Resolved, the House of Deputies concurring,

That the 81st General Convention affirm:

1. That the work of creation healing is a primary ministry of the Church; it is our corporate, public witness to the Mission of God in Christ “to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.” [Colossians 1:20];

2. That creation healing is about right relationships among and between all people and all creation, centering the voice and experience of the marginalized in both human society and all creation, and these are relationships that have been, and continue to be, harmed by systemic marginalization, unbounded pursuit of wealth, and unfounded claims of privilege;

3. That creation healing ministry includes acts of repentance and renewal of heart and mind, but must also include dismantling institutions, structures, and policies that cause harm and divide us from life on earth; and include repairing the breach by rebuilding systems of justice, restoration, and hospitality (Isaiah 58);

4. Over the past 300 years, continued ecological degradation, mass extinction and escalation of the climate crisis, as well as the spiritual weakness and institutional failures that these realities expose, demand we understand this to be a revolutionary moment of accountability, repentance, and renewed commitment to the mission of God. We are called to account for our failures to live into the whole gospel of God’s New Creation. We acknowledge that historical practices, policies, and structures of the institutional church have played a role in the persistence of environmental exploitation and call out for immediate, urgent and enduring redress;

And be it further

Resolved, That all dioceses and congregations be called upon to ground every planning or business meeting or convention with prayers inviting an examination of conscience regarding the specific impact of the decisions of such meetings upon our kindred creatures who are dispossessed, deprived, and disregarded, and to provide and model forms for such examination of conscience; and be it further

Resolved, That all dioceses be called upon to offer, at least once a year, a diocesan-wide event or program and liturgy to engage our congregations and members in listening to and understanding God’s love for all creation and our complicity in its wounding, with attention to our local opportunities for repentance and healing; and be it further 

Resolved, That this General Convention direct the creation of a Task Force on Imagining a Church Grounded in Creation Healing as Christian Ministry be formed as a diverse group to include 2 bishops, 2 priests, 2 deacons, and 10 laypersons, in order to a) consider what the church must look like if we put our vocation to love all our neighbors and to be repairers of the breach at the center of our work; b) to reach out to local and diocesan groups that are doing ecojustice and creation reconciliation work focused on systemic change, in order to understand what resources and gifts we already have in this work and where the gaps are;  c) to liaise with the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music and the Standing Commission on Governance, Structure, Constitution and Canons, and other relevant interim bodies on consideration of these questions and how to address the institutional barriers to change in the church; and d) be charged with making recommendations to the 82nd General Convention for institutional change to support creation healing as Christian ministry in the areas of governance and structure, prayer and liturgy, catechesis and lifelong formation for discipleship, especially with laypeople and consistent with ecojustice and right relationship to all creation; and be it further

Resolved, That the General Convention request the Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget and Finance to consider a budget allocation of $60,000 for the implementation of this resolution.