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Good morning  New York! Good afternoon Cape Town. Good day everyone.  We are so glad you are with us, whether in St Georges Cathedral, the People’s Cathedral in Capetown, in Trinity Church Wall Street or at one of the nearly 80 online venues, from Arizona to Wisconsin , from Alberta to Ontario or Panama City. I like you,  believe in God. I believe in the realities that God has put in front of us.. today  I want to address some of these uncomfortable truths. We live in a VUCA world. Yes; VUCA: a world of Volatility, Uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. and nothing is more VUCA that the issue of water justice. Millions can live without love.. but  no one can live without water.  Clean drinking water is the most fundamental human right. It is central to the well being of all people on the planet and the lack of access to clean , fresh water is one of the most serious threats to human health. Unsafe drinking water, together with the lack of basic sanitation, causes 81 percent of all sickness and diseases in the world. In the end our harsh uncomfortable truth reality is, we don’t inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.. it’s their water we are talking about. The book of the prophet Amos gives us a strong challenge “Let Justice flow down like rivers, and righteousness like a never ending stream” Amos 5:24 Justice and water are closely linked. In our city on one side are homes with more bathrooms that people, with big swimming pools and vast lawns for a couple of children to play on. On the other side, a dozen families share one communal toilet and tap and on some days we are not sure the  tap is working or there is clean water coming from it.. Girls are afraid to use the facilities at night for fear of being raped and children play in the filthy water seeping from the poorly services toilets. In South Africa  it  has recently been estimated that sixteen million people  do not have access to basic sanitation facilities (1 in 3 people).[1]  Not only is the access of water a health threat, it is also one of the biggest business risks to our country and. with climate change drought and flooding become more common We have forgotten the sacredness of water. Water does not come from a tap – it comes from a river and that river comes from our Creator. Water is mentioned 722 times in the Bible. Water  literally frames the Biblical story. The first book, Genesis, starts with a wonderful poetic image of water and Creation. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. (Genesis 1) Before creation even took place, the waters were there. Water is a primal element giving birth to life. It is no wonder that when a child is born the waters break to symbolize the start of the journey – a new life coming into the world. And in the last book of the Bible, Revelations, we have a wonderful vision of re-creation. The followers of Jesus are being persecuted and in the midst of pain and destruction, John the writer encourages them to persevere, with this vision of re-creation. 22 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse”. What a beautiful vision! Unfortunately  it is beautiful in biblical verse but not in the reality of human life. In South African society there has tended to be a divide between the environmentalists and the activists for social justice.  As Pope Francis says “we have separated the cry of the poor from the cry of the Earth”. This is nowhere more evident than in water.  Our modern globalized society via industry and agriculture  is stressing our water resources , and the lack of water impacts on the quality of life of the poor and the marginalized. Those passionate about the environment tend to focus on Creation theology and look to the Creation stories and the Psalms. They focus on the beauty of creation and the need to protect it.  Activists for social justice draw their theology from the stories of liberation of  Exodus, they focus on poverty and the need for liberation from oppression. I want to pose a question – where is the critical bridge that we all need to build and cross.? the bounty of our land including its water resources –  is to be used for the widow, the alien and the oppressed and the future generations. Christians know the name of the river that Jesus was baptized in – the River Jordan.  If we developed a theology of the river Jordan it would hold together economics and ecology, recognizing that “we all live downstream. it would remind us for example that “freedom is worth nothing for the poor if we cannot deal with sewage. [2] So what are the  most essential water challenges and what are we going to do about them? In Capetown there are three sources of water which are under threat: our rivers, our oceans and our aquifer. Firstly our rivers: It is not just that the rains do not fall – many  of the threats to water are coming from companies who pollute rivers with industrial pollution. In South Africa we  suffer a lot from acid mine drainage affecting our water systems. The shareholders of

Under the leadership of Bishop Allen Kannemeyer, the clergy of the Diocese of Pretoria are taking up the environmental challenge to care for Creation Rev Rachel Mash , Provincial Environmental Coordinator was invited to address the clergy on the theology of Caring for Creation. Rev Reynard Shovel has been appointed as environmental Chaplain and canon. The following actions were decided upon in archdeaconry groups TSHWANE BOKONE ARCHDEACONRY Worship We must make use of the Season of Creation, starting on first Sunday in June, so as to incorporate Environmental Day Plan and have an early morning “sunrise” service, an outdoor service Creative use of the liturgy. If there is a challenge with printing and use of pew leaflets, use time to teach. For instance, Baptism can be such an opportunity. Observe relevant days, e.g. feast of St Francis. Be creative according to local custom. Local Archdeaconry Family Day: This service is usually outdoors. How can we use the service more effectively to include awareness of the environment, the animals that are part of the setting? Advocacy Regionally Make use of the notice board, outdoor advertising. Make use of the supplied material, even post Lent, to engage the congregation and authorities. The carbon fast, take one action and spread it over a week for more effect The sewerage problem around Garankuwa, hold a meeting with the authorities responsible. Make a sign, a poster, to raise awareness, and teach.   PRETORIA EAST We can use two readings – blind Barthemeus (soil) water at the well (water) We have two parishes called St Francis we will support as archdeaconry.. 99 trees we were promised by Green Anglicans and will be planted. Garden to be started TSHWANE PEKONI using Season of Creation have an outdoors sunrise service use feast days of St Francis Make use of supplied materials – especially the bible study. use the materials on water in the Lenten period and beyond carbon fast – take one action from each day and spread it over a week for more effect HENNOPS  RIVER Worship: September use SOC materials. St Francis bless animals. Local church: Plant trees, vegetable gardens – encourage people to start these at home with “tyre gardens” Recycling bins Stewardship shouldn’t be only part of the year Encourage vegetable gardens also at home – we can use tyres to plant in As an archdeaconry – joint clean up projects MAGALIESBERG Worship – to bring awareness in our preaching – take it to the pulpit observe the season of Creation. Spread our information during the whole time – water land etc. set the month of June for Creation especially on the 5th of June (nearest Sunday is 4th June) Find youth representatives in our archdeaconries (young green anglicans) – search for them and involved them in the whole issue of the environment. Bible studies will be organized on creation and our environment Local church recycling and cleaning campaigns at archdeaconry level – (resell bottle tops) paintings of nature around our environment. Parishes to plant trees when we meet at Family days e.g. in mandela park and other venues. Bring different plants to decorate the church and have informal discussions about the environment. harvest Sunday – bring food and distribute it to needy families Archdeaconry/Regional Plant a tree at venues for clergy meetings (the host parish to provide the tree) MADIPENG World environment day to be done outside the church. For three Sundays have the service outside (start outside and then come in) . Sunday close to World Environment Day. Not just led by clergy. Start at local level to encourage congregation to recycle – remind them every Sunday. Share positive stories such as A certain woman at macau got into recycling and was able to build herself a house. Encourage young people to come with spades and rakes to clean the church yard. RUSTENBERG Worship Encourage parishes to hold their family days in the parks. Local church. Local church – 5th of June every church to plant trees at their parish Watering – use buckets to water twice per week Encourage people to make vegetable gardens. Fundraise for Jojo tanks National advocacy – Approach mines or stakeholders for resources Recylcing at parish level – encourage youth to collect bottle tops. Various methods of recycling will be established.   OTHER Involve local ward counsellors in the clean up Involve local media Make our clean ups ecumenical, anglicans can lead but we invite the Chapter has appointed Fr Reynard is appointed as chaplain to the environment. he will be a canon and sit on chapter. He is asked to call together the reps from the archdeaconries and put together a structure. [email protected] Father Reynard Schovel

  News of the threats to the Philippi Horticultural Area  and underlying Cape Flats Aquifer came to the attention of the Green Team of Christ Church, Constantia. They  approached the convenor, Nazeer Sonday, with the offer of hosting an information session so that concerned citizens, and particularly people of Faith, could hear the facts around the  threats to the Philippi Horticultural Area. More than 130 people attended the information meeting. The Cape Flats Aquifer is Cape Town’s hidden treasure. A vast area of some 630 square kilometers of porous rock lies beneath the City – stretching from the Cape Flats to the West Coast  – it holds vast stores of underground water. Studies by the United Nations Environmental Programme reveal that the Aquifer has the potential to supply more than two thirds of the  Mother City’s basic water needs: “The sustainable use of the Cape Flats aquifer… is estimated at 18 billion litres per year (49,32 million litres a day)” The water from the aquifer currently irrigates the farms of the Philippi Horticultural Area. These farmlands are thus, uniquely in South Africa – drought-proof and produce 200,000 tonnes of food and employ  6,000 workers every year. Up to 80% of certain vegetable types comes from this area.  As a response to drought, innovative practices are being modeled offering the sustainable use of water. The Philippi Horticultural Area is the key re-charge zone for the Cape Flats Aquifer that has not been paved over. In built-up areas, roofs and roads, pipes and drains carry stormwater into the sea and starve the aquifer. The PHA presents us with a unique ecosystem that produces food for the city, is the green lungs of the city, can supply the city with potable water and could  recycle waste water from the City’s waste water plants in Mitchell’s Plain and Strandfontein. The Philippi Horticultural Area and the Aquifer are our treasures. At this time of water crisis, we call upon the City to urgently protect the Aquifer. We learn with distress that the City is fast tracking the rezoning of more than a third of the Philippi Horticultural Area for housing developments, silica sand mining, malls, private schools and a private prison. One portion of the rezoning has been denied by the Heritage department, which is a great encouragement, but a large portion is still under threat The City officials were elected as the stewards of our resources, and these resources must be preserved for future generations. We cannot sacrifice our source of water, we encourage citizens of Cape Town, let us educate ourselves about the Cape Flats Aquifer, its custodian the Philippi Horticultural Area, and work together to protect this pearl beyond price.

Audit As we start our carbon fast, it is time to do an Audit of the water in our home. Here are a few steps Know where your water goes. Find out first of all how much water you are using by checking your bill. Then you can set yourself a target – how much you want to reduce.  Then keep a written record of how much you use during the week (get the family involved in counting shower times, number of flushes etc). Here are some rough figures Washing machine 45 litres Shower per minute 7 litres Washing car or watering plants with hosepipe 9 litres per minute   Brushing teeth/shaving  with tap on per minute 6 litres bath 80 litres Flushing the toilet 10 litres   Make water saving over the Lenten period a challenge for the whole family. So when you check the next bill see what a big difference you have made. Lent is also a time for a spiritual audit. Reflect on this beautiful story “The keeper of the stream” “There once was a town high in the Alps that straddled the banks of a beautiful stream. The stream was fed by springs that were old as the earth and deep as the sea. The water was clear like crystal. Children laughed and played beside it; swans and geese swam on it. You could see the rocks and the sand and the rainbow trout that swarmed at the bottom of the stream. High in the hills, far beyond anyone’s sight, lived an old man who served as Keeper of the Springs. He had been hired so long ago that now no one could remember a time when he wasn’t there. He would travel from one spring to another in the hills, removing branches or fallen leaves or debris that might pollute the water. But his work was unseen. One year the town council decided they had better things to do with their money. No one supervised the old man anyway. They had roads to repair and taxes to collect and services to offer, and giving money to an unseen stream-cleaner had become a luxury they could no longer afford. So the old man left his post. High in the mountains, the springs went untended; twigs and branches and worse muddied the liquid flow. Mud and silt compacted the creek bed; farm wastes turned parts of the stream into stagnant bogs. For a time no one in the village noticed. But after a while, the water was not the same. It began to look brackish. The swans flew away to live elsewhere. The water no longer had a crisp scent that drew children to play by it. Some people in the town began to grow ill. All noticed the loss of sparkling beauty that used to flow between the banks of the streams that fed the town. The life of the village depended on the stream, and the life of the stream depended on the keeper. The city council reconvened, the money was found, the old man was rehired. After yet another time, the springs were cleaned, the stream was pure, children played again on its banks, illness was replaced by health, the swans came home, and the village came back to life. The life of a village depended on the health of the stream. The stream is your soul. And you are the keeper.” Ortberg, John (2014-04-22). Soul Keeping: Caring For the Most Important Part of You (pp. 13-14). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.