Churches link for global issues

Environmental concerns are just one example of congregations focusing efforts toward change

More than 100 religious congregations across North Carolina will view Al Gore's documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth," this week and discuss the role of people of faith in combating global warming.

The initiative, coordinated through the N.C. Council of Churches, is aimed at awakening congregations to the dangers caused by the excessive burning of fossil fuels such as coal, gas and oil. The DVD, narrated by the former vice president, was mailed to participating congregations last week as part of a special arrangement between Paramount Classics, the studio that produced the documentary, and Interfaith Power and Light, a national religious coalition based in San Francisco.

The DVD will be available at video stores beginning Nov. 21.

"We don't want people to go into despair," said Alice Lloyd, who directs the Climate Connection, a project of the N.C. Council of Churches. "We want them to establish a basis for hope and a change in behavior."

The idea is to stimulate religious people to consider ways to reduce their energy consumption. The council of churches is offering participating congregations materials about installing fluorescent light bulbs and programmable thermostats. In addition, it is asking people to sign a pledge to reduce home energy use by 10 percent over the coming year.

In recent years, many churches and synagogues have come to realize that respect for the environment cannot be divorced from religious beliefs about the Earth and the role of human beings on it. Among the groups that will show the movie next week are Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist, Roman Catholic and Jewish congregations.

Many of these congregations already have committees working on environmental issues. At Watts Street Baptist in Durham, scraps from Wednesday night suppers go into a compost heap in the rear of the church. At Church of Reconciliation, a Presbyterian congregation in Chapel Hill, the youth group cleared out kudzu and other plants from Bolin Creek on Saturday. At the Catholic Community of St. Francis in Raleigh, plans call for the construction of a "green" building addition that would incorporate the latest energy-saving technology.

"The average person doesn't connect faith and the environment," said Paul Amrhein, St. Francis' director of justice, peace and integrity of creation -- basically the church's point person on social justice issues. "But there's a solid connection in terms of stewardship and dignity of human beings. We depend on the Earth for our sustenance. If you mess your nest, you're in trouble."

One way Christian congregations have tried to make that connection is by adding a creation season to the church year. In addition to Advent, the Christmas season, and Lent, the Easter season, Binkley Baptist Church in Chapel Hill has added a creation season. It begins the Sunday after Oct. 4, the feast day for St. Francis of Assisi, and ends right before Thanksgiving. St. Francis is the patron saint of animals and the environment.

During this season, prayers are said and hymns are sung about care of the Earth. The church also holds classes and youth activities on sustainable living.

"The idea was to celebrate this gift of God's creation," said the Rev. James L. Pike, the church's pastor.

But nothing can galvanize people to action like a visually arresting movie, said Laura Webb Smith, a member of Durham's Watts St. Baptist. Smith and several other church members saw the movie at the theater several weeks ago, but she said she hopes a wider group of church members will view it Friday night.

In addition to "An Inconvenient Truth," churches will get two other documentaries on global warming and climate change: "Too Hot Not to Handle," an HBO production, and "Lighten Up," a 20-minute video on ways faith communities can respond.

The Rev. Mitchell Simpson, pastor of University Baptist Church in Chapel Hill, said he saw "The Great Warming," another global warming movie that is coming out in November, and is convinced that environmental issues need to be addressed more forcefully.

"I don't see how a man or woman of faith can step into the pulpit and give a message of moral leadership if they aren't taking seriously God's gift of creation," Simpson said. "To disregard that would be like seeing your house on fire and not doing anything about it."