Winds of Change Newsletter, December 2005     See sidebar for table of contents

	From left: Diana Oleskevich of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet in St. Louis, Mo.; OVEC board member Regina Hendrix; Coal River Mountain Watch Executive Director Janice Nease; and Joellen Sbrissa from Chicago, with the Sisters of St. Joseph.  photos by Janet Keating

Christians for the Mountains Spread Word of Responsible Earthkeeping – And That Means an End to Mountaintop Removal

The Earth is the Lord’s. Therefore, people have the privilege and responsibility to take care of God’s creation. Here in the Appalachians, that means opposing mountaintop removal coal mining.

That’s the message the Christians for the Mountains hope Christians will spread after attending the group’s “The Earth Is The Lord’s” conference, which was held Nov. 11-12 at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Charleston.

The conference, attended by Christians from as far away as St. Louis and Washington, D.C., covered basic biblical resources and church teachings on earthkeeping, approaches to reach the churches and their communities, building networking capabilities, airplane flyovers of mountaintop removal mining (courtesy of SouthWings), ground visits to Kayford Mountain, and worship and prayer. OVEC’s co-director Janet Keating led a strategy session.

Lindsay Moseley of the Sierra Club’s National Office on Partnerships and Paul Wilson of WV Sierra Club.

Deriving their stance from an array of scriptures including Psalm 24’s “The Earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,” the group pledges their efforts to mobilize Christians and their churches to combat extreme abuses against God’s earth, such as mountaintop removal coal extraction.

About three months after Christians for the Mountains formed in mid-May, the group received national attention in an August 29 Newsweek article titled “Green Religion: A Shepherd Protects His Own Backyard.” The group’s co-founder, Pocahontas County librarian Allen Johnson, told Newsweek, “God has called all of us seriously, and we should agree on one thing: To take care of His earth.”

Group member and Charleston resident Mary Ellen O’Farrell has a long history of advocating for religious folks to honor God with responsible care for the earth. “To poison, pollute, and degrade God’s creation is to heap contempt on our Creator,” said O’Farrell.

	Jack Spadaro

Denise Giardina, raised in the coalfields, trained in theological studies, and a well-known writer, succinctly noted, “When we destroy God’s mountains, we reject his blessing” (see page 10). Kate Long led the evening’s song and music. Coal sludge impoundment expert and corruption fighter Jack Spadaro spoke Saturday night.

Co-founder Bob Marshall, a Charleston area veterinarian, said the group includes Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant members.

“We have a big tent because irrespective of denominational differences all Christians should agree that we need to live responsibly upon this earth. To ruin and pollute the land is sin,” Marshall said.

Christians for the Mountains seeks people who identify with Christian faith and concern for the environment.

Go to www.christiansforthemountains.org or call Johnson at (304) 799-4137.