The Intersection of Poverty and the Environment
Facilitator Guide
Introduction
The Episcopal Church will sponsor a forum on a critical topic: The Intersection of Poverty and the Environment. Originating from Episcopal Cathedral of St. Mark’s in Salt Lake City, UT, the two-hour ecumenical forum will be a live webcast beginning at 10 am Mountain (9 am Pacific, 11 Central, noon Eastern) on April 21.
This guide has been designed to assist congregations, communities, dioceses and individuals participate in the The Intersection of Poverty and the Environment. There are four different ways people may choose to participate in this event; as a small group during the live webcast on April 21 or at a later date via on demand viewing. Individuals may also participate in the live webcast or view at a later date when it is more convenient.
The Intersection of Poverty and Environment aligns with the Anglican Five Marks of Mission, specifically “To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth.”
“The forum will explore the differential effects of environmental degradation and changing climate patterns on the poor – in this country and around the world,” Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori said.
How to use the guide…
The guide consists of materials for small group facilitation. Prior to the forum participants are encouraged to use the pre-work materials provided. The guide also includes a Call to Action Resource Guide which can be used after the forum by individuals and communities who have a desire to respond to the environmental conditions which impact poverty levels in their local communities and beyond.
Features of the guide…
The Facilitator’s Pre- Work section of the guide consists of steps the facilitator might find helpful when preparing for the program.
To prepare for the session participants might find it helpful to read the articles in the Participants Pre-Work Section of this guide. The articles can be printed or emailed to participants prior to the session. It may also be helpful for people to view the video Kivalina prior to the session. This information is also listed in the Participants Pre-Work section of the guide.
The Logistics & Schedule Section of the guide provides a schedule for each of the plan options. During the live broadcast it will be important to keep to the recommend schedule, for all other session the facilitator can adjust the schedule as needed.
There are two Lesson Plans available for use with small groups. The Lesson Plans are designed in a format which can easily be adapted to meet the particular needs of the community.
After viewing the presentation The Intersection of Poverty and the Environment, communities and/or individuals may want to respond to poverty and environmental issues and conditions. The Call to Action Resource Guide can be used to assist in this work.
Table of Contents
Introduction Page ___
Facilitator Guide Page ___
Pre-Work for Participants Page ___
Logistics & Schedule Page ___
Lesson Plans Page ___
Call to Action Resource Guide Page ___
B Facilitator Guide
Prior to Small Group Session:
Determine if you will hold both parts of the program on one day or on two separate days. There are two parts to the program; Part I The Intersection of Poverty and the Environment is an informational learning opportunity; and Part II is Discerning Our Community’s Call to Action. Part II is designed to assist small groups discern how their community might respond to the intersection of poverty and the environment in their local communities. Lesson Plans are also provided.
Select the session location. The space should be adequate to hold the number of anticipated participants and can be set up in a manner which will assure good visual sight lines from any seat in the room.
Schedule a time to test all audio and visual equipment prior to program. Leave adequate time to set up the space. You do not want to be setting up the space as people are arriving. You will want to greet participates and provide hospitality as is customary for your community. It is recommended that you have a co-facilitator.
Distribute pre-work reading/video resources, it is recommended to do so in electronic form. These materials can be found in section “D” of this facilitator’s guide. (Optional).
The schedule in the Lesson Plan is Mountain Time. You will need to adjust the schedule to accommodate your local time zone.
You may want to have a sign in sheet with contact information; this is a simple way to create Poverty and The Environment Call to Action team.
If you have not done so you should view the Kivalina video before the presentation.
You should also want to review:
The Baptismal Covenant (Book of Common Prayer page 304)
The Five Marks of Mission http://www.anglicancommunion.org/ministry/mission/fivemarks.cfm
The Charter for Lifelong Christian Formation http://episcopalchurch.org/sites/default/files/downloads/formationcharter_8.5x11_f.pdf
Scripture References
Following are various scriptures that connect to the webcast’s theme of the intersections of poverty and the environment.
What images, thoughts and relational responsibilities do these passages invoke for you?
Leviticus 25:1-24
Isaiah 24: 4-5
Isaiah 61:1-4
Matthew 25: 31-46
Colossians 1:15-20
Leviticus 25:1-24
The Lord spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying: 2Speak to the people of Israel and say to them: When you enter the land that I am giving you, the land shall observe a Sabbath for the Lord. 3For six years you shall sow your field, and for six years you shall prune your vineyard, and gather in their yield; 4but in the seventh year there shall be a Sabbath of complete rest for the land, a Sabbath for the Lord: you shall not sow your field or prune your vineyard. 5You shall not reap the after growth of your harvest or gather the grapes of your unpruned vine: it shall be a year of complete rest for the land. 6You may eat what the land yields during its Sabbath—you, your male and female slaves, your hired and your bound laborers who live with you; 7for your livestock also, and for the wild animals in your land all its yield shall be for food.
The Year of Jubilee
8 You shall count off seven weeks* of years, seven times seven years, so that the period of seven weeks of years gives forty-nine years. 9Then you shall have the trumpet sounded loud; on the tenth day of the seventh month—on the day of atonement—you shall have the trumpet sounded throughout all your land. 10And you shall hallow the fiftieth year and you shall proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you: you shall return, every one of you, to your property and every one of you to your family. 11That fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you: you shall not sow, or reap the aftergrowth, or harvest the unpruned vines. 12For it is a jubilee; it shall be holy to you: you shall eat only what the field itself produces.
13 In this year of jubilee you shall return, every one of you, to your property. 14When you make a sale to your neighbor or buy from your neighbor, you shall not cheat one another. 15When you buy from your neighbor, you shall pay only for the number of years since the jubilee; the seller shall charge you only for the remaining crop-years. 16If the years are more, you shall increase the price, and if the years are fewer, you shall diminish the price; for it is a certain number of harvests that are being sold to you. 17You shall not cheat one another, but you shall fear your God; for I am the Lord your God.
18 You shall observe my statutes and faithfully keep my ordinances, so that you may live on the land securely. 19The land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill and live on it securely. 20Should you ask, ‘What shall we eat in the seventh year, if we may not sow or gather in our crop?’ 21I will order my blessing for you in the sixth year, so that it will yield a crop for three years. 22When you sow in the eighth year, you will be eating from the old crop; until the ninth year, when its produce comes in, you shall eat the old. 23The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine; with me you are but aliens and tenants. 24Throughout the land that you hold, you shall provide for the redemption of the land.
Isaiah 24: 4-5
The earth dries up and withers, the world languishes and withers; the heavens languish together with the earth. 5 The earth lies polluted under its inhabitants; for they have transgressed laws, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant
Isaiah 61:1-4
The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; 3 to provide for those who mourn in Zion—to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit.
They will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, to display his glory. 4 They shall build up the ancient ruins, they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations.
Matthew 25: 31-46
‘When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. 34Then the king will say to those at his right hand, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” 37Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” 40And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family,* you did it to me.” 41Then he will say to those at his left hand, “You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.” 44Then they also will answer, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?” 45Then he will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.” 46And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.’
Colossians 1:15-20
The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
Pre Work for Resources for Participants
Prior to the webcast, participants may be interested in readings/videos related to the Intersection of Poverty and the Environment. Find such resources briefly introduced below, along with possible reflection questions. Participants might find this pre-work helpful in preparing for the webcast. (This is an optional activity)
Kivalina
During the webcast a short video featuring the native Inupiat village of Kivalina (Alaska) will be shown. If you want to watch the video prior to the webcast, download it here: http://vimeo.com/39711026 For further video footage, made by The Episcopal Church, about Kivalina’s history, people, religion, and how the village is facing the impacts of climate change, see: http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/wayfarer/
For Reflection:
1. What most struck you about the Kivalina video?
2. Discuss any connections you see between your life/lifestyle and what is happening in Kivalina.
3. How might your faith call you to respond?
4. If you read Michael Schut’s piece "The Eight-Hundred Pound Gorilla," who/what is experiencing the impacts of the negative externalities in Kivalina? How so?
5. What does the phrase "environmental justice" mean or suggest to you? What would environmental justice look like if it were applied/seen in Kivalina?
Jubliee Park & Community Center
Video: In 1997 Jubilee Park & Community Center was formed with the mission to be a catalyst for community renewal and enrichment in the surrounding South Dallas/Fair Park neighborhood. Its approach is a comprehensive model for community revitalization addressing each of the main factors which create vitality in a community: education, public safety, public health, housing, and community ownership. To learn about how this local community collaboration came together to create something of God’s shalom in South Dallas, see the video: http://jubileecenter.org/. The Episcopal Church has also created a documentary video to share this story. Just follow this link to view it: http://episcopalchurch.org/jubilee