Episcopal Church offers prayers and worship resources on Gulf oil spill disaster

Prayers and liturgical resources focusing on the Gulf oil spill disaster are available from The Episcopal Church. Michael Schut, the church’s Economic and Environmental Affairs Officer, gathered the resources as Americans look to prayer and healing for the damage that has occurred.

In a statement, Schut said, “The disaster in the Gulf of Mexico brings into focus our calling as a church and a people of faith.” He said he had heard “more and more cries of grief” in response to the spill as time passed.

Schut described the grief as a sign of connection: “The grief is a good sign. It reveals the depth of our connections to the people, the families, the pelicans, the ocean’s waters, the turtles.” He said one of the church’s callings is “to provide worship, theology, time, openness and space to nurture these connections,” and that when people grieve, the church is called “to provide a place and a context for healing.” The response to loss points to the need for comfort in grief (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

The collection includes “For the Beauty of the Earth,” a Christian vigil in thanksgiving and lamentation for the planet, from St. John’s Episcopal Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. It also includes a litany for the Deepwater Horizon disaster created by the Mission of St. Clare.

Other materials include “A Lesson from the Gulf Oil Spill: We Are All Connected,” commentary by Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori that was first published in the Huffington Post. The list also includes “Addicted to Oil and the Love of Life,” a sermon by Schut.

The church also provides a link to the Episcopal Public Policy Network, which invites people to add their voices to those calling for more effective policies related to the disaster.

The Episcopal Church welcomes all who worship Jesus Christ in 109 dioceses and three regional areas in 16 nations. It is a member province of the worldwide Anglican Communion.

Source: Read the original report