HEINZL: “Climate change is a deeply human issue. It touches all of us. We all live on the same soil, breathe the same air, drink the same water.”
That’s Dieter Heinzl, Associate Pastor at Ladue Chapel Presbyterian Church in St. Louis, Missouri. Each Sunday in January, his church held an unusual type of Sunday School: hour-long classes on climate change.
The church also started a recycling program, a community garden, and made energy efficiency improvements such as installing a computerized heating and cooling system.
The actions might sound out of place, but Heinzl says it’s all about stewardship.
HEINZL: “We are called by God to be good stewards of God’s creation, and so obviously taking care of the world God created is a big deal. The other aspect would be that we believe we are created in God’s image, and that’s really a dynamic understanding — that we are co-creators with God. That means we are responsible both for our brothers and sisters, Christian and non-Christian alike, and for the world in which we live.”
Heinzl says climate change is a moral issue — not just for his church — but for other religions as well.
HEINZL: “As people of faith, we all have a responsibility for future generations.”
Reporting credit: ChavoBart Digital Media.
Photo: Ladue Chapel, St. Louis, MO (source: LadueChapel.org).
More Resources
Presbyterians and Climate Change
Series on Religion and Climate Change