Green Team Meeting Notes 11-16-2017

Green Team Meeting Notes 11/16/2017

Present: Mark Bohrer, Fran Fink, Steve Fink, Bill Schroeder, Susan Johnston

Away: Iric Rex, Terry Ebner, Marty Mason, Candy Dann, Janet Clarke

1)       All-Member Retreat For The Environment – Columbus Day Weekend 2018

               ·         Announcement at church this Sunday to promote signups & reservation

               ·         Steve put together an updated info packet – he will send out a new version after a few tweaks

               ·         Mark & Susan will be at Fellowship hour to promote

2)       Divestment

·   Bill contacted Jan Holden on Social Justice Coalition and Board of World Service

·         Both groups are interested in working together on this

·         Next step: assemble a team, start the process of church discussion of divestment

·         This will start in December

·   Model for this discussion will be to put together series of church meetings

·         Similar to process for solar panels and Lupine road

·         Not known yet whether we bring forward to the Trustees this year

·         Goal is to get church to divest, and also general church membership to divest

·         Related goal for church is to discuss and implement a socially conscious investment policy

3)       Climate News / Activism

               ·         Bill and Susan went to event by medical doctors on climate change effects on public health TODAY.

·   This conflicts with the perception of most Americans that climate change won’t affect them and their families until sometime in the future. But the doctors told how it is affecting people and families NOW.

·   These personal stories are more effective than just the scientific

·   Stories!

4)       Storytelling Event – Janet Clarke talked to Dana

                ·         Possible dates in spring – date not set

Email from Janet:

I met with Dana yesterday to discuss plans for a Storytelling speaker and meal event and to make it a church wide event, not just a Green team event.

Storytelling is what we are about in our Faith journey, sharing the Good News!

Dana is very interested in the idea and suggests partnering with the Deacons and Youth, to build interest from a wider perspective and also for funding.

We also discussed using this as part of writing our Lenten booklet stories, or around Earth Day.  Ash Wed is Feb. 14th, the Lenten book deadline would be late in Jan. We looked at presenting this after worship on a Sunday.

The calendar is full, possible dates:

Jan. 21st-  (is the day after the Chili Cookoff), Best dates- Feb 4th, and

May 6th (would fit with Earth Day)

Other possible scenarios for this would be during the week when youth/confirmation met, pulling in those families and youth, or a Saturday Supper.