Creation Care

Creation Care Team Mission Statement:

To reveal the connection of the congregations within the La Crosse Area Synod and the communities they inhabit to God’s presence in the natural world by fostering a culture of environmental reflection, engagement and stewardship.

Resources

Organizations & Websites

  • Lutherans Restoring Creation is a grassroots movement promoting care for creation in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

    We accomplish this by cultivating a community of dedicated stewards of earth and neighbor who proclaim God’s promise of hope and healing for all.

    Link: https://lutheransrestoringcreation.org

  • Green Congregation Program: Discipleship at Home and Work

    Link: https://www.webofcreation.org/HomeWork/index.htm

  • Moving towards hope- putting faith into action for a safe climate

    Link: https://interfaithpowerandlight.org

  • Our Mission: Empower people of diverse faiths and spiritualities to be leaders in advancing environmental and racial justice, providing resources to educate, connect, and advocate for healthier communities.

    Link: https://www.faithinplace.org/

  • IPL is a national leader in engaging faith communities in environmental stewardship and climate action.

    Link: https://www.ilp-inc.com/

ELCA Resources

  • For any Congregations looking to integrate Caring for Creation into their church community start by reading the Congregational Covenant and Organizing Kit. To explore what others have done, feel free to explore the many options/resources here.

    Link: https://lutheransrestoringcreation.org/what-can-we-do-creation-care/

    Link: https://lutheransrestoringcreation.org/congregations/

  • Created by the Lutheran School of Theology-Chicago for Web of Creation, see Stewardship of Creation: A Thirty Day Discipline

    Link: chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.webofcreation.org/Worship/devotions/CreationCare.pdf

  • This guide will help your congregation assess what you are already doing to save energy and protect the earth. It will also highlight areas where you can make changes or improvements. Changes that your congregation make will help care for Creation, and save energy and money. This guide is not a replacement for a full energy audit by a qualified professional however. A professional energy audit will utilize tools that can see air leaks and find spots that need insulation. But until a professional energy audit can be completed, a small group of people can use this guide to take many important steps toward energy conservation.

    Link: chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5bab4af07a1fbd6e3c95c81a/t/602c90d452a6161779f2551f/1613533397614/Congregation+Self+Audit+Form+2021.pdf

  • NEW ELCA social statement approved by ELCA Church Council on April 20, 2023.

    Link: chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://download.elca.org/ELCA%20Resource%20Repository/Earths_Climate_Crisis_Social_Message.pdf?_ga=2.94351902.285840966.1687361338-1968239819.1675976125

  • Link: chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://download.elca.org/ELCA%20Resource%20Repository/EnvironmentSS.pdf?_ga=2.212266323.638619083.1644850529-100781608.1644850529

Tools for Congregations & Individuals

  • Green Congregation Program: Discipleship at Home and Work

    Link: https://www.webofcreation.org/HomeWork/index.htm

  • Moving towards hope- putting faith into action for a safe climate

    Link: https://interfaithpowerandlight.org

  • Robin Wall Kimmerman’s book, Braiding Sweet Grass

    Link: https://milkweed.org/book/braiding-sweetgrass

  • Aldo Leopold’s book, Sand County Almanac

    Link: https://www.aldoleopold.org/about/aldo-leopold

  • This Cool Climate Bingo depicts positive things we can do - big and small - to measurably help cool our climate while helping wildlife along the way. Save it, print it or share it .

    Link: https://blog.nwf.org/2021/10/cool-climate-bingo/

As Christians, we are called to know and care for our neighbors. We work to expand our image of just who that neighbor might be. What if we walk out the door of our church and try to name the first plant or creature neighbors we see? Do we know them, their colors, their needs, their origins, how we are connected to them?

Is our yard at home or church more of a good scenery backdrop for a web page, or a fitness venue, than it is a community we share, know and tend? Humans are assigned dominion in/over creation. Dominion implies domicile, our home; we dwell together with these neighbors. dominion also suggests lordship and with it, holiness. This synod has a unique network of land and buildings; how could that serve as network of care for creation, sacred space, in our region?

Many of us live in the unique Driftless Region; others to the east in sand plains. How well do we, as faithful people know the sacred place we dwell in: its 700 million year history of land, water, and even trout? How do humans help or hurt this system in which we have so much power. How well do we connect with the abundant organizations that focus on, celebrate, and tend the earth in the specific areas in our region? How do we find friendly practices for inside our buildings, our structures, and our surrounding yards or land?

This is our calling for all the land, air, and water we tend. The small or rural parish can have as big an impact as the largest city congregation. Like every neighbor, every square foot has roots and sky, every square foot matters.

“We recognize that we are long down the list of peoples who have named this space holy. We seek to learn from the past and walk in the present with the indigenous peoples, to repair and better serve the place, the lives, and the future.”
— Creation Care Team

If you're interested in becoming involved with this team Contact Pastor Janet Wollam.