Wisconsin Council of Churches : Torture Resources

Care for Creation

Protecting the environment that sustains us and all other forms of life has become one of the most pressing public issues of our time. As people of faith, we know this to be God’s call to be caretakers of our precious home, the Earth. In worship, we praise and thank God the Creator; in our daily lives, we act on this faith by taking responsibility for how our actions impact the creation and our fellow creatures.

Today, in Wisconsin, we have many opportunities to care for creation and seek justice for those who do not receive their fair share of creation’s fruits, or who suffer from creation’s degradation. We can respond to God’s call to creation care by making our congregations models of environmental awareness and responsibility, and by supporting policies to maintain ecological health and secure sustainable livelihoods for all people.

Click a heading or scroll down for more:

Read the WCC Creation Care Policy Statement
Care for Creation in Your Congregation
Protect Creation from Climate Change

Read the WCC Creation Care Policy Statement

"As members of the Wisconsin Council of Churches, we call ourselves and our fellow Christians to repentance and to a renewed commitment to responsible living in our part of Creation. As Christian Communities, we have a responsibility to lift up the ethical and spiritual values that must guide our behavior as members of earth's household." -- Reconciled in Christ With Creator and Creation: The Worshipful Work of Caring for Creation, Wisconsin Council of Churches Policy Statement, Adopted December 12, 2006.

See the Full Statement: Click here (PDF file)

Care for Creation in Your Congregation

“The Holy Spirit calls the church, as Christ’s body in the world, to reflect in word and action God’s intention to reconcile the whole creation (Col. 1). This calling is not an optional activity to be relegated to a congregation’s social ministry committee, but belongs to the whole worshipful work of every congregation.” – Reconciled in Christ with Creator and Creation

Churches across Wisconsin are lifting up God’s gifts in creation and our responsibility for them in worship and education. They are putting creation care into practice on their property, in their programs, and in their communities. They are recycling, conserving energy, planting gardens, supporting policies to safeguard the environment and community health, and much more.

The Wisconsin Council of Churches works to extend and strengthen these activities by providing resources, helping congregations share their experiences with one another, and supporting grassroots public policy advocacy in the religious community.

Send an e-mail to wcoc@wichurches.org with the subject line, “Creation Care.” Include: your name; your congregation’s name, address and phone number; and preferred e-mail for messages about how your congregation can get connected in a statewide community of churches that share a passion and commitment to be good caretakers of our corner of creation. Or, complete and mail “My Creation Care Commitment” form, click here.

Resources for Congregations:

Protect Creation from Climate Change

Humans are altering earth’s atmosphere in ways that threaten the well-being of creation. Burning coal and oil for energy, cutting down forests, and other activities release “greenhouse gases” (mainly carbon dioxide) that form a heat-trapping blanket around the earth. As the global average temperature increases, earth’s climate changes. Not only increased heat waves, but droughts, floods, storms, and species extinctions are among the likely results.

The good news is that there is much that we can do to reduce the threat of climate change – if we begin now. By working with others to practice good stewardship of energy in our homes, churches, and workplaces, and by supporting strong action at the state, regional, and federal level to curb climate change, each one of us can play a vital role in defending God’s creation. Here are some ways you can begin:

Read "Doxological Politics and the Care of Creation" by the Rev. Steve Minnema. A reflection on presentations by Ryan Schriver and Calvin DeWitt at the 2008 WCC Annual Meeting.

Join the WCC Climate Change Advocacy Network

Sign up to receive occasional notices about events and legislation relating to climate change by e-mailing wcoc@wichurches.org. Put "climate change" in the subject line, and include your name, address, and congregation (if any) in the body of the e-mail. Also be sure to visit the WCC Advocacy Page for links the the WCC Legislative Alert Center and other resources for advocacy.

Support State Action

In April, 2007 Governor Doyle assembled a Task Force on Global Warming that included key Wisconsin business, industry, government, energy and environmental leaders. The Task Force finalized its report, Wisconsin's Strategy for Reducing Global Warming in July 2008 and forwarded it to the Governor for consideration. The report forms the basis for a comprehensive global warming bill that will be introduced during the 2009-2010 session of the Wisconsin Legislature.

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Support Regional Action

The Midwestern states are uniquely situated to minimize global warming while creating jobs and building a clean energy economy. Furthermore, by joining the other regions that have formed multi-state coalitions to combat global warming, the Midwest could bring the U.S. to a critical tipping point in creating federal legislation.

Six Midwestern governors (including Wisconsin’s Governor Jim Doyle) and one Canadian premier have signed on to a Midwestern Greenhouse Gas Reduction Accord. The Accord includes an agreement to establish a Midwestern greenhouse gas reduction program for the region, and sets up an Advisory Committee to recommend policies to implement the accord.

Website for Midwestern Greenhouse Gas Reduction Accord: