Bishop: ‘Be Proud to Take Lead’ to Aid Environment

By Val Hymes
Posted April 2, 2009

People from nine diocesan churches talked with their bishop about their passions and hopes for the environment March 25 at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation in Annapolis.

It was the first of three Environmental Town Hall Meetings, with others to be held at 9:30 a.m. April 4 at the Bishop Claggett Center and at 7 p.m. April 14 at the Cathedral of the Incarnation.

Maryland’s “green” bishop, Eugene Taylor Sutton, held up his crozier, or shepherd’s staff, to show its design of a tree with many roots. “We are all connected,” he said. “We must love our neighbors as ourselves.”

The bishops said he wanted to know what are the “passions and talents” of the people to fix the “environmental degradation” that he labeled a “primary issue,” challenging us and the global community.

Those at the meeting who live on the water – and those who don’t – demonstrated concerns for their watersheds, listed problems and possible solutions, and described some of the difficulties of dealing with red tape and tradition. They also reported how their parishes are trying to do their part to help the environment.

Bishop Sutton said the town hall meetings are “continuing the work of the Environmental Committee, moving to a higher level.” It is part of the environmental initiative that he hopes will “make people be proud to be an Episcopalian -- to be proud to be part of the diocese that is taking the lead in this issue, first by trying to put our own house in order.”

He said he heard bishops at Lambeth and elsewhere claim that global warming and environmental crises did not affect their dioceses or provinces -- until they looked more closely.

“People in Micronesia,” he said, “do not plan to exist” because of rising sea levels. “They ask, ‘Where can we go?’” Other bishops asked, “Will American Christians change anything in their lifestyles so we may exist?” Bishop Sutton replied, “If we say no to that, we lose the right to say we love our neighbor as ourselves.”

The bishop said he hopes we can develop “an interfaith network” that will include “even people who have no faith, and those who disagree about global warming but want to care about creation.”

He said the plan is to develop a geographically balanced steering committee with youth involved. Those who want to be part of the planning will be invited to sit on subcommittees. Everyone is encouraged to join the e-mail network. “You,” he said, “can be as involved as you want to be.”

Every parish will be encouraged to develop its own “green” programs, and to link to a global mission. For help, there is Shelley Klinefelter at the diocese, now the bishops’ environmental liaison to the parishes. For those interested in advocacy, Don Schroeder is the bishops’ deputy for public policy focused on environmental issues before the Maryland General Assembly. Kim Coble, Maryland executive director of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation is the new bishops’ advisor on the environment. Jack Campagna of Chesapeake EcoFinance Development Corp. is deputy advisor to the bishops.

The churches represented at he Town Meeting were St. Margaret’s, Annapolis; St. Anne’s, Annapolis; St. Martins-in-the-Field, Severna Park; St. Andrew the Fisherman, Mayo; St. James’ Parish, Lothian; Sherwood Church, Hunt Calley; All Hallows, Davidsonville, and St. Philip’s, Annapolis. For more information, contact sklinefelter@ang-md.org.

Next Environmental Town Hall Meetings: April 4 and 14