October 8, 2007
By Phina Borgeson,

Eleanor McKenzie DelBene, chair of the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama Task Force for the Stewardship of Creation, explaining the purpose of their Watersheds and Warming initiative, emphasizes: "We are focused on weaving broader networks for action. What this might look like will emerge out of those who are gathered."

Participants in the one-day invitational conference October 11 will range from representatives of Alabama Power and the greater Birmingham public transportation system to nature photographers and grassroots conservationists, from university scientists and science educators to real estate developers.

Beth K. Stewart, executive director of the Cahaba River Society, explains why there is such breadth among conference participants. "A primary challenge to a healthy river is growth, how it's planned and designed." Recognizing this led to reaching beyond scientists, environmentalists and religious leaders to include architects, engineers and developers.

Many denominations and religious organizations are planning to attend, too. "Someone's coming from Faith Apostolic Church, where an endangered species of darter lives in the spring on their church property. The Presbyterians who are planning to build a new conference center will be there, and someone from the Christian Coalition," says DelBene.

When Samford University in Birmingham invited evolutionary biologist and native Alabaman Edward O. Wilson to speak from his book, "The Creation: A Plea to Save Life on Earth," they may not have realized the impact Christian environmentalists would have. Last spring's Earth Day weekend event inspired a number of groups to continue meeting and working together, and then seek to enlarge the circle.

Stewart explains that in an effort to gain traction, her organization worked with consultants in community and government relations, and asked themselves where the potential is to do good things for the River. "We realized the church is one of the best ways to reach people, especially here in the deep south," she says.

When DelBene learned about the availability of World Wildlife Fund grants at a meeting of the Alabama River Alliance, she decided to apply, to further collaborative work around enhancing the diversity of life in the Tennessee and Mobile watersheds.

The World Wildlife Fund names the rivers and streams of these basins among the most aquatically diverse places in the world. Stewart points out that the Cahaba, in the center of Alabama, flows through a great diversity of land forms. "The last ice age never made it down as far as the headwaters, nor have rising ocean levels affected the area, so evolution has not been interrupted here for a long time."

"It may have been a new concept for World Wildlife Fund to see churches as a vehicle for education and advocacy on watershed issues," reflects DelBene, "but they guided me in writing the grant, and through it enabled our diocese to offer a gift to our community."

While models of climate change vary in their specific predictions, all indicate that additional stresses will be placed on watersheds and their inhabitants. "Some of the things we need to consider," suggests DelBene, "are minimizing impervious surface in development, better waste water management, reducing water consumption, and protecting forest lands."

Stewart, reflecting on her own journey, notes that "spiritual work is an important source of energy, inspiration and commitment for environmentalists. Doing environmental work is hard; you see beautiful, vulnerable places and you see lots of destruction of life. You can be marginalized and sometimes treated differently than other professionals."

Spiritual foundations will be addressed October 12-14 on retreat at Camp McDowell The weekend will include opportunities to learn about the impact of climate change on watersheds and engage in water monitoring, all in the context of celebration and prayer.

The Diocesan Task Force will introduce its "Watersheds and Warming" study guide October 13. The six-week course outline will be given to retreat participants, then shared with other congregations in the diocese through the Stewards for Creation website at http://www.stewardsforcreation.org/.

"I hope participants in the conference, retreat, and study program will start to think about their water resources in a different way," says Stewart. "We rely on it utterly and completely, but have very little knowledge about how to keep it healthy."

DelBene's greatest hope for Watersheds and Warming is that the interaction of the various communities working together can make a difference in Alabama, "to celebrate and enhance the rich diversity of creation here."

On Sacred Ground Half a continent away, environmentalists and church members in Wyoming are already meeting to follow-up on last month's "On Sacred Ground" conference.

"More than 70 people formed local affinity groups dedicated to carrying out concrete plans for future projects in several of Wyoming's communities," reports Jason Marsden, director of Wyoming Conservation Voters Education Fund. Some have already met, led by volunteers who want to put what they learned into practice immediately.

For three days nearly 200 participants at the On Sacred Ground conference in Wyoming were inspired by keynotes, explored a range of issues in workshops, took field trips to the Nature Conservancy's Red Canyon Ranch and the Wind River Indian Reservation, and enjoyed meals prepared by Cooking Crow, a new locavore restaurant in Lander.

"One of the highlights for me was the workshop on the arts and social change," reports Diane Corsick of Wyoming Conservation Voters. "We need to look at what happens when artists of various media pay attention to an environmental issue and move it forward in community."

On Sacred Ground flowed out of an overnight retreat, funded by a Turner Foundation grant, bringing together representatives from nine denominations and the state's environmental groups. Participants took time to dispel unhelpful stereotypes and find common ground between faith groups and environmental activists.

"The scales fell from our eyes, to use a biblical expression," quips Marsden, "to discover that in many cases we were actually the same people."

"I have very positive feelings about the whole process," says Corsick. "Stacey Pearson, our office manager, saw the need, aware that on a national level the movement has reached a great threshold. She suggested we work with the Wyoming Association of Churches, and we discovered Warren had had this dream for years."

Warren Murphy, Episcopal priest and director of the Wyoming Association of Churches, sums it up: "We've had great cooperation from the beginning."

Corsick reports that all who attended the retreat have stayed in touch, and the conference was coordinated with their help. "This is historic work," she adds. "In a way it's been like moving into the unknown and taking necessary risks to create a place for change to happen. The most rewarding part has been the response we've received from both communities. The willingness to contribute to the effort has been sustained throughout the process."

The Wyoming Community Foundation was also a major funder and offered a "vote of confidence in the importance of this event," notes Marsden.

Since the annual meeting of the Wyoming Association of Churches preceded "On Sacred Ground," a bridging worship service on the evening of September 27 at Trinity Episcopal Church, Lander, wrapped up one gathering and kicked off another.

Bruce Palmer, junior warden at Trinity and director of admissions at the National Outdoor Leadership School, said: "Having this collaboration between the faith and environmental communities in Wyoming is a very hopeful sign. Wyoming is ground zero for our country's energy policy. Oil, gas and coal production is booming and is a threat to wildlife and wildlands statewide."

Peter Sawtell of Eco-Justice Ministries asked attendees if their "vision is up to the challenge" of climate change. "It's a huge challenge that is hugely theological," observed Palmer. "We must move from ‘affluence to abundance.'"

Palmer also remarked that the most impressive "thing was the discovery that everyone [at On Sacred Ground] had a similar sense of place and the power that nature and our environment brings to our lives. It didn't matter if they were drawn to the event from the faith community or the environmental community, from a fundamental background or a more mainline denomination."

"We might come with a different sense of why these things are important than some environmental groups," reflects keynoter Peter Illyn, former Foursquare pastor and director of Restoring Eden, "but at the end of the day these are human issues." As Stewart noted about environmentalists addressing Watersheds and Warming, "Some of our speakers seem pleased, surprised and relieved that they can speak to spiritual matters in their presentations on environmental issues."

Diocese of Alabama Task Force on the Stewardship of Creation – http://www.stewardsforcreation.org/

Cahaba River Society – http://www.cahabariversociety.org/

Wyoming Association of Churches – http://www.wyomingassociationofchurches.org/

Wyoming Conservation Voters Education Fund – http://www.wcvedfund.org/

Episcopal News Service