“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” Genesis 2:15
As a church we believe that we are individually and corporately stewards of God’s world.
In recent years it has become increasingly apparent that urgent action is required from us all to seek to live justly and sustainably, in a world of finite resources, rapid climate change and unsustainable levels of environmental destruction. As disciples of Jesus Christ we are called to be good stewards of God’s abundant creation, both it’s human and non-human elements. We seek therefore to both preserve and enhance the life of the planet and its people through our actions and decisions.
At Emmanuel we are committed to care for God’s creation and are on a continued journey to become more sustainable. As part of this we have recently been awarded the bronze award by A Rocha, and are continuing to make changes to become better stewards of the world.
Theological Basis
In Genesis 1:28 and 2:15, God specifically commanded humankind to take care of both the living and the non-living creation. We are to work at ruling and ordering creation as good stewards without abusing it for our own selfish ends. By caring for the earth properly, we enable it to be fruitful and to play its intended role in giving glory to God.
We recognise that one of the marks of the presence of God’s Kingdom amongst us is justice and that Christians are called to work towards justice in all spheres of our society. Climate change and use of the world’s resources is a justice issue because the impacts of environmental destruction disproportionately affect the poorest in our world. To seek God’s Kingdom is to pursue environmental justice.
As followers of Jesus Christ we believe that care for God’s creation is a foundational biblical command and a gospel imperative; it is central to Christian Mission.
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