wfn.org | Grassroots movement remains the key to environmental issues

[PCUSA NEWS <PCUSA.NEWS@ecunet.org>]

Note #6637 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

12-June-2001
GA01080

Grassroots movement remains the key to environmental issues

by Nancy D. Borst

LOUISVILLE, June 12 - The pursuit of environmental justice must still be led
by grassroots movements, according to this year's winner of the William
Gibson Individual Lifetime Achievement Award given by Presbyterians for
Restoring Creation (PRC).
That was the message from Bill Knox, who received the award during the
environmental organization's annual General Assembly luncheon at the Galt
House Hotel in Louisville. The General Assembly is the annual business
meeting of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

"There is no Moses, no charismatic leader" to lead the fight for the
environment's health, Knox said, despite increased awareness of the need for
"harmony for a sustainable future." The award recognizes lifetime
achievement in the area of eco-justice.

Presbyterians for Restoring Creation was created in 1995 and Knox is a
co-founder. The organization now has a membership of 500, shares a part-time
staff person in the denomination's environmental justice office and has a
permanent fund with the Presbyterian Foundation (U.S.A.). But Knox, a
retired Presbyterian pastor, said there is still much work to be done.

"For most Presbyterians, denial is a river in Egypt," he said. "They just
don't get it."

The voices of church leaders no longer carry much weight in society, Knox
said. That, coupled with limited staff and funds, means grassroots
organizations continue to bear the brunt of the load.

Presbyterians for Restoring Creation also presented a Church Service Award
to the Synod of Living Waters for its water purification project, "Living
Waters for the World." The project uses a simple water purification system
to provide healthy drinking water to poor communities in Central America.

PRC is closely following overture 01-60 to this Assembly, which calls for
prevention of the mass extinction of living species. The Committee on Global
Issues sent the overture to the full Assembly by a vote of 25-23. The
overture is based on a document endorsed by the Presbyterians for Restoring
Creation Steering Committee at its annual planning meeting last September.

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