traditions remind us of our connection with and call to reverence for the natural world. This service will likely contain both worshipful elements and galvanizing ideas for transforming our relationship to the earth in our modern world. .
Timeline: April 15, 2007- Hold the service at First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego
Target Audience: Involve folks from within the EarthSpirit Team and from the congregation at large. Put on for people attending worship services.
Status Update: Completed Action
- Worship service held 3/25/07.
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Assemble a
series of Earth Awareness Week events
Overview: Assemble a series of Earth Awareness Week events held at various cluster churches beginning on Sunday, April 15, 2007 and continuing in the evenings of the following week and on Saturday, April 21, 2007. These events would each speak in some way to the issues of the Green Sanctuary Program and Earth Awareness. The lay-led service (above) would be the kickoff event on the Sunday preceding Earth Day. We anticipate our local EarthSpirit team sponsoring at least one event during the week (such as a film showing) and expect to collaborate with other cluster churches to develop other events through the week.
Timeline: Hold events close to Earth Day 2007, April 22.
Target Audience: Church members and friends of cluster congregations. Heads of Green Sanctuary Programs in cluster churches or interested members of Social Justice Committees in those churches, and members of Cluster Inreach/Outreach Committee will be invited for planning/promotion.
Status Update: Action Completed
-
Held successful Earth Week at First Church, starting early with the Earth Day worship service 3/25/07. Also held the following: After-Church Patio Table Supporting Earth Day; Prayers for Plants Walk, Adult Religious Education class on Healthy, Sumptuous, Earth-friendly Food Choices; Environmental Movie Night. Publicized these events, as well as others in the community, in the church newsletter, on the patio, and in the cluster newsletter.
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