Consider the tons of plastic we use and be aware it often ends up in our oceans. It is estimated that at the rate we are going there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean. It can feel like a problem too big to address but:
What if we just stopped buying plastic for the 40 days of Lent?
- What would it look like?
- We’d shop from places that didn’t package food in plastic.
- We’d take our own containers to shops to be refilled
- We’d eat at home more often, and not wrap leftovers or lunches in plastic
- We wouldn’t buy plastic
- We would refuse to take free plastic stuff
- We would frequent places that are not contributing to plastic pollution
This is just a start; please add to this list and share.
I know I for one will be surprised to see how much plastic I use without thinking.
Giving up plastic for Lent could make us more conscious of our connection to our surroundings. It could make us more conscious of our decisions. It could make us better stewards of God’s creation.
Lent is a time for reflection and for trying to get closer to God to understand what he wants for us and from us.
What if giving up plastic for Lent helped?
St. George’s Episcopal Church will offer New Year’s Eve Concerts to benefit the Notre Dame Parish and School in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The evening begins with an organ concert by St. George’s five organists at 8:30 pm, followed by the best in jazz, funk, and Latin jazz with St. George’s Jazz Ensemble at 10 pm.
Today is National Unity Day, but you’d never know it by looking at the headlines and news. Everyday at The Table at St. George’s is National Unity Day – Kindness/Acceptance/Inclusion. Yesterday the Fredericksburg Regional Food Bank came in to do their annual inspection of our food pantry. One of the questions concerned who we allow to shop. Our answer was anyone who walks in the door and asks for food. We invite them to come back weekly as long as they have a need. Another question was about the area we serve. We have people come from Manassas, Triangle, King George, Caroline, Orange, Stafford, Spotsylvania, as well as Fredericksburg. We even serve people passing thru Virginia who have been told to go to The Table.
A name can tell you so much about a group or a place. For the last two years, the St. George’s Outreach Commission has been discerning a new name. Over the years, this Commission, which works with the community to address areas of need, has had many names – Mission, Evangelism, all reflecting the direction and emphasis of the Commission at that time.