CLIMATE SOLUTION PERSISTENT PRAYER BOLD ACTION UNDYING HOPE TEXT JOURNEY TO TO JOIN THE MOVEMENT

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Marcia Chandler
5 years ago
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1 CLIMATE SOLUTION PERSISTENT PRAYER BOLD ACTION UNDYING HOPE TEXT JOURNEY TO TO JOIN THE MOVEMENT

2 There is a revival of biblical proportions taking place - a revival for justice. We are making a commitment to doing good for the poor and the earth and those who will come after us. At Micah Challenge, we ve come to recognize that our climate is changing and that we are the main reason it s happening. Climate change endangers all of us but has especially negative impacts on impoverished communities around the globe. Now that we are aware we seek to kindle a movement of a passionate community poised to take action. WHAT BETTER WAY TO INSPIRE THIS CLIMATE AWAKENING THAN THROUGH THE VOICES OF WORSHIP LEADERS? In December 2015, Micah Challenge invited worship leaders John Mark & Sarah McMillan, William Matthews, and Stephen Roach (from Songs of Water) to Paris for the United Nation s COP21 Climate Summit. COP21 was a global gathering of world leaders to address the growing impact of weather related disasters triggered by climate change. They learned from impacted individuals, leaders of the climate movement, and religious leaders from around the world about the realties of climate change. The historic treaty signed at COP21 set the stage for a global response to climate change. It s up to us to make sure the goals of the treaty are realized. Why is this important? For the Love Of was created in solidarity with the global impoverished who are experiencing the negative impacts of climate change. Though impoverished individuals and nations have contributed least to creating climate change, they are impacted the most by it. We want to let our brothers and sister know that we hear them and are

3 committed to finding solutions. Loving God and loving our global neighbors means caring for creation. We are building a community committed to being a part of the climate solution through persistent prayer, bold action, and undying hope. In inviting people to be a part of the conversation, you are joining this community as an agent of change. You are creating a movement. CHECKLIST BEFORE THE WATCH PARTY* Find a venue. Sometimes coffee shops will host screenings if they have the capacity. Campuses often have places you can for this type of event, as well. If you re a small enough group, you can also do it at someone s house! Ensure you either have strong wi-fi capability for streaming or download the film to a device. Choose a date and time. Go to micahchallengeusa.org/host to register your watch party to receive access to free extra resources you may need (downloadable posters, images for social media, sample posts, etc.) Advertise! Create a Facebook Event, inform your local newspaper, post it on a community site, write s to everyone you know and get your team/friends to do the same! Prepare Materials Make sure you have access to a screen and sound system that can support the film. Also ensure you have pens available for the Show the Love activity at the end of the film. Food and Refreshments Call around to local business to see if they would donate anything! Or do it potluck style and have everyone bring something to share. Ensure you find sustainable methods of presenting a sharing the refreshments (e.g. reusable/recyclable materials, no plastic water bottles, etc.)

4 CHECKLIST THE DAY OF THE WATCH PARTY Prepare the Venue Set up the film, make sure the sounds and visuals work, and cue the film to the beginning. Start the Screening Welcome guests, explain the context of the film, and give them a few questions from the following discussion section to think about while they watch it. Discussion After you finish the film, go through some of the discussion questions below. If there are a lot of people present, have them break up into groups of 4-5 people to discuss. Take Action Have everyone pull out their phones and text JOURNEY to to join the community. They ll stay in touch with Micah Challenge this way and be the first ones alerted for the next steps in our movement to fight climate change. Then join them in drawing a heart on your palms ( Show the Love ) and sharing the image online with a message of love and support for our brothers and sisters across the globe. Let them know that we hear them and that we grieve their hardships. Don t forget to use #ForTheLoveOf with your picture!bottles, etc.) *IF YOU NEED ASSISTANCE IN SETTING UP YOUR WATCH PARTY, PLEASE CONTACT ANDREW SCHWARTZ AT ANDREW@MICAHCHALLENGEUSA.ORG

5 Discussion As facilitator, this section will help you guide your group s discussion. Below, you ll find the major themes from the film with correlating verses from the Bible, facts about climate change, and suggested discussion questions. Use this discussion section as a guide but feel free to take it in your own direction. CLIMATE ISSUES ARE HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES John Mark mentions that climate change is a human rights issue right now, not fifty or a hundred years in the future, but now. As Sarah said, the world is calling for help and calling for people to step up. (Matthew 25:35-40) PROTECTING GOD S CREATION This is a theme touched upon by nearly all those in the film, from Jude s love of creation simply because God created it, to Bishop Tendero discussing our job as stewards of creation because it s been entrusted to us by our creator. (Genesis 2:15) PROTECTING THE EARTH FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS Many of the participants in the film are parents or grandparents. They are motivated to do something about climate change for their children s sake. They want to insure future generations inherit a future worth inheriting. (I Corinthians 10:24) SOLIDARITY IS OUR ONLY HOPE FOR TACKLING CLIMATE CHANGE Mary Robinson shared a quote from French Foreign Minister, Laurent Fabius, that we re the first generation to understand the dangers of climate change and the last generation with time to do something about it. Yeb Sano sees climate change as the defining issue of our generation. (Ecclesiastes 4:12)

6 The main cause of climate change stems from fossil fuel emissions and other greenhouse gases. 1 Greenhouse gases typically refer to CO2 and Methane. Greenhouse gases contribute to global warming, which refers to the incremental warming of the planet's average air, land, and water temperatures. Average temperatures have climbed 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit (0.8 degree Celsius). That might not seem like much but on a global scale it s a lot. 2 Warmer air and water temperatures allow for more moisture to be trapped in the air, leading to more intense and frequent storms, ex. Hurricane Sandy and Typhoon Haiyan. 3 Warmer air, water, and land temperatures contribute to changing weather patterns, meaning that some regions will experience increased and abnormal occurrences of drought and/or flooding, ex. South Sudan, Syria, and West Texas. 4 The world s most impoverished have contributed the least to climate change but are the most negatively impacted by its effects. 5 Flooding and drought contribute significantly to crop loss and increased hunger, threatening global crop-yield losses as large as 5 percent in 2030 and 30 percent in

7 There could be as many as 150 million climate refugees by A majority of Americans supported a treaty being signed at the Paris Climate Summit. 8 97% of climate scientists agree that climate change is happening and is human caused What brought you here tonight? 2. What was the most striking individual moment from the film for you? 3. John Mark mentions that he s concerned about this issue because of his son. What prompts you the most to be concerned about climate change? 4. Where do you see yourself in this story? 5. What do you think our role as Christ followers is in caring for God s creation? 6. What makes climate change a human rights issue? 7. Yeb Sano says We must respect each other in a way we have not done ever when tackling climate change. What does that respect look like? How can we implement it in our own lives moving forward? 8. What s your overall takeaway from this film? 9. How can we build empathy for those suffering the worst impacts of climate change? Not just with ourselves, but with the rest of our community?how can we continue this conversation as a community? How can we support one another in this journey? 1 NASA 2 National Geographic 3 NASA 4 NASA 5 TearFund 6 NASA 7 World Health Organization 8 Yale Project on Climate Change Communication 9 NASA

ACTION JOIN THE MOVEMENT BY TEXTING JOURNEY TO 97779 I SEE GOD IN ALL HE HAS MADE. IN HIS PEOPLE. IN HIS CREATION. I COMMIT TO FAITHFULLY JOURNEY IN PRAYER AND ACTION FOR THE LOVE OF.

8 ACTION JOIN THE MOVEMENT BY TEXTING JOURNEY TO I SEE GOD IN ALL HE HAS MADE. IN HIS PEOPLE. IN HIS CREATION. I COMMIT TO FAITHFULLY JOURNEY IN PRAYER AND ACTION FOR THE LOVE OF...our brothers and sisters around the world...our children who will inherit the world...god and his beautiful creation Stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters suffering the grave effects of climate change. Show the Love by drawing a heart on your hand and sharing a photo of you and your Watch Party palms out along with a prayer of support and solidarity using #ForTheLoveOf (search #ForTheLoveOf for an example!) SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM AND AND WITH #FORTHELOVEOF US YOUR QUESTIONS AND THOUGHTS TO INFO@MICAHCHALLENGEUSA.ORG

Worth It Lesson 2 October 27/28 1

Worth It Lesson 2 October 27/28 1 1 Large Group Series at a Glance for Kid-O-Deo About this Series: If you had ten dollars, what would you do with it? Spend it? Save it? Give it away? It might be wisest to do all three! Whether you are