Rachel Mash

Bishop Jane  was born in England and worked as a music teacher As a child she was forbidden from attending any religious classes at school by her father. It was not until she was 25 that she was baptized with her eldest child in the Church of England. She moved  to Canada in the 90’s where she achieved a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology and a Masters in Theological studies. She was consecrated as Bishop of Edmonton in 2008. Environmental challenges are very close to Bishop Jane’s heart. Alberta’s oil sands are among Canada’s largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, and are also responsible for deforestation, contaminated tailing ponds, and the use of large quantities of water. While the majority of Alberta’s oil production takes place north of the diocese, Edmonton is a center for refineries. She calls for a balance to be found between the economy, the national use of petroleum products, and our care of creation.  Local campaigners and  Alberta First Nations are concerned about water pollution, destruction of animal habitat and oil sands industry encroachment on their traditional territories. Global concerns centre on the climate change impact. Through all the problems we must look forward to making positive changes. The Bishop says there has been “a ‘divorce’ between ourselves and creation.” Our mindset can shift from viewing “creation as a resource to be used up” to a positive outlook of care and respect. She has been encouraged by discussions and actions among young people who have a refreshing interest in doing things differently. She calls for the need of repentance and for the start of a new conversation. Willie Lutes

  Bishop Nick Holtam has been invited by the Church of England to be the Bishop with a special portfolio for the Environment, and has been dubbed the “Bishop of the Planet”. He began  his public ministry in the Diocese on 15 October 2011, and was ordained to the priesthood in 1980. His studies include geography and theology and he is husband to Helen and father to four adult children, David, Timothy, Sarah and Philip. This year on St. Francis Day, Bishop Holtam participated in worship at The Living Churchyard Project and celebrate in the midst of the open air and wildlife. The Living Churchyard Project has involved more than 100 churches competing for the creation of “wildlife-friendly churchyards,” encompassing both urban and rural settings. The initiative in churchyards has shown a rich resource in Britain, around 6,000 churchyards have established practices void of pesticides and keeping grass short. These routines develop places where insects, birds, bats, reptiles and many other forms of organisms can have a place to live. The norm is to take away these natural habitats and niches in the name of urban development, which are vital for many species to survive and thrive. Bishop Holtam has been quoted as saying, “there is a convergence for the world’s faith in caring for God’s Earth” and spoke in a recent sermon reflecting on words showing the way to relate and be at peace with the whole Earth is to begin with ourselves our neighbors surrounding us without limit. For a Christian, care begins with prayer and a matter of the spirit, which leads into action. It is easy to lose hope while looking at the decline of populations around the world, but the Church of England’s lead bishop of the environment has hope with faith and the strong efforts through the Church. From graffiti the Bishop noticed in a London station saying, “If you don’t believe the environment is more important than the economy, see how long you can hold your breath for whilst counting your money” to the environmental declaration from the Lambeth Conference in 2009, calling on local and international action to live sustainably and reduce climate changing activities, he emphasizes the importance to continue to think and act locally and globally with a environmentally guided minds. The Eco-Bishops will be gathering in Feb under the leadership of Archbishop Thabo Magkoba to look at how  climate change and other environmental issues can be prioritised in the Anglican Communion. Willie Lutes  

Hearing the voice of Indigenous People: we need to add something to our Theology to go forward in an Earth-friendly way.  The Right Rev. Mark MacDonald became the Anglican Church of Canada’s first National Indigenous Anglican Bishop in 2007, after serving as bishop of Alaska for ten years.Before his ordination as a bishop, MacDonald was Canon Missioner for training in the Diocese of Minnesota. He is the board chair for Church Innovations, Inc., and a third order Franciscan. The Anglican Church of Canada have highlighted the intersection of the environment and Indigenous rights as a place of particular struggle, with resource extraction and deforestation adding to poverty and stress, and disrupting communities that have lived in tune with the forest and its ways for generations. Bishop Mark says the following: “We need to evaluate the impact of the globalizing culture of finance and technology on the Church – in our spirituality, theology, and cosmology; The increasing alienation of human culture from the rest of Creation is a cruel paradox of the incredible advances of our knowledge in a technocratic age – the more we seem to learn, the deeper our alienation from the rest of life. This has caused a profound, lasting, and distorted perception of Creation among many Christian groups”.   “For many modern observers, it appears that we must add something to our theology to go forward in an earth-friendly way.  I do not believe that this will solve the deep roots of our growing ecological alienation.  Although adding something is certainly in order, discovering what we have lost is urgent.  If I may say, Indigenous people, Christian and non-Christian, can help with this rediscovery.  Their difficulties in modern times are directly related to their refusal to abandon traditional cosmologies, even as they update them with modern knowledge.” Among Bishop MacDonald’s published works are: “Native American Youth Ministries,” co-authored with Dr. Carol Hampton and published in Resource Book for Ministries with Youth and Young Adults, the Episcopal Church Center, New York, NY, 1995 “It’s in the Font: Sacramental connections between faith and environment,” Soundings, July 6, 1994, Vol. 16, No. 5 A Strategy for Growth for the Episcopal Church: Joining Multiculturalism and Evangelism, Inter-Cultural Ministry Development, San José, Calif., 1994. Bishop MacDonald has co-edited The Chant of Life: Inculturation and the People of the Land (Liturgical Studies IV), Church Publishing Company, 2003    

St Mark’s Diocese in Polokwane is situated in the northern part of South Africa. They are known as a Diocese that tries new things and for their clergy retreat this year, they held an Eco-retreat. We allowed time to listen to God’s speaking to us through nature. “The heavens declare the glory of God;     the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 2 Day after day they pour forth speech;     night after night they reveal knowledge. 3 They have no speech, they use no words;     no sound is heard from them. 4 Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,     their words to the ends of the world. Psalm 19:1-4   The theme for the first day was water , and our early morning Eucharist was held next to a trickling water feature. In the Bible study and personal reflection we considered the spiritual value of water and how we can contribute to water justice in our communities. In our evening worship a moving ceremony of forgiveness was held , using water to release our pain, while Taize music gently played. On day two we worshipped under a tree and considered how we can put down roots into God in order to give good fruit. The third day followed the theme of land and  we considered the covenant between people, God and land and how we can best use church land for God and God’s people. In our afternoon sessions we walked! The beautiful setting of Ave Maria retreat centre afforded us beautiful views as we walked the stations of the cross on one day and the Emmaus walk the second day. In the evenings we watched inspiring videos about water and forests and were challenged by the reality of Climate change. It was a joy to listen to God through nature!! “There are things about God that people cannot see—his eternal power and all that makes him God. But since the beginning of the world, those things have been easy for people to understand. They are made clear in what God has made. Rom 1:20”   A few comments from clergy who participated: “I didn’t know that this thing of the environment is Christian, but now I understand that it is part of my ministry” “I feel refreshed and inspired to bring care for creation into my church worship”  

Anglicans from Uganda, Kenya and South Africa took part in an Interfaith workshop “The International  on Faith- based Farming and Sustainable Land Management” in  Mukono , Uganda. Close to 100 religious leaders from nine African countries gathered to discuss the crisis of food security and how faith communities can respond. It was fitting that the gathering took place in Uganda, which faces severe environmental degradation leading to food insecurity. God  blessed  Uganda, known as the  ‘Pearl of Africa’  with fertile soil, regular rain twice a year   and the waters of Lake Victoria teeming with fish. And God said ‘It is good’. But sadly humans have not cared for this garden they were given and now Uganda faces severe environmental challenges. At independence in 1962 the population was 5 million , and over the last 50 years it has swollen to  35 million.  As the population grows so land is reducing – an area with 30 land titles in the 1960s may now have as many as 10,000 land titles. The forests are being chopped down at an alarming rate – each year an estimated 92000 hectares are lost.  The teeming waters of Lake Victoria are being polluted and many fishing companies do not consider the fish safe to eat. The famous tilapia fish which used to be caught the size of your forearm is now often not much larger than your hand.  The land is being denuded and subsistence farmers who make up 90% of the agriculture , are facing dropping yields. 30% of the country is now classified as ‘severely degraded”. Farmers are moving increasingly into marginal lands such as mountain slopes and wetlands. These environmental challenges are being severely worsened by climate change , as the once regular rainfalls have become insecure, leading to heavy floods and periods of drought. So how can the church respond to the challenges in Uganda and other parts of Africa? Anglicans took part in the interfaith workshop organized by the Alliance of Religions and Conservation, taking place in Mukono, Uganda.  The workshop focussed on conservation strategies such as “God’s way of farming’ which promotes a low tillage natural fertilizer method. Africa needs to double its food production to meet population demands by 2050. Farmers are being tempted by GM (genetically modified) seeds which promise miraculous increases in yield, but tie you in to purchasing seeds from multi-nationals rather than using indigenous seeds.  The problem is not the seeds – the problem is the land. Overgrazing, chopping down of forests, use of pesticides, all of these methods have destroyed the life of the soil and led to reduced yields. Conservation farming is seen as one of the best ways for smallholder farmers to improve their yields significantly and to reduce dependency on expensive externals such as fertilizer and  pesticides. All the religious leaders, with two abstentions agreed to reject a proliferation of Genetically Modified Seeds in Africa on World Food Day. Rev Dr Rachel Mash is the Environmental Coordinator of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, attending the “ International Workshop  on Faith- based Farming and Sustainable Land Management” in  Mukono , Uganda The workshop was attended by religious leaders from Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Kenya, South Africa, Ethiopia, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Cameroon,

  Uganda – the Pearl of Africa  – is home to some of the most beautiful forests in Africa. Uganda was blessed with a near perfect climate , rains twice yearly. However due to population growth, the forests are being destroyed at alarming rates. Many areas that were densely forested have become denuded. One such area is the Diocese of  Bunyoro Kitara in Uganda in near to the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo. Bishop Nathan Kyamanywa, known as the “Bishop of the Trees”  had the vision of reforesting his Diocese and set up a programme with the support of the Alliance for Religions and Conservation.  The Mothers Union have taken up the dream of  a green Diocese. MU members were trained by foresters to plant the seeds, do the potting, and care for seedlings. They also learned entrepreneur skills. Once the beds have been prepared, the women are given seeds, either hard wood such as mahogany, or fast growers such as eucalyptus or pine. Six parishes are involved in the project , which involves over 100 women. Once the seedlings have grown the trees are distributed to the community . Hard wood trees such a mahogany since they take 80 years to grow to maturity. Fast growers are distributed in the community. A small percentage of the sales cost  goes to the women involved in the project. Since the project started 18 months ago, they have managed to plant 35000 trees and another 35000 seedlings are being grown. In the Diocese, when a child is baptized or confirmed the family must plant a tree as a symbol of their spiritual growth and care for God’s creation. “This project is very nice because our area was formally a forested area, but it has become deforested. I get so encouraged when I see people planting a forest again! It makes the Mother Union proud to know that their organization is making a difference” Rev Kavuya Joram Rev Kavuya Joram is  attending the international workshop on Faith- based farming and sustainable land mananagement in  Mukono , Uganda.