Dear Friends,
I have shared with you in the past that I am part of the Water Working Group as a Cojourner with the Rochester Franciscan Sisters. The following is an initiative of this group–an Advent challenge that we put out to the Sisters and Cojourners and I thought perhaps some of you might wish to participate in as we move into the Advent Season beginning tomorrow. You don’t need to do everything listed, perhaps choose one thing to do or simply become more aware! Blessings on you during this holy season of Advent. –Pastor Kathy
An Advent Challenge
From the Water Working Group
We, the members of the Water Working Group, Sisters Betty Kenny, Iria Miller, Joy Barth, Lorraine Doherty, Loretta Gerk, Glennie Jeanne Pogue, along with Cojourners, Mary Huettl and Kathy Redig decided at our most recent meeting that we wanted to reach out to more of you and share our work.
The Water Working Group is one of several social-justice groups that originate out of our Rochester Franciscan community of Sisters and Cojourners and its purpose is to first and foremost show gratitude to our God for the wonderful gift of water. Our second purpose or goal is to be aware of how this precious gift, that we all need each and every day, is many times wasted or harmed through pollution—the dumping of chemicals and other waste by-products into our rivers and streams.
Being that Advent will soon be upon us, we are challenging ourselves and you to perhaps choose to do one thing each day to preserve and protect our water supply as well as give gratitude to God for this vital gift.
Some things that we can do are included below—perhaps you can think of others. Caring for the earth’s oceans, rivers, lakes and streams can be very complicated and we have to try to see the big picture. Chemicals and by-products from manufacturing can often end up in our waterways and not only affect the water and creatures that live in our streams, but humanity—we only have to recall Flint, Michigan and the near disaster that occurred there, when lead was leached into the drinking water.
So friends, here are some ideas to try during Advent to make us all more aware and more grateful:
- Be aware of how long you may be running the water when washing your hands, doing household tasks—could you use less?
- Look for other ways around your homes that water may be wasted and rectify the situation. Suggestion: for those who grow vegetables—when washing them off, use a bucket and the used water can also water your flowers!
- Notice articles in magazines and newspapers or on-line that mentions a threat to our waterways—call or write your members of Congress and ask them to support legislation that protects our water.
- Be aware of who your legislators are and the issues they support—through the voting process, do your part to elect people concerned for caring for the earth, its land, creatures and water.
If you would like to know more about water and how you can help, here are some resources to check out during Advent:
http://water.epa.gov/drink/local/index.cfm
https://water.org www.greenfacts.org/en/water-resources
https://www.wef.org/resources/for-the-public/value-of-water/
https://www.awwa.org/resources-tools/water-knowledge/source-water-protection.aspx
https://www.denverwater.org/education/educational-articles
–The Water Working Group
All Are One Church 