Embracing the Good News for Planet Earth
Celtic Christianity
Christianity first came to Ireland
mostly likely in the second century through trade with Roman Britain, but there
are stories of earlier contacts and influences.
However, due to relative isolation and the strength of the Celtic
culture, Irish Christianity (Irish Catholicism) had features distinct from
Roman Catholicism including such mystical elements as the paradoxical tension
between the nearness and farness of God, the fleeting vanity of the world, and
the wonder of all creation. For them,
especially apparent in the lives of the monks, was the appreciation of
wildlife, trees, plants, the weather, the sea, and the sky as sacramental
manifestations of God’s creativity.
Carried over from the earlier Celtic/Druid traditions, they believed
that spirits of ancestors and other spiritual entities could be found in “thin
spaces” or “thin times” where the space or transition between this world and
other realities was very narrow, boundary points between the material world and
the other world. Celtic Christians had a sense of living on the margins, on the
edge, and seeking places of resurrection, doorways to heaven in this world.
We might learn from Celtic Christians
the passionate presence of God in all of life:
eating, working, loving, playing, and tending the natural environment. Irish saints befriended and protected wild
animals, loving and celebrating nature.
Perhaps we can learn from them the passion to restore creation and
counter the pathways of greed, intolerance, and violence. (References:
Woods, The Spirituality of the
Celtic Saints; Joyce, Celtic
Christianity: A Sacred Tradition, A Vision of Hope; Herm, The Celts.)
Sustainable Living
Updates - Green Chalice Notes
Saving Energy –
Saving Money … across the Community
Energy efficiency improvements are very important for schools, businesses,
and churches as well as individual households. Did you know that Mizzou is a national leader in using renewable energy and reducing
greenhouse gas emissions? Over
one-third the energy MU uses annually comes from renewable energy – biomass,
wind and solar. MU ranks #4 (behind
Walmart, Apple and the US Department of Energy) in on-site generation of green
electricity in EPA’s Green Power Partnership using an energy technology called
biomass combined heat and power. MU has adopted a new LED lighting standard in
new and renovated facilities, and recently replaced lighting in two parking
garages with LED lighting, which is saving over 60% in electricity costs for
those garages. See the bulletin board
for additional information on several ways the University of Missouri has implemented
energy saving practices and programs. Since
2008, MU has reduced its carbon footprint by over 51%--a tremendous improvement—more than halfway to achieving their
climate neutrality goal by 2050. Begin to think about ways that Olivet might
better conserve energy and participate in renewable energy. (MU
statistics, courtesy ESSAG-Energy Strategies Student Advisory Group)
Last month’s tips on
saving household energy are worth repeating.
A very simple way to make an immediate impact is to switch your lighting
to LED bulbs.
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Review information about energy saving programs
posted in Fellowship Hall.
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Talk with friends and family who have made use
of these programs, such as Chester Edwards, Marjorie Audsley, Chris Kunz, and
Dennis Bettenhausen. (Note: the city offers low-interest loans to help
customers make improvements.)
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Contact your utility service providers to learn
more and make a plan:
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Make an investment in a brighter, cleaner,
healthier future for the next generation and for Planet Earth - our Common Home. Using
current technology, we can realize significant savings.
Upcoming Olivet
events - put these dates on your calendar now.
Our Sustainable Living theme this year is ‘Water – Essential
for Life - Ways We Can Conserve, Protect, Share and Appreciate this Gift.
·
Sunday,
March 5, 12:45 p.m., Lunch & Learn – “What Makes for a Quality
Watershed? – Part I” Meet in the Multipurpose Room following the Week of
Compassion lunch for an interesting discussion with Olivet’s own Bob Broz,
Extension Water Quality Specialist, and others about the challenges, rewards and
practical steps we can take to work together for clean streams and healthy watersheds.
·
Sunday,
April 9 - Seeds ‘n Sprouts
–this annual event for transplanting and taking home flower and veggie
seedlings is scheduled later this year – reducing the time needed to keep your
seedlings indoors.
·
Saturday,
April 22 – “What Makes for a Quality Watershed? – Part II” - Field Trip to
City of Columbia’s water treatment facility and wetlands at McBaine on the
Missouri River.
·
Sunday,
May 7 - Annual Youth & Property Work Day – fill the planters and pots in the
Music & Education patio area with flower and veggie seedlings; weed and
mulch trees and flower beds.
Beat the ‘Winter Blahs’
- Visit Runge Nature Center, Jefferson City to see their new forest area
exhibit, “The Forest Revealed’ … as you walk the path, hunt for
mushrooms, peer into the forest layers, smell a sassafras tree, call a squirrel
and see how many animals use the forest community. Kids can climb into a tree house and explore
life in and around the tree. Enjoy this
exhibit indoors; then get outside and enjoy the real thing.
Runge offers a variety of programs for all ages including
regularly scheduled midweek and Saturday hikes at conservation areas throughout
mid-Missouri. To learn more, call 573-526-5544 or visit http://mdc.mo.gov/regions/central/runge-nature-center
Sign up to receive Habitat Happenings, their bi-monthly newsletter via email or
print copy.
Building Hours: Tuesday-Saturday: 8 AM-5 PM; Thursday: 8 AM-8 PM.
Closed Sunday, Monday and all State Holidays.
Trail Hours: Open daily 6 AM-9 PM
