Sundays 9:30 AM ·

  1132 North Ivanhoe St., Arlington, VA 22205  ·   (703) 241-2474  ·    

St. Michael's Episcopal Church
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Care of Creation


Care of Creation Green Living Bingo

Care of Creation Green Living Bingo

May 28, 2022: Many thanks to those who joined us for the Care of Creation Green Living Bingo game Sunday afternoon. As Christians, we seek to use God’s creation wisely and be mindful of the resources that we use every day. We learned about step...
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St. Michael’s Holy Hike This Sunday

St. Michael’s Holy Hike This Sunday

Please join us this Sunday, May 1 after the 10:00 AM service for a Holy Hike around St. Michael’s beautiful grounds. We will be reflecting on the beauty of our Earth, and what we can do to faithfully uplift, steward, and protect God’s Creatio...
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Staying Mindful of Creation Care

Staying Mindful of Creation Care

“O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.” (Psalm 104:24) The passage above was included in St. Michael’s weekly update almost exactly two years ago as we were entering t...
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Why Do We Leave the Leaves?

Why Do We Leave the Leaves?

As part of our care of creation, we have been working to reduce the turf grass in areas where it is not needed (like on the steep hill on Ivanhoe Street) and add native plants to beautify the garden beds at St. Michael’s. The densely planted na...
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Creation Care: Native Plant Webinars

Creation Care: Native Plant Webinars

February 27, 2021: Are you interested in learning more about what you can do in your own yard or balcony to contribute to the care of God’s creation, and why we are focused on native plants at St. Michael’s to address this call? Wou...
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At St. Michael's, we are entering a time of reflection on environmental theology and care of God's creation. In September 2011, the Episcopal Church House of Bishops issued a pastoral teaching to the church regarding environmental justice. In it they wrote:

"The mounting urgency of our environmental crisis challenges us at this time to confess "our self-indulgent appetites and ways," "our waste and pollution of God's creation," and "our lack of concern for those who come after us" (Ash Wednesday Liturgy, Book of Common Prayer, p. 268). It also challenges us to amend our lives and to work for environmental justice and for more environmentally sustainable practices.

"Christians cannot be indifferent to global warming, pollution, natural resource depletion, species extinctions, and habitat destruction, all of which threaten life on our planet. Because so many of these threats are driven by greed, we must also actively seek to create more compassionate and sustainable economies that support the well-being of all God's creation."

The care of creation is a long-standing element of Episcopal Church teaching. Rather than being new or trendy, it has in fact been a prominent feature of the approach to mission that the Anglican Communion articulated during the 1980s. The so-called Five Marks of Mission that summarize the Anglican and Episcopal mission agenda are:

  • To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom;
  • To teach, baptize and nurture new believers;
  • To respond to human need by loving service;
  • To seek to transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and to pursue peace and reconciliation;
  • To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth.

From a practical standpoint, the Five Marks offer a framework to help faith communities decide how best to direct their mission activities. As attention is typically showered on the first four marks, care of creation can be overlooked. Former Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori observed as much, commenting in 2008 that The Episcopal Church lacked an organized effort to safeguarding the integrity of creation comparable to its efforts in the other areas.

Here at St. Michael's, we are pursuing the "Life of Grace" program to shine new light on this often overlooked mark. For sure, we will continue our long-standing work to proclaim the Gospel, nurture new believers, serve our neighbors, and pursue social justice -- the other marks. But there is more to do. We pray that as we "hear, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest" our bishops' teaching on creation, God will help us discern new paths of mission and strengthen us to walk them.

Almighty and everlasting God, you made the universe with all its marvelous order, its atoms, worlds, and galaxies, and the infinite complexity of living creatures: Grant that, as we probe the mysteries of your creation, we may come to know you more truly, and more surely fulfill our role in your eternal purpose; in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (BCP, p. 827)



Become an Energy Master

Now in its sixth year, the highly successful and award-winning Energy Masters program promotes a more energy efficient and sustainable community by engaging professionally trained volunteers in energy efficiency and water conservation techniques, and in community outreach and education. The program serves low-income families in Arlington County and the City of Alexandria.

You, too…

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Care of Creation Online Resources

There are many online resources. These websites provide a good starting point for further exploration.

In Virginia:
Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment
Center for Spirituality in Nature
Interfaith Power and Light (DC.MD.NoVA)

Anglican Community & the Episcopal Church USA:
Anglican Communion Environmental Network
Episcopal Church Eco-Justice Resources
Episcopal Church Foundation's E…

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Care of Creation Become an Energy Master Care of Creation Online Resources

Sermons

  • Mar 26 | The Very Rev. Beth Franklin
    "Take Away the Stone"
  • Mar 19 | Hayden Paul
    The Dark Before Dawn
  • Mar 12 | The Very Rev. Beth Franklin
    Messengers of Eternal Life
  • Mar 5 | The Very Rev. Beth Franklin
    The Head vs. the Heart
  • Feb 26 | Hayden Paul
    Into (and out of) the Wilderness

© 2022 St. Michael's Episcopal Church
1132 North Ivanhoe St. · Arlington, VA 22205
(703) 241-2474
Pastoral Care Emergency Line (703) 982-0344

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Service Times

Sunday Eucharist at St. Michael's is a comprehensive service of both Word and Sacrament. We read from the Bible, we recite or sing a psalm, and we listen to a sermon. Then we pray for the Church and the world, and we ask God's forgiveness for our sins. Finally, we greet one another in the peace of Christ and move to the sacramental service of the Holy Communion.

At services of Holy Eucharist, all baptized persons are welcome to receive holy communion. We also offer blessings to those who for any reason are not able or not comfortable receiving this sacrament.Children are always welcome at the communion rail. Learn more about Episcopal Worship

Location

St. Michael's Episcopal Church
1132 North Ivanhoe St.
Arlington, VA 22205

Contact Us
(703) 241-2474

Newsletter Signup

Today's Worship Service

9:30 AM Holy Eucharist

Join Zoom meeting here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82953003225
To Dial in: (301) 715 8592
Meeting ID: 829 5300 3225

Download the service bulletin here.