In the past decade, GMP policies, and those of local churches, have grown in abundance! We now have so many. One of the good things about this is they provide an opportunity for us to be clear about what we believe about a particular matter. We are a Christian ministry and our core policies are drawn from our faith.
We were asked recently, by a regulatory body, about our ‘Environment Policy’. They were particularly interested in understanding how we intend to reduce our impact on the environment. We revised what we had and then began to wonder. Behind what we do is what we believe.
Out of this came a new statement we have called ‘Care of Creation’. In it we affirm that ‘God created the earth for the enjoyment and support of all people, and gave people custodial rights and responsibilities for it. Land, sea and sky are gifts to be stewarded for the benefit of all people and for the generations to come. It reflects the love of the Creator and is the stage which God has given humanity to find life to the full, in communion with each other and with God. God sees Creation as completely good. God will renew the Creation at the reconciliation of all things.’
There is much more in the policy, including our recognition of the custodianship of this land, Australia, by our First Nations peoples.
What we value and respect leads to our behaviour and decision-making. ‘GMP in all its programming will give preference, wherever possible, for projects and activities that serve to better care for the environment and enable people’s lives to be for the better.’
GMP will, through all our work, do all we can to care for creation and to honour the stewardship given us by our God. We will pay attention to the way that the most marginalised people are impacted by climate, and respond with compassion, care and advocacy. Safe Water September is a commitment to care for people impacted by a loss of access to safe water. It is also a way of saying God’s intent in creation was safe water for all.
John Gilmore Executive Officer