The Oasis - July 9, 2025

Greetings First Parish Church,
      Recently, I attended a church “Green Teams” gathering along with a few of our church
members. It was worthwhile to learn the ways climate change is impacting people and the ways
it is expected to continue to change how we live. I believe God cares about these matters,
because everything belongs to God. The psalmist wrote, “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in
it, the world, and those who live in it; for God has founded it on the seas, and established it on
the rivers (Psalm 24:1-2).” Below is a review of that gathering offered by one of our church
members, Linda Drew. -Eric

                                                 GREEN TEAMS GATHERING
      Wolf’s Neck Organic Farm, Dairy, Day Camp, Campground and Conference Center

      Susan Covino, Pastor Eric, Philip and I were privileged to spend the day at a “Green Teams Gathering” program June 21. There were about 80 participants from all sorts of faith-based organizations in the state of Maine sponsored by the BTS Center. The BTS Center is a

private operating foundation in Portland, Maine, building on the legacy of the former Bangor

Theological Seminary focusing on “Spiritual Leadership for a Climate-changed World.”
      The keynote speaker was Katie Mears, Sr. Technical Specialist, US Disaster and Climate
Risk. kmears@episcopalrelief.org We heard about how it is we will need to start “adapting” to
the reality of climate change (usually the topic is mitigation). Lots of very interesting graphs,
maps, data/trends from her work with hurricane, heat, wild fires and other disasters.
She pointed out that many of these invaluable stats/trends will no longer be taken or accessible as
of this year. These data indicated heat/humidity are moving north, areas in the U.S. where half
the days of the year the temperature reaches at least 95 degrees, the economic impact of global
warming, properties flooded each high tide, sea level and ocean temperature rise, land
temperature changes, increasing number of wildfires each year, and increasing number of major
disasters by 2050.
      Mears expects that within the next 25 years, there will be something comparable to a
“great migration” in which masses of people will move from the hottest locations in America to
places more comfortable. The northeast will be a key location.
      We were also given “40 ways a Church Can Go Green” compiled by Anna Woofenden,
founder of the Garden Church and Be Fed Farm/ Los Angeles and cohost of Food and Faith
podcast. We, at First Parish, are already doing many of those suggestions either at church and/or
at home. Some interesting takeaways from that list:
      * Install electric hand dryers in bathrooms- or use sustainably produced paper towels and then
         compost them.
      *Install rainwater collection tanks. This reduces both your building’s impact on waste water
        treatment facilities and your use of town water for irrigation.
      *Look at your church’s investment and take steps toward divesting from the fossil fuel
        industry.
      *Implement a building-wide ban on bottled water and Styrofoam (include this as part of a
        green policy for rental agreements).
      *Host a potluck at which people bring dishes entirely made from food grown within 100 mi.
      *Replace your church lawn with vegetable garden beds and feed your local community.
      *Create a “pay what you want” farmstand to share produce with your community.
      *Add a shower(s) to your facility; your church may well become a disaster shelter in the
        coming years.
      *Pray daily with words and actions, for the care of our precious earthly home

Submitted by Linda Drew