Pray—Plan an Earth Day-themed worship service. Find a wealth of Earth Day Sunday worship resources at www.creationjustice.org/educational-resources.
Educate—Have bulletin inserts or handouts for congregation members. Most of Creation Justice Ministries’ Earth Day Sunday worship resources have bulletin insert handouts included, but you can also opt for something your congregation is currently working on. For instance, “Ten Steps to Green Your Home” or “Products to Green Your Home” – include energy-efficient light bulbs, environmentally friendly cleaning supplies, low-flow faucets and showerheads, information on energy-efficient appliances, 100% post-consumer waste recycled printer paper and more.
Invite a guest speaker to your church for after worship to talk about your Earth Day theme with a local focus.
Lead by Example—Host a special “Creation Justice Fellowship Time.” Serve organic, fair-trade coffee and treats from a local organic bakery; use re-usable plates, cups, silverware and napkins, or if that isn’t possible, recycled or biodegradable disposables; and post big, easy-to-read signs to educate people about what makes your fellowship oriented toward “Creation Justice.”
- Have a Creation Justice Church workday to set up rain barrels, install faucet aerators, do native landscaping on church grounds and replace incandescent light bulbs with energy efficient bulbs.
Examine your church’s energy use by per-forming an energy audit and present your findings on Earth Day Sunday. - Hold a “town hall” discussion about how your church can reduce energy use.
- Plan to officially join your denomination, fellowship or communion’s ecological ministry and announce/celebrate it on Earth Day Sunday.
Serve Your Community—Plan a community service project like a cleanup in a local park, along a local body of water or near a highway.
Revel in – and Celebrate – God’s Good Creation—Organize a hike at a local trail, park or natural area. Make sure you organize carpools for transportation to and from the site. If you’re not sure where to go, check www.findyourpark.com for ideas.
Plan an Earth Day Festival—Ask local environmental groups to set up informational booths. Invite local growers/food producers and artisans to set up booths to showcase and/or sell their products. Arrange for a variety of brief informational or practical workshops where people can to go learn about Eco-Justice issues (especially your Earth Day theme) or learn how to do something (like make an effective call to an elected official, adopt sustainable office practices or start a compost pile at home).