Advocacy, Issue-Based Advocacy, Water
Motion C: Resolution Urging Stewardship of the Gift of Water
May 12, 2018 Phoebe Morad
2016 Churchwide Assembly
ASSEMBLY ACTION CA16.05.24 To adopt Motion C. ­­­
WHEREAS, Holy Scripture reminds us that "the Holy Habitation of the Most High" includes "a river whose streams make glad the city of God," and that "waters of the sea may become fresh, so everything will live where the river goes," and that "the Holy Spirit descended on [Jesus] in bodily form like a dove" when he was baptized in the River Jordan; and 2016 Churchwide Assembly: Legislative Update Friday, August 12, 2016 Page 11 of 14
WHEREAS, a watershed is the ground that water flows within as it moves toward a stream, river or lake, and is a natural boundary within God's creation, unlike arbitrary and haphazard geopolitical boundaries, and all of God's creatures live in a watershed; and
WHEREAS, many of the watersheds in this country are degraded, and this environmental damage leads to water shortages and a crisis that disproportionately affects people of color and people with lower incomes; and
WHEREAS, the ELCA social statement "Caring for Creation: Vision, Hope and Justice" states that "We see the despoiling of the environment as nothing less than the degradation of God's precious gift of creation," and the social statement also reminds us that "congregations have various opportunities during the year to focus on creation… Thanksgiving, harvest festivals, and blessings of field, water, and plants and animals," and encourages us to "observe Earth Day or Soil and Water Stewardship Week," so as to protect and restore "natural and human habitats, including seas, wetlands, forests, wilderness, and urban areas"; and
WHEREAS, "watershed discipleship" requires that Christians acknowledge that water lies both at the center of our Christian rite of baptism and our current ecological and climate crisis, thus deserving deep theological treatment; therefore, let it be
RESOLVED, that the ELCA, in Assembly, requests the Church Council to direct the appropriate churchwide unit to provide every active rostered leader with resources to locate each congregation within its watershed district, so that waters may be named and known in worship and intercessory prayers, and that theological and biblical themes may build awareness, care and thanksgiving for the gift of these waters; and let it be further
RESOLVED, that the ELCA, in Assembly, requests the Church Council to direct the appropriate churchwide unit to provide resources to congregations and individual members to encourage and support conservation and prayerful stewardship of water resources; and let it be further
RESOLVED, that the ELCA, in Assembly, requests the Church Council to direct the appropriate churchwide unit to continue to develop strategies and provide resources to support areas struggling with natural or human-caused disasters that impact access to clean water, such as water contamination, drought and floods, with an awareness that the impact of our environmental actions have disproportionate implication for communities of color with lower incomes; and let it be further
RESOLVED, that the ELCA, in Assembly, encourages congregations to plan events outside their doors and within their watersheds, utilizing the many biblical themes of renewal and liberation that water affords.
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