19 Faith and a Sustainable Pacific
385
young people in particular are introduced to a whole new world of technology which
can lead to a devaluation of the traditional mores of society and of faith beliefs.
Globalisation of course raises a whole range of other associated issues which, while
important, need not detain us here.
In addition to the mainstream Christian denominations from the early missionary
movement, other faith groups are now very much part of the Pacific scene—Seventhday Adventists, Latter Day Saints (Mormons), in addition to other religions such
as Hinduism. Thus, if people of faith are to grasp the opportunities for effective
ecological action, the significance of an ecumenical and interfaith approach becomes
critical.
Mission Action
Only now, having dealt with the theological aspects of ecology and mission, and some
of the contextual dimensions of the Pacific Islands in terms of the impacts of climate
change, can we turn our attention to practical missional opportunities. Realistically,
of course, much of that mission will be exercised within our own faith communities.
But, as the hymn has it, “The Church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord”, and
the care of the earth is, by definition, a global whole-of-life responsibility. There are of
course many national and regional variations in terms of an environmental profile, but
essentially there is one earth, and that means there are even more common elements.
This is not a competition, and we do not each need to “re-invent the wheel” in our own
denominational community. The global faith community therefore has an important
part to play. That fact has been acknowledged, for example through Statements made
by global confessional groups.
In July 2014, the World Council of Churches held a significant seminar called
Green Churches: Ecology, Theology and Justice in Practice. The seminar had places
for only 27 participants from 18 countries globally; the South Pacific group included
three from the Methodist Church of New Zealand, one from the Pacific Conference
of Churches), and Colleen Geyer from the Uniting Church in Australia. It should be
noted that other than a representative of the Pacific Conference of Churches (PCC),
there were no Pacific Islanders in the group. It is not necessary to try to give a full
account of it here; however, there are several points that may be made involving
the sharing of resources and enhanced communication. Participants agreed to the
development of a Global Green Churches Handbook, which would clearly include
some regional variations. A second agreed project was the “development of education
resources and courses on eco-theology that will be accessible for church members and
theological colleges and other educational institutions” (Geyer, unpublished 2014)
as well as resources for Sunday Schools and schools.
More specifically in the area of communication the seminar agreed to the establishment of global and regional networks, with a website for a global green churches
network. Colleen Geyer reported from a South Pacific Regional perspective that:
385
young people in particular are introduced to a whole new world of technology which
can lead to a devaluation of the traditional mores of society and of faith beliefs.
Globalisation of course raises a whole range of other associated issues which, while
important, need not detain us here.
In addition to the mainstream Christian denominations from the early missionary
movement, other faith groups are now very much part of the Pacific scene—Seventhday Adventists, Latter Day Saints (Mormons), in addition to other religions such
as Hinduism. Thus, if people of faith are to grasp the opportunities for effective
ecological action, the significance of an ecumenical and interfaith approach becomes
critical.
Mission Action
Only now, having dealt with the theological aspects of ecology and mission, and some
of the contextual dimensions of the Pacific Islands in terms of the impacts of climate
change, can we turn our attention to practical missional opportunities. Realistically,
of course, much of that mission will be exercised within our own faith communities.
But, as the hymn has it, “The Church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord”, and
the care of the earth is, by definition, a global whole-of-life responsibility. There are of
course many national and regional variations in terms of an environmental profile, but
essentially there is one earth, and that means there are even more common elements.
This is not a competition, and we do not each need to “re-invent the wheel” in our own
denominational community. The global faith community therefore has an important
part to play. That fact has been acknowledged, for example through Statements made
by global confessional groups.
In July 2014, the World Council of Churches held a significant seminar called
Green Churches: Ecology, Theology and Justice in Practice. The seminar had places
for only 27 participants from 18 countries globally; the South Pacific group included
three from the Methodist Church of New Zealand, one from the Pacific Conference
of Churches), and Colleen Geyer from the Uniting Church in Australia. It should be
noted that other than a representative of the Pacific Conference of Churches (PCC),
there were no Pacific Islanders in the group. It is not necessary to try to give a full
account of it here; however, there are several points that may be made involving
the sharing of resources and enhanced communication. Participants agreed to the
development of a Global Green Churches Handbook, which would clearly include
some regional variations. A second agreed project was the “development of education
resources and courses on eco-theology that will be accessible for church members and
theological colleges and other educational institutions” (Geyer, unpublished 2014)
as well as resources for Sunday Schools and schools.
More specifically in the area of communication the seminar agreed to the establishment of global and regional networks, with a website for a global green churches
network. Colleen Geyer reported from a South Pacific Regional perspective that: