Working groups proposals 2020

ECEN Assembly 2020 Thematic groups 1. Climate Change Conveners: Henrik Grape, Adrian Shaw The ECEN Assembly 2018 coincided with the publication of the ‘1.5’ IPCC report on the effects of global warming going above 1.5 degrees Celsius. The report was shocking and since that time the level of awareness and activity across Europe has increased dramatically.

Greta Thunberg has inspired a new generation through the school climate strike movement; the extinction Rebellion movement has grown into a major force in many countries; and governments and cities across the continent have declared climate emergencies. What does this mean for churches and how should we react?  Worship – how are churches, ministers and theologians responding to the climate emergency in worship, prayer, liturgy or theology? (minister or theologian to introduce?)  Action - some churches in Europe already set their targets for reaching their own zero carbon emissions. What does this mean in practice and how can other churches respond?  Advocacy – CoP 26 will take place in Glasgow in November 2020. Henrik Grape will explain how churches are involved in CoPs and Adrian Shaw can set out how churches in Scotland are responding and what activities are planned.

Participants are encouraged to share their experiences after short initial presentations.

2. Eco-theology & Time for creation Convener: Tamás Kodacsy If God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son (J 3:16), then we do not have any acceptable reason to destroy this beautiful creation. The care for creation does not depend only on technical investigations, political decisions, or social achievements. Our deepest motivation for environmentally friendly life springs from imitation of Christ. Jesus revealed us how to live in this world with joy and self-control, happiness and sobriety, from birth to death. Theology gives the fundament for our work and makes our task more than only human efforts. Theology gives us wider perspective and continuous aim to guard the creation entrusted on us. The working group will offer an opportunity for expressing and sharing our theological thoughts about stewardship for the created world.

The main theme of the ECEN 2020 Assembly is the reconciliation with creation.

Reconciliation is a genuine theological term, connected to salvation, atonement and original sin. Drawing on the classical meaning of reconciliation, we raise the following questions and reflect on them in our contemporary context of ecological crisis. 1) What is the original sin against the creation? 2) If there are passive and active elements in salvation, then what are the consequences of it in the ecological context? What should we do with creation? Or have we done more than enough already? 3) Is it possible to be reconciled with creation in our time, or does it have only eschatological perspective? What does “restitution of all” means regarding to the current global crisis?

3. Church Eco-Management Convener: Hans Diefenbacher Since the last ECEN Assembly in 2018 the working group was engaged in designing, organizing and carrying out a second wave of twinning projects, a programme of exchange between partners from different parts of Europe. The second wave of Twinning projects is cofunded by the German federal environmental agency and include the following 6 projects:

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Environmental officers of the Roman Catholic Church in Austria and other Austrian partners / Evangelical Church A.B. in Sibiu, Romania: Austrian and Romanian Parishes for Eco-Management Plus  Centre for Environmental Solutions, Minsk, Belarus / Orthodox Church of St. Michael and St. Constantine, Vilnius, Lithuania: Environmentally friendly lifestyle in church communities  Institute of Ecological and Religious Studies, Uzhhorod, Ukraine / Syunik Development, Yeghegnadzor, Armenia: Environmental Education and Awareness Building  Protestant Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies, Heidelberg, Germany / Ecumenical Council of Churches in Poland: Concepts for Climate Protection  Reformed Church of Hungary / Church of Scotland: Growing and Managing Church Orchards  National Council for Churches in Denmark / Evangelical Church of Augsburg Confession in Slovakia: Sustainable Energy for Churches.

After two years of running these projects, the Assembly in Bad Herrenalb will serve to make a common evaluation: we present the projects and discuss, where did we succeed, what was helpful, where have been problems or even obstacles that had to be overcome? We will try to spread the “twinning-message” further, to show to the conference where the chances and opportunities for a further cooperation between churches are possible – in the spirit of ECEN. 4. Sustainable communities Convener: Antonella Visintin The group is a follow up of the group previously named transition living and will offer a platform for sharing of experiences of eco-congregations and eco-churches and discussion on approaches and methodologies, as well as sharing of contacts and information about activities and events in churches across the continent.

The growing bottom up initiatives reflecting an effort for a sustainable living include a number of projects at local level that started for example from search of zero mile and organic food or from the emancipations from oil economy or reflecting climate change concern. Churches or parishes are in many of these cases part of communitarian projects. The group will in particular offer an opportunity to:  share information about different initiatives, approaches and strategies  identify common targets for churches in order to contribute to healing of creation  an exchange with young people on eco-friendly churches’ activities on climate change.

5. Biodiversity and nature protection Convener: Gudrun Kordecki The worldwide loss of biodiversity is dramatic and well documented. Since the diversity of plants, animals and microorganisms is the basis of our survival, this is a threat as alarming as climate change. The aim of this thematic group is to promote nature conservation especially in church properties, raise awareness of what churches can do in this field, and lobby for the protection of biodiversity.

The group will share information on practical biodiversity activities in our member churches: protection of birds, bats and other animals, support and raise the diversity of plants and animals in churchyards and on cemeteries and strengthen educational projects in this context.

We will share information about important international political activities as there are global conferences that deal with the protection of biodiversity this year.

The discussion will focus as well on theological basis in the context of nature protection: The Holy Bible demands that we are to till the earth and keep it for coming generations. Do we fulfil this demand or do we destroy the diversity that was given to us? There are new challenges from new genetic engineering methods. We have to raise the question if we are allowed to make such massive interventions into nature.

6. Ecological education Convener: Eszter Kodácsy-Simon We can be reconciled with creation only if we face our reality – the reality of our created world and of our presence on this Earth, including the consequences of our decisions and lifestyles. The Latin word of education (e-ductio) means „to lead out”. Reconciliation can happen only if we lead each other out from our own world, from our fears and from our estrangement: to the world, to the other, and to the Other.

We may know about this theoretically but it does not easily and often happen in our everyday situations. Thus we need each other. We need the other for our own education and for our personal learning. And we need it as an urgent action.

The main question in this working group will be: how can we educate our people around us to face reality? Why are we reluctant in doing so? What can we learn from our religion and faith that helps us in this process?

What does environmental education on a religious base means? There are several countries and churches where environmental education has a rich background whereas at other places it is not so much emphasized. By sharing and planning we will try to make a step further in reconciling our realities.