6 Improvements for the 2011 Peninsula-Delaware Annual Conference

Posted on June 16, 2010 by Steve LaMotte

Before beginning, I need to give credit to Josh Hale as he made a similar post regarding the Texas Annual Conference (Read post here).  His thoughts have helped to formalize some of my own thoughts in thinking about the Pen-Del 2010 Conference. 

This is my third year attending annual conference- and I had the most fun this year out of any.  This is likely due to being a little better connected to other pastors and laity who were there.  There is a bit of a learning curve for navigating through the ins and outs of annual conference (like how to beat everyone to the cafeteria!)

1.  Think Through our Worship Experiences:  This was one of the biggest complainst I heard from other clergy.  During our Celebration of Ministry, it was an hour or so of standing and sitting.  There was no continuity.  Rather than interspersing songs throughout the service- an extended opening and closing set would have flowed better. 

Our Ordination Service is another matter.  There is no better place to sing the hymns of the faith than with a gathering of clergy.  They sing like they mean it (hopefully we do!)!  Ordination was upstaged by songs that the clergy did not know.  There was much murmering where I was sitting during the songs as we mumbled our way through the lines. Once the candidates were ordained, we were to sing a verse or two from a song- but because it was one that very few knew- we just started clapping again. 

2.  Laptop Bar:  I have to give credit to Josh Hale for this one!  I was thankful there was wifi in the Fitzgerald Center as it made it easier to check email and tweet during the conference.  I had hoped to do some more posting about conference, but my laptop battery is not great.  There was no where to charge or plug in your laptop in the Fitzgerald Center.  Having a place to use the laptops and charge them would have been great for those of us who want to get information out- and who take notes and process that informaton electronically.

3. Has Anyone Heard of Twitter?  I counted only 3 people regularly using the pdcon hashtag during conference. 2 clergy and one lay member(there were 2 others who used it once or twice, bringing the total up to 5).  Really? 5 people who use Twitter during conference?  Are we that far behind as a conference and in our churches in using social media to connect with our congregations and with each other?  At Conference, Bishop Peggy Johnson said that churches need to utilze all the technological tools of the 21st century to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.  It looks like we have a ways to go for that!  Maybe for 2011, we can double or triple the number of clergy/laity using Twitter and other means to connect.  (Thanks to Rick Vance for distributing the Pen-Del hastag…you can follow Rick at @pendelconferenc)

4. Young Clergy Gathering/Networking:  My wife, Andrea, had to stay home for conference this year.  So when it ended each night, I stood there wondering what I was going to do for the next three hours until I would fall asleep.  There are not too many of us “young clergy” under 40 in the conference…but we should be connecting more than we are.  I will personally take it upon myself to be more proactive in this area next year.  It would have been great to go get something to eat some place after evening worship.

5.  Modeling New Ministry Tools:  Ok, so this is just a different name for Josh Hale’s “Social Media Training Session.”  In light of the Bishop’s pronouncment of how churches and leaders should use social media to spread the gospel, it would probably help many people to know what Twitter is and how to use it (especially in light of how few people use it in our conference).  But we also have to have leaders who use it.  I looked around twitter some and not one of our District Superintendents or Bishop uses Twitter from what I could research.  Our conference facebook page hasn’t had a post in almost a year!  As for blogs…well, you probably get the picture. 

6.  Streaming Video:  We already have cameras putting video up on the screens…couldn’t we screen Conference for those back home who are interested in what goes on..whether business or worship.  If we are concerned that no one will be interested…what does that say about what we do at Annual Conference?

I could probably bring up some other improvements for next year, but this is a good starting place.  It will be 2011 next year and our Annual Conference still looks too much like 1985 (at best).  As I hope to have a long ministry in the conference, I look forward to the changes that will take place in the future as we gather to worship, to support one another, and to do the business of the church.

Posted in Church, Leadership | 5 Comments

Catching Up and Some Thoughts on BP

Posted on June 8, 2010 by Steve LaMotte

I’ve wanted to post for awhile, but I really haven’t found the motivation to lately.  First, our life has been crazy busy…and it won’t really let up until about mid-august.  I will only be home one week in July!  Second, the transition out of Avenue and into Hope is starting to be emotionally draining.  I’m pretty pumped about the opportunity to meet and serve the wonderful people at Hope, but Avenue has been home for nine years and I think that is just hitting me today.  I was working on the details for my final sermon at Avenue on June 20th.  It’s always a privilege to preach…even more so to share one last time to my friends at Avenue.

I honestly haven’t had a whole lot of time to keep up with the news, but the more I see and read about BP and this oil spill in the gulf, the more angry I get.  How irresponsible can a company be?  How slow can the appropriate people take to respond?  How much wildlife will have to die because of this disaster?  I got to be honeset, I haven’t felt like there has been much of a response by our government either. 

It’s taken me awhile to come around on this, but I think that off-shore drilling should be stopped.  What good comes out of it?  By stopping, we can reduce our environmental impact in the oceans.  Stopping would also force us to find other ways to become less dependant on oil.  There has got to be some ingenuity out there that can develop a car or system that can lessen our dependency on oil.

Just rambling today.  Hopefully I’ll be back to some regular post in the near future.  This weekend is the Peninsula-Delaware Conference’s Annual Conference…so maybe that will give me something to write about!

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Transitions

Posted on May 28, 2010 by Steve LaMotte

May is a month of transitions.  Most places in the country are going from spring into summer.  Schools are quickly headed for summer break.  College students are coming home and looking for jobs.  Transitions are all around us- and happening all the time.  Here are a few transitions I’ve been working on or thinking through the last few weeks.

  • Our confirmation students were confirmed on Pentecost Sunday.  While I do not teach confirmation (our youth pastor does that), I have taught the class and believe it can be a very important opportunity for a teenager to experience some transition in their faith.  If you think about teens and church, confirmation is the first of many transitions that will happen over the next 10 years or so- meaning that confirmation can set the tone and foundation for a solid spiritual life.  This is an important time for a seventh grader (even if they are unaware of it!)
  • Our high school students graduated a week ago and are now preparing to head to college.  This is such an important time as most of the major decisions about who we will be as individuals will be made during our college years.  It’s when we put into practice the “theories” our parents, pastors, and mentors have taught us- or when we feel there is a better way than we’ve been taught.  This is a time when we solidify our identity, our career, how we will spend our money, develop or deny our faith identity and maybe even get married.
  • Our church does a senior adventure trip right after graduation.  It’s a time to celebrate our graduates and all they’ve accomplished as well as transitioning them into our college age ministry. I really believe that college is a dynamic time to grow in our faith and I want to see more churches intentionally reaching out to college students.
  • By the way, this year’s Senior Adventure Trip went caving, explored Baltimore, went to the National Aquarium, saw the Orioles beat the Oakland Athletics, enjoyed a day at the beach, watched the Blue Angels, camped, and saw the LOST series finale! It was an action packed four days!

I’m also in the process of transitioning in ministry as I prepare to leave Avenue Church and step into leadership at Hope UMC.  It’s scary, exciting, and bittersweet all at the same time.  There are so many people to thank at Avenue who have invested in me, prayed for me, and encouraged me- yet so little time to say thanks. (How about we golf everyday up to June 30th…if I have 3 other people with me each day, I might get through my list! And play some amazing golf!)  There are so many amazing people at Avenue- and it’s these same people who God is going to use at the church goes through a transition as well.

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Book Review: Church In The Making

Posted on May 19, 2010 by Steve LaMotte

I just finished reading Ben Arment’s book, Church In The Making: What Makes or Breaks a New Church Before It Starts?  If you’re a church leader, you should probably know who Ben Arment is.  He has been a church planter and most recently has been gathering innovative leaders to share their thoughts and insights at events like The Whiteboard Sessions, STORY, and Dream Year.  You can see Ben’s heart for equipping leaders in these ministries and in his book.

The first section of Church In The Making is called “Good Ground” and Ben uses the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13:3-9 as an illustration of how some church plants are planted in fertile soil and some in rocky (and oppressive) soil.  Ben writes that the spiritual receptivity of the area where the church will be planted has everything to do with the success of the church.  Churches can be planted in “rocky soil” but will face more resistance and difficulties. 

The second section of the book, called “Rolling Rocks” was especially insightful as Arment wrote on creating momentum in a new church.  What was interesting was that he said that people and communities rarely care about a new church, but they care about relationships.  It is strategic then for church leaders to consider the human network that they find themselves part of and see where momentum can be gained. 

The final section is called “Deep Roots” and focuses on creating a leadership team that can carry the vision further than the pastor alone.  One way that deep roots are established is by doing something that no one else is doing.  Churches should find a niche, a focus and strive to do that with excellence in communicating the gospel.  A church should create an identity and purpose that they are unapologetic about- and will not compromise on.  That might mean that some people leave the church, but everyone has to get on board with the vision.  Likewise, if an activity or ministry does not help promote the vision, it should be pruned so that time, energy and finances can be put elsewhere.

While this book is geared towards church planters- it has some application for churches that have an established history.  We must consider that spiritual receptivity of our communities.  When Avenue Church launched our 9:30 worship gathering 7 years ago, we had been cultivating the soil of our church and our community for almost 8 months leading up to the launch.  On our first Sunday, when we expected 40-50 people, we had 90 and the service is regularly attended by 200-250 people.  This service is also doing something that no one else was doing in Milford at the time- which contributed to it’s success.

I think that Pastors in the United Methodist Church could take more time to think about our social networks and how to leverage them.  Yes, it is difficult to do so in the UMC when you itinerate, but our churches are filled with people who have connections and networks throughout our communities.  Leaders and Pastors must learn how to tap into these networks in order to share the gospel.  It also means that as UM Pastors move into a community, that building relationships should be a very high priority.

Ben Arment’s Church In The Making really energized me about church leadership and the possibilities of what God wants to do through the Church.  This book will be very high on my reading list for our church leadership- as it asks a lot of really good questions that most (all?) churches need to wrestle with.

Have you read the bok? What do you think?  Does your church do a good job of using social networks to spread the gospel?  What is creating momentum in your church? Leave your thoughts below in the comments!

Posted in Book Review, Church, Leadership | 1 Comment

Robot Wedding

Posted on May 18, 2010 by Steve LaMotte

Did you happen to see this article over the weekend? It’s the story of two robotics experts in Japan getting married by a…robot!  Here’s a part of the story…

“The nuptials at this ceremony were led by “I-Fairy,” a 4-foot (1.5-meter) tall seated robot with flashing eyes and plastic pigtails. Sunday’s wedding was the first time a marriage had been led by a robot, according to manufacturer Kokoro Co.”

“‘Please lift the bride’s veil,’ the robot said in a tinny voice, waving its arms in the air as the newlyweds kissed in front of about 50 guests.”

“The wedding took place at a restaurant in Hibiya Park in central Tokyo, where the I-Fairy wore a wreath of flowers and directed a rooftop ceremony. Wires led out from beneath it to a black curtain a few feet (meters) away, where a man crouched and clicked commands into a computer.”

I am assuming that this was a civil ceremony and not a religious one- but what does it say about our society that the door has been opened to be married by a robot?  What has happened to real interaction?

This reminded me of a story I read earlier this year about a robot named Roxxxy who is touted as the first sex robot (Read the article here).  A statement on the website for the developers of Roxxxy says…

“Our caring staff deliver to you the specific sex robot which best meets your specific requirements. Your TrueCompanion.com robot will deliver the ultimate in robot sex. She will also be able to talk, listen, carry on a conversation, feel your touch and be your true friend. She can also have an orgasm when you touch her!”

While you may not get married by an I-Fairy or need the services of Roxxxy the Sexbot- how often are our interactions with others more robotic than human?  Are we more prone to offer a programmed response rather than take a risk and allow ourselves to be vulnerable in a relationship?  It is certainly safer to offer the pre-programmed responses, but are we sacrificing what truly makes us human- our ability to be in community with each other?

We do this on Facebook, Twitter and other social media as well when we use social media alone for our interaction.  It’s much easier and quicker to tell someone happy birthday on their Wall or send them a quick text message than to call them up on the phone and have a conversation.  We can often trade in real community and relationships for the imitation.

The image of the Trinity is the image of community. Father, Son and Holy Spirit in movement and interaction; giving and receiving.  Likewise, we are designed for community with God and with our neighbors.  As we go through our week- I challenge you (and myself) to make a phone call, meet for coffee and get personal rather than our programed, robotic responses that we can sometimes resort to.

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To My Friends At Avenue Church

Posted on May 17, 2010 by Steve LaMotte

It was nine years ago yesterday that Andrea and I first came to Milford.  While we feel pretty young now, we came to Milford at the ripe age of 22.  We felt a real sense of call in coming to Milford- which if you’ve never been near Milford, you would have to have a sense of call to come!  Never did we consider that we would still be at Avenue nine years later and able to look back at everything that God has done at Avenue Church.

Avenue has really been a home for Andrea and myself.  We have been at Avenue for all but 6 months of our married life together (10 years in December!).  Abbie feels as comfortable at Avenue Church as she does in our own home.

A week or so ago, I was presented with an opportunity to pastor a congregation in Dover, Delaware.  Hope UMC is a six year old church start located in the heart of Dover, on the campus of Wesley College.  As I felt called to come to Avenue nine years ago, I believe that God has been preparing us to be in ministry up in Dover.  After meeting with the team at Hope and spending time in prayer, I believe that God is going to do great things at Hope.  I have accepted the reappointment offer and will become the pastor at Hope UMC effective July 1, 2010.

I know that over the next few weeks that I will go through many emotions as I consider my time at Avenue.  You may too.  But the one thing that I know for sure is that God holds all things in His hands.  While it is bittersweet to leave what has become our church home, I am excited about what the future holds.  I am also excited for Avenue Church because this is really an opportunity for Avenue to refine it’s vision and receive a new pastor with new gifts who can help the church the grow in new ways.

Thanks, Avenue family, for the memories, the opportunities, your friendship and your prayers!  I’m looking forward to our next few weeks together.

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Should Churches Celebrate Mother’s Day?

Posted on May 10, 2010 by Steve LaMotte

There was an interesting sidebar in the current issue of Christianity Today asking some Christian leaders as to whether or not Christians/Churches should celebrate Mother’s Day (link goes to article on CT’s website).  Our church does some sort of Mother’s Day recognition.  It changes every year, but the conversation around the issue is interesting to consider.   The comments in the magazine ranged from those who believe we should, such as Sally Morganthaler–

“Absolutely, we should celebrate motherhood.  The fifth commandment establishes parenthood as a holy calling. But, it also makes good sense to acknowledge “cultural rhythms”- like certain secular holidays- liturgically, to recognize there is no place God isn’t.”

There is the moderate view of author and pastor Trevin Wax (Click on his link to read his post about Mother’s Day),

“We shold want to honor mothers.  But because this has become a consumerist holiday (like Valentine’s Day), we should consider deeper issues about how we order our time and make sure we aren’t simply catering to the whims of our consumerist culture.”

Author Caryn Rivadeneira says,

“It’s great to acknowledge it.  But there is the ‘cult of the family,’ where motherhood tends to get so elevated in churches that it’s above all else.  Sometimes that’s the knee-jerk treatment, to make it the highest and holiest of callings for women.  That’s a problem.”

Finally, the view of William Willimon, Bishop in the United Methodist Church,

“One of the biggest threats to theology today is not fundamentalism; it’s sentimentalism.  Mother’s Day apppears just another occasion to say, “Christianity is feeling something mushy in your heart.” We all get sentimental about our mothers.”

From the standpoint of the Church, I wonder if maybe we make too big of a deal out of Mother’s Day.  Certainly, I am thankful for my mother and all that she did for me.  I am amazed by my wife, Andrea, in how she is a great mother.  Looking around the church and our communities, Mother’s Day can be a day of sorrow and loneliness too.

  • I spoke with a seminary classmate- who is studying for an M.Div. and a leader in the church.  She told me last week that she experienced four late term miscarriages and was never able to have children.  As a Christian leader- she said it was extremely difficult to attend worship on Mother’s Day.
  • As I looked around Church on Sunday- there are other women who are unable to have children- or maybe never married- or lost their children through some tragedy.  I wonder as we elevate the role of mother in our churches if that feels like a slap in the face to those without children.
  • I’m curious how Mother’s Day feels for a child of any age whose Mother was a lousy example of a mother.  Maybe she was abusive or detatched emotionally.  Mother’s Day then causes the child to think about what he/she never had in a mother.
  • When it comes to worship, many Mother’s Day sermon become speeches about the virtues of motherhood rather than a proclamation of the Good News of Jesus.  Many Mother’s Day sermon could be given at a civic organization without offending anyone because the emphasis is on mother’s rather than God’s redemptive work through Jesus Christ.

I have to admit that I am more in the camp of Caryn Rivadeneira and Will Willamon that churches should be careful how we elevate Mother’s Day or any other special day.  The focus of the church is to be about the worship of God.  Our times of worship as a community are about praising God for what God has done in our lives through Jesus Christ- not about sentimentalism about our mothers.  We need to make sure our worship is decidely Christian and not some cultural. 

How does your church celebrate/recognize Mother’s Day?  Do we make too big of a deal about it? Not big enough?  Talk it out in the comments below!

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Lifeway Survey Paints a Grim Picture

Posted on April 29, 2010 by Steve LaMotte

USA Today ran an article in their religion section on Tuesday which was based on a survey recently done by Lifeway Christian Resources. (You can read the article here) The survey focused on the Millenial Generation and their feelings and beliefs when it comes to faith and religion.  They paint a pretty grim pictures.  Here are some highlights that were pointed out in the article.

  • Out of the 1,200 surveyed, 72% called themselves spiritual rather than religious
  • 65% rarely or never pray with others, and 38% almost never pray by themselves either
  • 65% rarely or never attend worship services.
  • 67% don’t read the Bible or sacred texts.

Even among those who have accepted Jesus Christ as Savior and believe that they will go to heaven…

  • 68% did not mention faith, religion or spirituality when asked what was “really important in life.”
  • 50% do not attend church at least weekly.
  • 36% rarely or never read the Bible

The Church is doing a poor job when nearly 70% of young adults do not pray, attend worship or read the Bible.  Thom Rainer, the President of Lifeway says that if this trend keeps up that,

“the Millennial generation will see churches closing as quickly as GM dealerships.”

This is not hard to believe.  Look around your congregation- look for the 20 year olds.  In many places they are absent.  Our staff recently took stock of what many of us thought we 20somethings in our congregation and they turned about to be 30somethings.  Aside from a few 20somethings- we are missing a huge segment of our population.  They are not hearing the gospel. They are not experiencing transformation through Jesus Christ.

The Church needs to rethink how we go about our ministries- reaching out to those who have never heard and discipling those who express faith in Jesus Christ.  It’s hard to imagine that 50% of people who define themselves as Christians do not attend worship weekly or that 36% rarely read their bible.  Rainer goes on to say,

“We have dumbed down what it means to be part of the church so much that it means almost nothing, even to people who already say they are part of the church.”

So what must the church do?  Here are some of my quick thoughts.

  • We must get rid of the attitude that is ok with college students “falling away” from their faith because we believe that they will come back to church when they have kids.  I have heard this a lot in the local church and people are ok with it.  We need to change our attitudes towards young people
  • Churches need to realize that it is not the Youth Pastors job to instill faith in young people.  First, it is the parents responsibility- then it is the responsibility of the entire congregation- per baptism vows (in the UMC, the entire church vows to help raise our children to know Christ as Savior.  We are falling short of that vow.)
  • We need to rethink how our churches do evangelism and discipleship. Discipleship is not a program, but a way of life! Evangelism should naturally flow out of our lives because God’s love and grace overflow in our daily walk.
  • Worship services, music and sermons need to express the mission of God and invite young adults (and people of all ages) to participate in God’s kingdom.  Look at your worship service…would a 20 year old feel comfortable there?  Does your music relate and reach to young adults? There is no “right” form for worship…it needs to be whatever best communicates our thanks to God and points to God’s love for the people we are trying to reach.

If you are older than your 20’s, think back for a moment.  Almost every major decision that has made you who you are was made in your 20’s.  Your studies.  Your career.  Your life goals.  Your spouse (for many). Your dreams.  Yes, these can change as you grow older…but many of these were solidified in your 20’s.  It is imperative that we continue to do all we can to reach young people- especially those in their 20’s.

How is your church reaching 18-29 year olds? Are they trying?  What are some things that need to change to help 20 year olds become disciples of Jesus Christ?

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Casting Crowns, Nickelback and the Gospel of Jesus Christ

Posted on April 28, 2010 by Steve LaMotte

Christianity Today’s Entertainment Blog recently had a post about the Dover Awards.  The Dove’s are the Christian version of the Grammy’s…which means only Christians care about them!  What struck me about the post was that they mentioned that Casting Crowns had won the previous five Artist of the Year Awards before losing out this year to Needtobreathe.  While this sounds critical, saying Casting Crowns is an “artist” is like saying Nickelback reinvents their sound on every song! 

I have been a big fan of Christian throughout my life.  Especially as a teenager, Christian music was a source of inspiration for me and my faith.  Now, I don’t follow Christian music as much as I used too, mostly because I find a lot of the music made in the Christian genre (or Christian ghetto, depending on your view) to be lacking creativity musically and lyrically.  For me, much of the Christian genre has become cheerleaders for Jesus rather than creatively communicating God’s love, peace, grace, power and presence lyrically and musically.

The Church, in general, has lost the ability to influence culture through the arts, when the arts have the ability to communicate on such a powerful level.  I’m thankful for mainstream bands (Christian and otherwise) whose music and lyrics point to God through beauty and grace.  I could go on and name some bands, but I realize it’s completely subjective! (Some of my personal favorites are U2, Needtobreathe, The Robbie Seay Band, Thrice, Derek Webb, Owl City, Switchfoot and Mutemath)  Those of us in the church need to encourage the our congregation to use the arts with excellence to communicate the truths of God’s love and salvation.  We need to find our voice to communicate using the gifts and talents that God has given us.  Some of us have been given gifts of music- we need to use it to the glory of God! Some of us have been given the ability to paint and sculpt- we need to use it to the glory of God!  Let’s not settle to produce material for the Christian ghetto- let’s produce art that speaks to the world’s heart about the love and grace of Jesus Christ.

Your turn- which bands/artist/songs speak to you about God’s love, grace, beauty, peace, presence, justice or mercy? Talk it out in the comments!

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Earth Day Theology

Posted on April 22, 2010 by Steve LaMotte

I’m not a tree hugger.

Growing up, the conservation movement was probably was in it’s infancy and it didn’t carry much weight with me. When I was involved in Cub Scouts, we would pick up trash along the roads once or twice a year. I remember watching Captain Planet where a blue man encouraged us to save the planet. (Or was the Avatar? I can’t remember) We lived in an area where you didn’t take much to get recycled- you just burned it in your back yard. All of it.

In the last ten years, Andrea and I have made sutble changes in our lifestyle in order to be a little more eco-friendly. We’ve changed our light bulbs. We use energy efficient appliances. I drink my water from an aluminum bottle rather than buying plastic ones. We try to keep our thermostat set to where we are not consuming tons of electricity. When it is time to replace my car (10 years old- thank you!), we’ll be looking for something that gets great gas mileage.

I’m still not a tree hugger, but my views on the environment have been changing in the last few years. Here is why- Protecting our environment is not only a conservation issue- it is a faith issue.

In Genesis 1, God created the the heavens and earth and everything in it and said it was good. God created male and female, blessed them and said,

“Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fist of the seas and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the grounds.”

That’s not too far off from our environment. Humans were given the task of “subduing” the earth…”ruling” over everything in it. Many have taken that as a green light to exploit the earth. We have countless atrocities of Christians “subduing” the earth (genocide of Native Americans, Spanish Conquistadors ravishing South/Central America, out of control pollution, etc.). Yet, maybe what that passage is telling us is that we are in a delicate balance with our environment. When we protect our planet and create a healthy world- we receive health back in return.

Theologian Eleazar Fernandez writes:

“What happens to the world, happens to us, for the elements that are in the cosmos and the air that we breathe are connected with the elements of our bodies”

A few paragraphs later…

“More particularly, we are citizens of the planet Earth; we are “earthlings.” We are not fit to live elsewhere. We are not simply sojourners or tourists on this earth, though we continue to behave as such; the earth is our home. We must stop treating this earth as a hotel that we can just leave after using its amenities. This is the only home we have, so let us stop entertaining the idea that we can put our eaggs in another basket (e.g., the planet Mars).”

As Christians, we must realize that the entire world is God’s creation- and that we have been put here as caretakers. We should care because when we care for our world- we make it better for our children and grandchildren who will inherit our caretakers job from us. We must remember that humans are not the only ones who long for redemption, but that “the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time” waiting for the redemption of our bodies.

What are you doing this Earth Day? What changes have you made in your lifestyle to be friendlier to the environment? What are ways the Church can speak out about sins against creation that pollute and harm our world- and harm humanity?

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