07061
January 31, 2007

NCC announces eco-sermon award

Deadline for submissions is March 1

by Dan Webster
NCC News and Information

WASHINGTON — The National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA (NCC) has announced a call for submissions to its first ever eco-justice sermon writing award.

     The award, which is a celebration of God’s creation in the proclaimed gospel, is open to clergy, lay leaders, and other religious leaders and entries can focus on a variety of environmental issues such as sustainability, global warming, wilderness, and water. 

     “As Christians have the moral responsibility to protect all of God’s creation for current and future generations,” said Cassandra Carmichael, eco-justice program director for the NCC. 

     “At the Council we strive to provide resources such as our recently released theological resources to folks in the pews,” said Carmichael. “This sermon award will help highlight the good work going on in churches across the nation as well as provide sermon starters for worship leaders.”

     The award was announced six months after the release of “Opening the Letter: God’s Earth is Sacred,” a theological resource for congregations.  According to Carmichael, an increasing number of congregations are preaching on the environment as evidenced by the rising popularity of the NCC’s Earth Day Sunday worship resource.