Genesis 2:19 NRSV “So out of the ground the LORD God formed every animal of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name.”

OUR HISTORY

In 1990, the 202nd General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) adopted by a resounding 97% majority the policy report “Restoring Creation for Ecology and Justice.” It calls Presbyterians to focus on caring for creation as a central concern, to be incorporated into the life and mission of the church at every level.

Five years later, a number of Presbyterians, restless to see the policy enacted in the national church, founded Presbyterians for Restoring Creation, a national, grassroots organization to support people of faith working towards “environmental wholeness with social justice.” For over twenty years, PEC has helped the church to fulfill its current environmental policies, create new environmentally responsible policies and practices, and equip and educate Presbyterians about earth care ministry.

SINCE ITS FOUNDING IN 1995, PRESBYTERIANS FOR EARTH CARE HAS…

Participated in every PC(USA) General Assembly, hosting an exhibit booth and luncheon, and striving to educate Presbyterians about faithful earth care, to advocate for issues of concern, to celebrate successes, and to strengthen the church-based eco-justice community.
Presented annual awards to honor individuals and groups for their work and leadership in earth care ministry.
Hosted eleven national conferences for eco-justice training, education, networking, and spiritual renewal:
  • God’s Earth, Our Home at Ghost Ranch Conference Center (NM) in June 1996

  • Strands in the Web of Life: Exploring Our Roles in Ecology, Peace, and Justice at Montreat Conference Center (NC) in August 1998

  • Living Waters: Streams of Faith at Epworth by the Sea (St Simon’s Island, GA) in February 2000

  • Earth’s Energy, God’s Light: Faithful Responses to the Energy Crisis at Linfield College (McMinnville, OR) in July 2002

  • Sharing the Waters of Life, PECs 10th Anniversary Conference, at Silver Bay YMCA Conference Center in New York on Lake George

  • Earth Sabbath, Earth Justice: Protecting God’s Gifts of Food and Fuel, October 2007, at Mo-Ranch Conference Center in Texas

  • Faith & Environment: Embracing God’s Call to be Green in July 2009 at Montreat Conference Center in NC

  • God’s Earth: Too Big to Fail? in Aug-Sep 2011at Highlands Conference Center in CO

  • Ethical Earth Care: Keeping Creation Sacred in October 2013 at Ferncliff Conference Center in Little Rock, AR

  • Down-to-Earth Advocacy and Action, PECs 20th Anniversary Conference, in September 2015 at Montreat Conference Center in NC

  • Blessing the Waters of Life: Justice and Healing for Our Watersheds, September 2017, Menucha Retreat and Conference Center near Portland, Oregon

  • Peace for the Earth: from the Bible to the Front Lines, August 2019 at Stony Point Conference Center in Stony Point, NY

Offered regional events such as:
  • Young Adult trail maintenance trip in Ohio, in Spring 2003

  • Caring for Creation Conference in California, in Spring 2004

  • Caring for Creation: Choices of Food and Faith intergenerational retreat in California, in Spring 2005

  • Seeing The Signs Of The Times: A Practical Theology On Climate Change in Anchorage and Fairbanks, Alaska; co-sponsored with Presbytery of Yukon, in Summer 2015

Co-Sponsored the Eco-Stewards program for young adults
  • California: Building the Eco-Stewards Program, 2007

  • New York & Pennsylvania: Studying Urban Ecology, 2008

  • West Virginia: Living with and from the Land, 2010

  • Montana: Sustainability and Reconciliation through Agriculture, Health and Green Building on the Crow Reservation, 2011

  • Vermont & Boston: Climate Change & Christian Activism, 2012

  • Portland, Oregon: Connectional Urban Living as Creative Response, 2013

  • Gainesville, Florida: Food and Faith–Uniting Together in a Southern Foodshed, 2014

  • Montana: Visioning the Future of The Eco-Stewards Program, 2015

  • Seattle, Washington: Creativity and Power: Theological Reflection and Action on Climate Change, 2016

  • Richmond, Virginia: Water is Life: Journeying Toward Justice Along the James River, 2017

Produced a quarterly print newsletter, The Update, for twenty years.

MISSION STATEMENT (2005)

Presbyterians for Earth Care (formerly PRC) is a nationwide network that cares for God’s Creation by:

Connecting with God and others through biblical and theological reflection, study, and experiencing God in Creation;
Equipping members with news and effective tools and resources;
Inspiring members through conferences on timely eco-justice issues and Creation-honoring worship.

1997 STATEMENT

We live in a time of wide-spread catastrophic destruction of the natural world and human communities. Our faith compels us to respond. Empowered by our rich biblical and theological heritage:

We trust that God — who created heaven and earth and pronounced it good — calls us to sacrificial, loving, and joyful participation in caring for the fullness of that creation.
We trust that Christ — whose incarnation reveals God’s love and compassion, who suffered death that we might have life — calls us to carry on the holy work of transforming brokenness into wholeness.
We trust that the Spirit — whose presence in trial and rejoicing moves us into deeper awareness of God’s reign — calls us to witness boldly as servants and prophets to our age.
There is great urgency to the work before us. Our hope rests fully in the One who continues to create, redeem, and sustain us all. May we be faithful to the call.

1995 STATEMENT

PREAMBLE:

In 1990, the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) adopted the report “Restoring Creation for Ecology and Justice,” which called Presbyterians to recognize the urgent need for addressing the environmental justice crisis that we face, and to adopt Restoring Creation as a new priority of mission of the church. Presbyterians for Restoring Creation is a national organization formed to help Presbyterians and their congregations respond to that call.

We believe that God loves all creation, and that the covenant given by God is for all creatures and their descendants. We believe that we are called to repentance for our irresponsibility in tilling the earth without sustaining the earth, for our destruction of the beauties and bounties of God’s creation, and for our failure to recognize that justice and love belong to all beings, that injustice toward one is linked to injustice toward another (Romans 8:19-23).

We believe that we are living in a kairos time—a time of great opportunity and a time of great need—and that we can respond with hope and rejoicing to the challenge before us, to help ourselves and humanity make necessary lifestyle and attitude changes that promote earth-keeping, justice, and community. We believe that we must begin to practice radical discipleship to follow Christ without compromise in the struggle before us and that we can do that best with fellowship and support for one another.

We accept, in our work for ecology and justice, the ethical norms of equity, sustainability, frugality and community. “Equity” means justice in the sharing of the world’s resources; “sustainability” means living within the bounds of the regenerative, absorptive, and carrying capacity of the creation. “Frugality” means thrift and moderation, so that all may participate in sufficiency, “community” means enjoyment and fulfillment through loving, mutual supportive relationships, and dedication to the common good.

MISSION:

Our mission is to gather a grassroots fellowship of Presbyterians to seek support and implementation of Restoring Creation through all agencies of ministry within the church; to foster networks of Presbyterians from all walks of life to learn from Holy Scripture and life experiences in order to share gifts and skills for restoring and preserving creation for future generations; to cooperate with others who are actively involved in living lightly on the earth through ecumenical, national and community organizations, and in all, to be faithful to the call of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ.