Church Women United of Lane County

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The mission that drives us . . .

Church Women United, an ecumenical movement of Christian women impassioned by the Holy Spirit, advocates on behalf of women and children throughout the world. We find unity in diversity, and we work for a world of peace and justice.

Church Women United of Lane County supports the National programs, priorities and goals, and celebrations.

Our monthly forums reflect the concerns of participants and explore issues of concern to local and state governments and to the citizens of Lane County,
Oregon.

Willamette Valley at rest. Photo by Mary Sharon Moore, 2010

A word from our President ...

Anne O'Brien, President

We are looking forward to a lively and enlightening April Forum when our local 350.org group brings us a panel of experts on environmental, climate and/or intergenerational justice. We’ve talked about Pope Francis’s encyclical regarding the environment: "On Care for Our Common Home.” We believe this is a very important issue for us to continue to pursue at Church Women United of Lane County.

As a kind of quick list of what we can do about climate change, the Pope came out with these Ten Commandments of Climate Change.
1. Think of future generations. What kind of future do we want to leave for our children?
2. Embrace alternative energy sources. Highly polluting fossil fuels must be replaced with clean energy.
3. Consider pollution’s effects on the poor. Touch the hearts of those who look only for gain at the expense of the poor and the earth.
4. Take the bus! Many scientists agree we need to give priority to public transportation.
5. Be humble. The earth was here before us.
6. Don’t become a slave to your phone. “True wisdom… is not acquired by a mere accumulation of data which eventually leads to overload and confusion, a sort of mental pollution.”
7. Don’t trade online relationships for real ones. “Real relationships tend to be replaced by a type of internet communication which enables us to choose or eliminate relationships at whim.”
8. Turn off the lights, recycle and don’t waste food. “[Environmental responsibility can] significantly affect the world around us, such as avoiding the use of plastic and paper, reducing water consumption, separating refuse, cooking only what can reasonably consumed… planting trees, turning off unnecessary lights.”
9. Educate yourself. “There is a nobility in the duty to care for creation through little daily actions, and it is wonderful how education can bring about real changes in lifestyle.”
10. Believe you can make a difference. “We must regain the conviction that we need one another, that we have a shared responsibility for others and the world, and that being good and decent are worth it.”

I’ll bet many of you are following most of these commandments and we’ll learn even more about what we can and should be doing at our April forum. Join us at the Friends Meeting and bring your friends.

April, 2018
April 6
Friday
9-11:15
Eugene Friends Meeting
2274 Onyx St.
Global Warming Panel

April 10
Tuesday
7:30 a.m.
Breakfast at Brails
1983 Willamette St.
A Look at our April forum

May 5
Saturday
11:30 a.m.
First United Methodist
1376 Olive St.
MAY FRIENDSHIP DAY LUNCH

APRIL FORUM
What is Environmental-Climate- and/or Intergenerational- Justice? How do we respond through our faith traditions as we witness the slow-moving yet civilization-ending devastation of the ecosystems on which life depends? We are most assuredly leaving this young generation, and those who may come after, an unrecognizable planet. Most of us are so shocked, we don't know what to do. But we are not off the hook: those least responsible for this wreckage are already feeling the effects, first and worst. Tragically, the voices of marginalize people have never been involved in any fair or meaningful way in development of environmental laws,
regulations and policies. (Think Native people, communities of color, the poor.) What went wrong, and what can we do now to fix it?

That's why we're bringing Eugene's preeminent spokespeople for this subject: Graham Klumpner (Our Children's Trust), Eric Richardson (NAACP) and Lisa Arkin (Beyond Toxics) to
share their campaigns, moderated by Patty Hine & Deb McGee (350 Eugene).

"It's warming. It's us. We're sure. It's bad. We can fix it."
You won't want to miss it.

See Forums for the programs for the rest of the year.