Steven Timmermans, executive director of the Christian Reformed Church, issued a statement welcoming Pope Francis’s encyclical “‘Laudato Si,’ On the Care of Our Common Home.” The encyclical addresses environmental stewardship, integral ecology, and climate change.
Timmermans said in his statement that as imagebearers of Christ, we are called to follow The Great Commission in Genesis 2:15 and acknowledged that caring for creation is part of God’s redemptive work. “We affirm the integrity of creation as an evangelical witness to the power and glory of God,” Timmermans said.
While Timmermans expressed support for the encyclical, he also discussed ways the CRC has engaged in this redemptive work. Three years ago, the CRC was one of the first denominations to declare that “human-induced climate change is a moral, social justice, and a religious issue.”
He noted that the CRC made a call for change. Recently the CRC’s Grand Rapids, Mich., office building was awarded the ENERGY STAR certification.
He also talked about ways congregations plan to attain more ENERGY STAR certifications, as well as finding ways to develop small group and Sunday school curriculum on creation and climate care.
CRC Statements on Creation Care
About the Author
Callie Feyen is a writer living in Ann Arbor, Mich. She attends First Presbyterian Church of Ann Arbor. Callie writes news for The Banner and contributes to Coffee+Crumbs, and T.S. Poetry Press. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing and is the author of The Teacher Diaries: Romeo and Juliet, and Twirl: My Life in Stories, Writing, & Clothes.