local press for GINI and Rev. Bingham's visit: Johnson City Press, Sat. March 26


Churches join in green initiative
Local group to host leader of national effort on Wednesday, Thursday.


By CHELSEA FARNAM    Press Staff Writer     cfarnam@johnsoncitypress.com


Some say God is love, while others say God is dead. But a handful of faith communities in the Tri-Cities have joined together to say God is green.

The Green Interfaith Network consists of nine congregations who want to foster sustainable living in the name of creation care. The group was founded two years ago and has continued to grow steadily, with about 50 members attending their most recent monthly meetings.


“Our hope is to create communication among people of faith and at the same time provide resources and encouragement to be more responsible to the earth,” said Carol Landis, president of the organization.


Landis is a member of Munsey United Methodist Church, but said the group is open to all denominations and religions.
“Most faith traditions have some sort of statement about stewardship of the earth,” said Landis.

“There is an ethic involved in creation care. It just seems a natural fit for communities concerned to do work together to maintain and sustain the creation that we’ve been given.”


Primarily the group hosts guest speakers from the region to discuss different niche issues about sustainability and stewardship. It also recognizes area faith communities for their success in promoting and developing eco-friendly practices in their building plans and missions.


“The vision of our group is really ... to become a spiritual voice for environmental sustainability in Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia,” said Landis.
The group is an offshoot of Interfaith Power and Light, which started as an Episcopal effort in California.

Over 13 years, the program has spread to 38 states and 10,000 congregations of numerous faiths.
Next week, the Rev. Sally Bingham, director of Interfaith Power and Light, will make a stop in Johnson City during her tour of Tennessee, meeting with Green Interfaith Network members and those interested in the group.

“Sally is coming to our area to present encouragement and help people become aware of what others are doing nationwide,” said Landis.


Bingham will offer a presentation Wednesday at 5 p.m. in the Jones Meeting Room of the Johnson City Public Library. She will discuss the religious community’s response to climate change. The discussion is free and open to the public.

Bingham will then host a breakfast the following morning at St. John’s Episcopal Church for religious leaders and clergy.


“I think that the environmental community has been working on climate change for 30 years and that we haven’t made the progress we need to make in the protection of climate,” said Bingham.

“Bringing the religious voice in is going to be the voice that makes the change we need. It’s my belief that when people understand they have a moral responsibility for the future and that their behavior counts, then people will make the changes we need to make.”

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Comment by Emily Page Bidgood on April 19, 2011 at 10:22am
Just wanted to share the thought that it's not really that God is Green more than God is Love. I think GREEN IS LOVE!
Comment by Mark McCalman on April 5, 2011 at 9:58pm

Emily, so nice to see this after our big week.  How about we post the photos (along w/ award success stories) by week's end?  I'll get with you and others soon....

--Mark

Comment by Emily Page Bidgood on March 27, 2011 at 5:17pm
THANK YOU CAROL FOR DOING SUCH A GREAT JOB ON THE INTERVIEW HERE; THANKS ALSO TO NATALIE WHO I KNOW HAD A HAND IN MAKING THIS ARTICLE HAPPEN!

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