Building a Climate of Hope: E tū te mana o Te Ao

The RDC is a national centre that was established to foster understanding and respect for the religious diversity in our country. The Centre hosts an annual forum of religious leaders from across the diverse religions. One of the shared concerns the leaders named at their first meeting five years ago was the care of the environment. 

The 2022 Programme fully supports the programmes already active in the religious communities. ‘E tū te mana o Te Ao: Building a Climate of Hope’ is a call to each local religious community in Aotearoa New Zealand to share the story of an action they have taken in the face of the climate crisis. 

Extreme weather events have become more frequent. The threat to our shoreline is greater than we had thought. People in our neighbouring Pacific nations already experience serious impacts of rising sea levels. Recent research shows that much of coastal New Zealand will also be under threat within the next few years. 

As people of faith seeking to respond to the climate challenge we draw comfort and insight from the rich traditions and teachings of our religious communities. They call us to act justly, tread gently on the Earth, and care for one another. The Programme invites each local community to take some action together and to send their story to admin@rdc.org.nz so it can be shared with other Climate Stories on the website www.rdc.org.nz. 

Planting trees, cleaning a stream, building a bicycle rack - every action - large or small - matters. Sharing our stories will encourage each other. Together we will make a difference. Together we will ‘Build a Climate of Hope: E tū te mana o Te Ao’.

From Mission & Ecumenical
Methodist Church of New Zealand
Te Hāhi Weteriana o Aotearoa
[Acting] Director: Rev. Tony Franklin-Ross
E-mail: mm-e@methodist.org.nz
www.methodist.org.nz/mahi/mme