Contact: Bill Falvey, 917-373-8510, wfalvey@cpg.org
Church Publishing, 445 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Church Publishing Launches Environment/Faith Resources

(New York, NY) – As the Gulf oil-spill crisis surpasses 85 days, Church Publishing Incorporated (CPI) has launched two new faith formation programs, one focused on appreciating and living in harmony with God’s creation, and one that connects the growing Christian environmental concern with the theology of creation found in Genesis.
The resources – the eight-session Faith and Nature, and the six-session To Serve and Guard the Earth – were developed through CPI’s Morehouse Education Resources affiliate. Both are available as instant downloads from the CPI website at: www.churchpublishing.org/faithandnature and www.churchpublishing.org/toserveandguardtheearth

Faith and Nature: The Divine Adventure of Life on Earth
Phyllis Strupp   Instant Download   9781606740644   $49.00   8 Sessions

Faith and Nature is an intergenerational program using the approaches of scripture, tradition, reason, experience – and fun! Learners explore how God is at work in nature in a way that prepares them to bring hope and faithful action to today’s ecological concerns (www.churchpublishing.org/faithandnature).

Author Phyllis Strupp is an award-winning writer who founded the Nature and Spirituality Program at the Diocese of Arizona in 2005. The Faith and Nature curriculum is based on her earlier work, The Richest Fare: Seeking Spiritual Security in the Sonoran Desert, which received the Independent Publisher best mind-body-spirit book award in 2005. She currently works in the area of brain fitness and serves on the CREDO faculty. She was an Education for Ministry mentor from 2000-2007. Her background also includes a BA in History from Rutgers University, and an MBA in Finance from Columbia University.

"This is a multi-generational community building resource unlike anything else I've seen. It'll help you think and feel differently -- more connected than separate, more filled with awe than cynicism. From there, acts of mission and compassion naturally flow to help create the kind of world that honors all of God’s creation,” said Mike Schut, economic and environmental affairs officer for the Episcopal Church.

The program can be customized for group and individual needs: from one to eight sessions, 40 to 60 minutes each, any time of year. The leader is a guide rather than a teacher - no special knowledge or background required. As a downloadable curriculum, extensive links and further activities and resources are within the program, making this a resource that can be used in a variety of ways and settings.

An earlier reviewer from the Faith and Nature pilot program affirmed its benefits for congregational development: "We used the program for eight full weeks on Wednesday nights and had fun with it! About 25-30 people participated in each session, ages 4-84. One major benefit was the way it worked as an intergenerational program. It was so open ended, really made it possible to share without the pressure of ‘right answers.’ Kids got really engaged with adults. We found it especially helpful to have one program that integrated science, scripture, the Millennium Development Goals and community building." The Rev. Kathleen Patton, St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, Longview, Washington
Price includes leader and participant materials, plus marketing materials to get the word out, a one-year license fee for unlimited use by the purchaser, and special pricing for any subsequent versions.

To Serve and Guard the Earth:
God's Creation Story and Our Environmental Concern
Beth Bojarksi   9781606740590   Instant Download   $49.95

Designed for high school through adult groups, To Serve and Guard the Earth not only provides participants with a greater understanding of the scriptural accounts of creation and the environmental problems facing us today, but also encourages us to make practical applications to change our everyday lives and enhance important environmental values.

“This work is as thoughtful, balanced, informative, and practical a guide as the Church has to offer.  It will become the standard tool for environmental literacy in the Church for the foreseeable future,” said Rev. J. Matthew Tucker, Christ Church, Bordentown, NJ.

Each of the six sessions includes leader, participant and extra components, all of which are part of the downloaded resource. The introduction offers an environmental theology for today’s world and a Christian response to our environmental crisis. Beginning with Scripture and a historical perspective of how faith leaders have connected the stories of creation with humankind’s responsibility to care for it, Author Beth Bojarski provides a curriculum that is biblically and theologically sound for leader-led learning or self-exploration in sessions that can last from 1 to 1 ½ hours but are flexible to any group or setting.

Ms. Bojarski, currently Diocesan Youth Director for the Episcopal Diocese of Kentucky, holds a Master in Theological Studies from Virginia Theological Seminary and a Master in Outdoor and Environmental Education from the State University of New York at Cortland.  Born and raised in a small rural town, she has been paddling and hiking since childhood in the Finger Lakes area of Central New York and in Adirondack Park. Beth has taught teambuilding and outdoor skills classes to youth and adults for several outdoor organizations including Cornell University and Recreational Equipment, Inc (REI). While at Virginia Theological Seminary, Beth re-established an Environmental Concerns Committee, encouraging the community to be more mindful of God’s good creation in theological and practical ways.
 
“Filled with practical ideas that will help you put your faith into action 365 days a year, Bojarski’s study program provides simple ways we can show our love for the Creator by caring for His creation,” said Matthew Sleeth, director of Blessed Earth and author of The Gospel According to the Earth.
 
Founded in 1918 and headquartered in New York City, CPI is the publisher of official worship materials, books, and music for the Episcopal Church, plus a multi-faceted publisher and supplier to the broader ecumenical marketplace. Publishing imprints include Church Publishing, Morehouse Publishing, and Seabury Books. Additional CPI divisions include Morehouse Church Supplies, a provider of church supplies, ecclesiastical furnishings, and vestments, located in Harrisburg, PA; and Morehouse Education Resources, which produces lectionary-based curriculum, faith formation programs, plus e-publishing resources and services, in Denver, CO.