April 1stCCWG Reflection
Reflection on the CCWG sessions at March Gathering
We had the opportunity to host two sessions during the ADS weekend, one highlighting creation around us and the other creating a joint sustainability list. We were blessed to have Sandy Plett join us in her role as Climate Action Coordinator from Mennonite Church Canada.
In our first session, we invited participants into a readers' theatre activity adapted by MCC called the Council of All Beings. As the CCWG, we wanted to highlight the importance of considering the beings that encompass our world. Participants took time to consider a species that spoke to them. We then shared our joys and concerns as rabbits, rivers, grasses, possums, and more. We shared about our habitats and the pain and suffering we have experienced due to human impacts. This allowed us to connect as beings outside of ourselves and hear their voices.
“ I am river, I speak for all rivers. I journey through many places, winding, bending, and flowing in communities, marches, down mountains, and across valleys. Sometimes I struggle when I feel the splash of garbage cloud my view or the thickness of oil enter my blood. I try to understand why the humans are doing this, but it can be hard to make my voice heard over all the noise.” - Participant sharing from the session
Thirteen people from various congregations joined the CCWG during a later-afternoon session to learn about sustainability. Sandy Plett began the session by leading us through a guided conversation around our individual feelings for the climate crisis we are experiencing today. Many held the changes of our world heavy on their hearts and expressed the fear and concern that they had for our forests, oceans, and growing cities. Post conversation we shared resources on how participants could be more sustainable moving forward on individual, congregational, and systemic levels. As a group, we made a list of sustainable items and actions we were already participating in, or we hoped could be done moving forward. As the CCWG, we hope to put this list together and release it to MCA so everyone can see what actions can be taken moving forward to support our communities and congregations.
Photo of the afternoon Creation Care Session group. Photo Credit: Linda Dickinson