Our Saviour is proud of the accomplishments of all of our children, youth, college students, and young adults as they engage with the world around them. One example came to our attention last week as Bridget Shorey (daughter of Charity and Allen Shorey) challenged the bishop of the Virginia Synod and all pastors, to speak up for the earth. Here’s the news item from the Virginia Synod newsletter as well as her entire letter. Thank you, Bridget, for speaking up and reminding us to be grateful for God’s gift of Creation!
Bridget Shorey, a student at Roanoke College with a major in religious studies and a minor in environmental studies, and a member of Our Saviour Lutheran Church in Warrenton, VA, wrote a letter to Bishop Humphrey with an impassioned request – that on the Sunday before or after Earth Day (April 22), pastors and deacons should preach about climate change or environmental issues in their town or region.
In her letter Bridget notes:
Our state is a very beautiful state with the Blue Ridge Mountains in the west, the Chesapeake Bay in the east, and all the natural wonders in between. However, these wonders are suffering…. As a Christian and a religious studies major, I tend to see a different side of environmentalism than many environmentalists see it. Scientists will see an ecosystem as a community of both biotic and abiotic factors all interacting with each other. However, I also see the spirituality of nature, as God’s creation…. I believe that we should not be conquerors of the Earth but share the Earth with all the other organisms. These organisms are God’s creation and our neighbors in the environment. Jesus Christ gave us two commandments: To love the Lord with all of your heart, mind, and strength and to love your neighbors as you love yourself.
Bridget also shared resources on environmental issues in Virginia: Alarming Environmental Issues Faced by Locals | Virginia Wildlife Protection (vawp.org), https://www.epa.gov/va, and Threats and Issues in Virginia // LandScope America.
You can read Bridget Shorey’s full letter here.