First
United Methodist Church
Burlington, Vermont
“We can say that we believe that stewardship is a faith issue, but we don’t always act that way. Which is why we must continually bring up the issue and discuss the issue.”
Date
of interview: November 11, 2004
Pastor Dick Hibbert
Size of Congregation: 170
Denomination: United Methodist
Activities:
1. Annual forum on social issues including stewardship of the earth. In
2004, the forum featured Bill McKibben, who spoke about our responsibility
to care for the earth and take action against climate change.
2. Intergenerational hikes aimed to both encourage physical fitness and
health as well as our connection to the natural world. They
recently held a worship service on the summit of Mt. Mansfield.
3. Participation in Burlington's "Ten
Percent Challenge"
Motivations: Pastor Hibbert mentioned many faith-based motivations for his devotion to caring for the earth. The Book of Discipline contains the social principles of the United Methodist Church, including stewarship of the earth. He cited Psalm 24:1 ("The earth is the Lord's and all that is in it") as an example of his faith-based motivation to care for the earth as God's creation.
Challenges: Pastor Hibbert would like to have an energy audit of the church building performed, but the primary obstacle to this is the cost.
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