Earth Day Sunday 2022
Earth Day is celebrated on April 22 each year, and Presbyterian churches are urged to celebrate Earth Day Sunday. Considering that Easter is April 17 this year, April 24 may be a better choice although it is generally regarded as Low Sunday. Your church’s Earth Day observance can be anytime during the year or possibly every Sunday. You may also consider having a special Sunday during the Season of Creation, September 1 – October 4.
Listed below are resources that may be helpful to you in planning an Earth Day or Creation Care Sunday at your church.
Creation Justice Ministries 2022 Earth Day Resource, “Weathering the Storm. Faithful Climate Resilience”
Interfaith Power and Light’s (IPL) Faith Climate Action Week is ten days in April (Earth Month) when IPL congregations focus on taking action to protect climate. The 2022 theme is “Sacred Trust: Our Children’s Right to a Livable Future.”
Creation Care in Your Worship Service (presentation starts at minute 11:30)
Interfaith Power and Light (IPL) Educational Resources for Children and Youth, Lessons and activities from various faith-based and secular sources about the creation story, climate change, Native Americans, and related topics
Earth Day Resources from PC(USA). Although these resources are from last year, they are still relevant and useful for 2022.
Christianity and Climate Change. A nine-part film series featuring Katharine Hayhoe, the internationally renowned Christian climate scientist
Earth Day
In 1970 Earth Day began, with April 22 assigned as the date to recognize the tremendous effect humans were having on the earth. Some 20 million people, with college campuses being the focal point of the effort, came out to let the world know that a major effort was needed to avoid a future catastrophe. Since then it has become a worldwide event being celebrated across the globe by many more millions of people.
The effects of humans on the globe have only intensified, with study after scientific study has been released showing serious consequences. In mid-2021 the IPCC (International Panel on Climate Change) was released showing many of the consequences, and firmly stating that they have clear evidence that humans are the cause of climate change.
In addition to climate change, there are many other serious impacts we are having on the earth. Dying coral reefs, heating oceans, depleted soils and plastic pollution are a few. In the last 24 hours before I write this in mid-February 2022, I have read reports of the worst drought in the western U.S. in 1200 years, and also that sea level rise on our coasts is expected to rise about 1 foot be 2050.
We Christians know God entrusted to us the care of this earth, and to that end a dedicated team of individuals from the Santa Fe Presbytery has been working to make more people aware of the issues surrounding the way humans are handling care of the earth. We would like the support of the Presbytery in using this April 22 Earth Day to help get the word out to individuals and Churches in our Presbytery on how change can be made to sustain life on God’s earth as we know it.
Read more about Earth Day at www.earthday.org and www.nm-ipl.org.
Here is a list of many ideas of what you can do for Earth Day: What You Can Do for Earth Day 2022
Contact the Earth Care Team by emailing santafeearthcareteam@gmail.
