June Wanderings

Think Globally..and act locally...

Think globally, and act locally.
To the best of my recollection, I first heard this phrase when I was in seminary. And again, to the best of my recollection, some important theologian said it the first time it was said, but now that I compare my memory with facts, I discover that no one knows who said it. Doesn’t matter – it was important to say and important still to hear.

At any rate, I thought about that sentence of advice as I was planning my summer. Each year, the pace changes for a few months which offers possibilities if one is looking. Around here, we tend to have fewer meetings and a chance to take some deep breaths as we look to launching our new program year in the fall. It is time to take some vacation days, and there may be a little leisure to catch up on some reading (I am compiling my list now which will include my yearly selection on baseball). The point is that summer allows for some projects, even around the church – a couple of those projects that I never have time to do during the rest of the year.

And I am thinking that one of those projects should be to think a little deeper about how we at First Christian Church could protect God’s creation a little more. I have been part of some conversations since I first arrived, but I was spurred a little last week by the news that there has been an effort to remove garbage from Mount Everest – something close to 45 tons of garbage has been removed during this climbing season though another 30 tons still remains on the trails up the peak. I can’t do anything about that I suppose, but maybe I could make a difference around here. There it is: Think globally, and act locally.

Around the church, we recycle, but are we doing it to the best of our abilities? When we have a church dinner, we find ourselves asking: china or paper, and if so, what kind of paper? And when we use plastic plates and cups, are we rinsing and recycling, or are we just tossing it all in the garbage? And have we thought about all of the other supplies we use? I bought some biodegradable garbage bags last week because I have been thinking about how we put compostable paper and food in plastic bags. The Disciples have a Green Chalice program that might guide us.

One side benefit might be that a summer filled with this kind of exploration might spur some of us to think about what we can do individually. My son has me coveting an electric car. This after preaching solar at me for three years. Doing some gardening isn’t just a chance to get that perfect home-grown tomato . . . it also offers possibilities to avoid preservatives and to keep from poisoning the soil. For sure, these call attention to national and international policies, but how can I pretend that I really care if I am not modeling sound practices in my own little world.

So, some texts and emails are going out between me and some like-minded spirits. I think we will be finding a time to sit-down and talk in the next week or two – to see, in the words of Kenny Rogers and the First Edition – what condition our condition is in. If you are interested, let me know and we will make sure you hear when we shall gather.

In the meantime, check in and I will let you know which baseball book I have selected. It is summer, and we have so much about which to sip and talk.

Blessings and Peace,
Gary

 #fccwilsonnc #ncdisciples #greenchalice #ccdoc #thinkglobally #climatechange #makeadifference #thefutureisinourhands

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