Creator God, whose Spirit moved over the face of the waters,
who gathers the seas into their places and directs the courses of the rivers,
who sends rain upon the earth that it should bring forth life:
we praise you for the gift of water.
Create in us such a sense of wonder and delight in this and all your gifts,
that we might receive them with gratitude, care for them with love,
and generously share them with all your creatures,
to the honour and glory of your holy name. Amen.
Franciscans International
Today the Bridge St. congregation will gather after worship at Zwick's Park for a picnic whose history goes back more than a century. There will be good food and the opportunity for play and conversation. I will take along a small bottle to fill with water from the Bay of Quinte as well. This is part of a nation-wide project called Our Waters of Life, sponsored by the interfaith coalition called Kairos. We have been asked to find out about our watershed and the First Nations peoples who live nearest to us. The idea is to send the water to Ottawa through Kairos as a visible protest of the changes to laws protecting the myriad waterways of this country. Two changes in legislation buried in omnibus bills are of concern to all Canadians but particularly to First Nations.
I had a good chat with Charles, a staff member at the Tyendinaga Mohawk First Nation band office recently about water issues. This is not a group of people living in the distant north of the province. They are just down the road from Belleville, in the Quinte Watershed.
So we will do our little symbolic bit, and hope someone pays attention. The prayer above is offered as part of what we do today.
Is this just one more example of United Church goofiness? Have you thought much about the waters and watersheds of your area? Is your congregation doing anything to acknowledge this initiative?
Today the Bridge St. congregation will gather after worship at Zwick's Park for a picnic whose history goes back more than a century. There will be good food and the opportunity for play and conversation. I will take along a small bottle to fill with water from the Bay of Quinte as well. This is part of a nation-wide project called Our Waters of Life, sponsored by the interfaith coalition called Kairos. We have been asked to find out about our watershed and the First Nations peoples who live nearest to us. The idea is to send the water to Ottawa through Kairos as a visible protest of the changes to laws protecting the myriad waterways of this country. Two changes in legislation buried in omnibus bills are of concern to all Canadians but particularly to First Nations.
I had a good chat with Charles, a staff member at the Tyendinaga Mohawk First Nation band office recently about water issues. This is not a group of people living in the distant north of the province. They are just down the road from Belleville, in the Quinte Watershed.
So we will do our little symbolic bit, and hope someone pays attention. The prayer above is offered as part of what we do today.
Is this just one more example of United Church goofiness? Have you thought much about the waters and watersheds of your area? Is your congregation doing anything to acknowledge this initiative?
2 comments:
Not goofiness - we need to be reminded of our responsibilities to preserve our natural environment.
Thanks Judy. It was a delight to walk down to the water at Zwick's Park on Sunday with a group of eager children. We got our water!
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