Stewardship of Creation Curriculum


Check It Out! An Environmental Audit of Church Buildings for All Ages Jonathan Halvorson BASIC CONCEPT: The idea behind this lesson is that participants begin to learn about the positive and negative impacts that actions and practices – both individual and communal – have on the surrounding environment. We will be teaching participants how to develop a critical outlook on the use of resources in relation to their local congregation. This will happen through experiential exploration of the church building and grounds, and then through both small- and large-group discussion. OBJECTIVES FOR THE SESSION: Participants will be able to identify and articulate concrete examples of how the congregation’s use of resources impacts God’s Creation positively or negatively. Participants will gain a greater awareness of the impact their decisions have on preserving or harming God’s Creation. Participants will learn how to create and carry out a basic environmental audit of the church campus. Participants from a variety of generations will become better able to relate to those outside their own generation. BACKGROUND FOR THE TEACHER Building off of learnings from previous sessions (things one can do at home and work to better care for Creation) in this Creation Care intergenerational program, for today’s session we will be touring (in small groups of 5) the church facilities in order to gain a better understanding of how we care for God’s Creation right here on the church premises. As a reminder, the Web of Creation website is a great resource for gaining the needed background information to carry out the review discussion at the beginning (www.webofcreation.org). Because one of the main focal points of the lesson is to identify ecologically sound and unsound practices within this particular congregation – it will be helpful to spend some time in the church building and on the premises coming up with some of your own thoughts as to what are positive and negative contributions that this congregation is practicing. Make your own list to have by your side in case discussion breaks down. Finally, many people may express discomfort at the prospect of working in an intergenerational context because it is an . It will be helpful to have ideas ready that might break down some of these barriers to fruitful group work (for example: a younger participant might be able to serve as timekeeper, making sure the group finishes and returns to the gathering space on time; an older group member may be able to offer an anecdotal story of conservation that grew out of their experiences during the Depression, and so on). METHODS OF TEACHING AND LEARNING Experiential; Discussion PROCESS OF TEACHING AND LEARNING Welcome to session – opening prayer. Review of what we have learned are positive Creation Care practices in our personal/family lives from previous sessions. Form groups – making sure ages are evenly divided. Each group appoints a secretary; a facilitator for keeping group on-task; and a time-keeper. General overview of what we’ll be doing Distribution of materials: scrap paper and pens/pencils for note taking. Assignment of starting points to each group. Send groups on their way. Remind them of their task: look at everything imaginable on the church grounds and rate its positive or negative impact on the environment. Offer a few examples of what to look for: coffee used (is it organic? Fairly traded?), lighting (is it left on for long periods? Compact fluorescents used? Are windows used to their potential for “natural lighting”?), etc. Gather together again – stay in groups and Briefly process the lists made by your group Discuss your impressions of what was new/interesting and how you think the congregation is doing in Caring for Creation Appoint a reporter to speak before the large group. Each group shares: Where they began Where they went Their lists (leader – or another volunteer – creating “master list” for all to see). Large-group discussion of how things went in general What they did/did not like about the process What was new or interesting to you? How do you think our congregation is doing? What practices can we change? What do we lift up? Wrap up – including group consensus to appoint someone to take the report to the next church council meeting – closing prayer. ROOM SET-UP We will gather in the main large-group gathering area of the congregation (fellowship hall, sanctuary, etc. – depending on the congregation) – because this is an ongoing program of the congregation, the room will still be set up/decorated as it has been throughout the program: with eco-themed Creation Care pictures and artwork/poetry that participants have created will be on the walls also. Have tables divided up into number of groups that are participating. Supplies on each table: SCRAP paper (modeling reusing!) and pens/pencils for taking notes during tour of facilities. Materials for taking large-group notes that all can see (see resources) Perhaps more important is the set-up of the entire church: this session is best done while/immediately after other activities in the church (if this session is part of a longer afternoon/evening workshop, if other groups are meeting, etc) so that the participants can see things as they happen in the church – in this way they will get the fullest sense of what practices the congregation is engaged in by seeing people using resources (lights, paper, computers, water, kitchen appliances, etc). RESOURCES Scrap paper and pens/pencils for note taking. Whiteboard/markers; newsprint/markers; overhead; computer/projector – SOME manner of taking group notes. webofcreation.org as a great place to learn more about what to encourage the participants to be looking for as examples of +/- resource usage. Extra clocks/watches in case groups don’t have their own.

Check It Out!
An Environmental Audit of Church Buildings for All Ages
Jonathan Halvorson

BASIC CONCEPT:

The idea behind this lesson is that participants begin to learn about the positive and negative impacts that actions and practices – both individual and communal – have on the surrounding environment. We will be teaching participants how to develop a critical outlook on the use of resources in relation to their local congregation. This will happen through experiential exploration of the church building and grounds, and then through both small- and large-group discussion.

OBJECTIVES FOR THE SESSION:

Participants will be able to identify and articulate concrete examples of how the congregation’s use of resources impacts God’s Creation positively or negatively.
Participants will gain a greater awareness of the impact their decisions have on preserving or harming God’s Creation.
Participants will learn how to create and carry out a basic environmental audit of the church campus.
Participants from a variety of generations will become better able to relate to those outside their own generation.

BACKGROUND FOR THE TEACHER

Building off of learnings from previous sessions (things one can do at home and work to better care for Creation) in this Creation Care intergenerational program, for today’s session we will be touring (in small groups of 5) the church facilities in order to gain a better understanding of how we care for God’s Creation right here on the church premises. As a reminder, the Web of Creation website is a great resource for gaining the needed background information to carry out the review discussion at the beginning (www.webofcreation.org).

Because one of the main focal points of the lesson is to identify ecologically sound and unsound practices within this particular congregation – it will be helpful to spend some time in the church building and on the premises coming up with some of your own thoughts as to what are positive and negative contributions that this congregation is practicing. Make your own list to have by your side in case discussion breaks down.

Finally, many people may express discomfort at the prospect of working in an intergenerational context because it is an . It will be helpful to have ideas ready that might break down some of these barriers to fruitful group work (for example: a younger participant might be able to serve as timekeeper, making sure the group finishes and returns to the gathering space on time; an older group member may be able to offer an anecdotal story of conservation that grew out of their experiences during the Depression, and so on).

METHODS OF TEACHING AND LEARNING

Experiential; Discussion

PROCESS OF TEACHING AND LEARNING

Welcome to session – opening prayer.
Review of what we have learned are positive Creation Care practices in our personal/family lives from previous sessions.
Form groups – making sure ages are evenly divided.
Each group appoints a secretary; a facilitator for keeping group on-task; and a time-keeper.
General overview of what we’ll be doing
Distribution of materials: scrap paper and pens/pencils for note taking.
Assignment of starting points to each group.
Send groups on their way.

Remind them of their task: look at everything imaginable on the church grounds and rate its positive or negative impact on the environment.
Offer a few examples of what to look for: coffee used (is it organic? Fairly traded?), lighting (is it left on for long periods? Compact fluorescents used? Are windows used to their potential for “natural lighting”?), etc.

Gather together again – stay in groups and

Briefly process the lists made by your group
Discuss your impressions of what was new/interesting and how you think the congregation is doing in Caring for Creation
Appoint a reporter to speak before the large group.

Each group shares:

Where they began
Where they went
Their lists (leader – or another volunteer – creating “master list” for all to see).

Large-group discussion of how things went in general

What they did/did not like about the process
What was new or interesting to you?
How do you think our congregation is doing?
What practices can we change? What do we lift up?

Wrap up – including group consensus to appoint someone to take the report to the next church council meeting – closing prayer.

ROOM SET-UP

We will gather in the main large-group gathering area of the congregation (fellowship hall, sanctuary, etc. – depending on the congregation) – because this is an ongoing program of the congregation, the room will still be set up/decorated as it has been throughout the program: with eco-themed Creation Care pictures and artwork/poetry that participants have created will be on the walls also.
Have tables divided up into number of groups that are participating.
Supplies on each table: SCRAP paper (modeling reusing!) and pens/pencils for taking notes during tour of facilities.
Materials for taking large-group notes that all can see (see resources)
Perhaps more important is the set-up of the entire church: this session is best done while/immediately after other activities in the church (if this session is part of a longer afternoon/evening workshop, if other groups are meeting, etc) so that the participants can see things as they happen in the church – in this way they will get the fullest sense of what practices the congregation is engaged in by seeing people using resources (lights, paper, computers, water, kitchen appliances, etc).

RESOURCES

Scrap paper and pens/pencils for note taking.
Whiteboard/markers; newsprint/markers; overhead; computer/projector – SOME manner of taking group notes.
webofcreation.org as a great place to learn more about what to encourage the participants to be looking for as examples of +/- resource usage.
Extra clocks/watches in case groups don’t have their own.