“The LORD God took the human and placed him in the garden to care for it and to maintain it.”
(Genesis 2:15)
Our goal as a team is to guide our congregation to care for creation through:
- Stewardship Called by God to protect creation, in a manner that preserves & regenerates it.
- Education Creation is endangered, and all of us with it, especially the least of us, and future generations.
- Worship Awe and praise to our Creator, who in Christ has shared creaturely mortality with us, yet lives!
- Service and Advocacy In collaboration with other Soapstone members and groups, in the UMC, and beyond.
Current & Ongoing Projects
- Free in-home energy audit/analysis for Duke Energy customers, learn more here
- Pollinator garden
2024 CREATION CARE—ELECTRONIC RESOURCES
Duke Energy—Free Home Energy Audits
-inspection of one’s house, taking about an hour to look everywhere, followed at once by verbal report comparing seasonal changes in energy use to the findings of the inspection, with detailed recommendations.
-Provides energy efficiency kit, including LED lightbulbs, weatherstripping, outlet energy seals, faucet aerators, energy-efficient showerhead, and a booklet on tips on saving money and energy at home. Energy customers can sign up here.
Resources from Interfaith Creation Care of the Triangle (ICCT) and NC Interfaith Power & Light (NCIPL)
Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy Programs – NC Interfaith Power & Light (ncipl.org)
Resources – Interfaith Creation Care of the Triangle
NC Wildlife Federation—Pollinator Gardens
Native Pollinators of North Carolina
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qW25E08oPjA
To learn more about the Butterfly Highway program and find other resources to help pollinators, please click here. If you have questions about your order, planting for pollinators, or anything else, don’t hesitate to reach out to us.
Composting in Wake and Durham Counties
United Methodist—NC Annual Conference and Worldwide:
In Genesis 1:26, we are told that God’s intention for humanity is that we would have dominion over the rest of Creation. That means that God has entrusted creation into our hands. We are expected to practice good stewardship of this charge, knowing that Creation is the Lord’s and we will be held accountable for our deeds. https://nccumc.org/creation/
United Methodist Denominational Advocacy: https://www.umcjustice.org/what-we-care-about/environmental-justice/climate-justice
Global Ministries commits to net-zero emissions by 2050
Witnessing firsthand the devastating impact of the growing climate crisis on its operations and the people it ministers to around the world, leaders of United Methodist Global Ministries have joined a coalition of United Methodist agencies pledging to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across the organizations’ ministries, facilities, operations and investments by 2050. https://www.umc.org/en/content/global-ministries-commits-to-net-zero-emissions-by-2050-adv
Tips for the home https://umcreationjustice.org/tips/
The United Methodist Church affirms a Creator God and supports the scientific study of science, including evolution. Social Principles: The Natural World (umc.org)
“We recognize science as a legitimate interpretation of God’s natural world. We affirm the validity of the claims of science in describing the natural world and in determining what is scientific. We preclude science from making authoritative claims about theological issues and theology from making authoritative claims about scientific issues. We find that science’s descriptions of cosmological, geological, and biological evolution are not in conflict with theology.”
Health Recommendations (Sharon Foster, MD)
Diet—eat less meat, especially red meat;
Exercise—Walk or bike (driving electric or hybrid car minimizes environmental harm)
Fitness, spiritual, emotional & mental– (more sleep, less worry, less hurry);
Substances–eliminate tobacco, minimize alcohol consumption;
Eliminate drugs (illegal ones, but also misuse of OTC and prescription drugs)
Project Drawdown: Climate Solutions 101 https://drawdown.org/climate-solutions-101
Unit 2: Stopping Climate Change | Project Drawdown
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change https://www.ipcc.ch/report/sixth-assessment-report-cycle/
March 19, 2023: This Synthesis Report summarizes the state of knowledge of climate change, its widespread impacts and risks, and climate change mitigation and adaptation. This report recognizes the interdependence of climate, ecosystems and biodiversity, and human societies; the value of diverse forms of knowledge; and the close linkages between climate change adaptation, mitigation, ecosystem health, human well-being and sustainable development, and reflects the increasing diversity of actors involved in climate action.
On August 2, 2024, the IPCC adopted an outline for the first two reports in its Seventh Assessment cycle.
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