Is there joy in our worship, business, first day school, and other activities?

Do we celebrate together?

-- New York Yearly Meeting, 1979

Specifically, through a realization of the living presence of God, religious education should enlarge and enrich our lives in such areas of experience as worship, the world of nature, the Bible, the life and teachings of Jesus, the history and testimonies of Quakers, the examples of other great religious leaders, the work and play of the meeting, and sharing with other peoples.

Meetings often appoint a religious education committee. This committee, or the monthly meeting on ministry and counsel, provides guidance and suit- able material for classes for children, young persons, and adults. Meeting retreats and conferences provide times to grow spiritually and to expand awareness of the ways of Friends in other places and of people of other faiths.

RESPONDING TO THAT OF GOD IN THE CREATION

"The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof." All things are parts of God's creation: the air and sky, rocks and minerals, animals and plants, the human race, the order of the universe. All natural resources are God's gifts, to be held and used by us as a sacred trust.

Our growing knowledge of ecological processes teaches us that abuse of this trust threatens not only our own health and welfare, but the integrity of the earth itself. Economic power made possible by the exploitation of God's natural gifts dominates much of our political and economic system. We work to counter the effects of this abuse on our politics and environment, since we know that acting responsibly in the wise, careful use of the earth for the benefit of all creation will bring us into harmony not only with the world beyond humanity, but with its creator.

Biblical history describes a covenant of trust and responsibility in which we are to care for the earth as well as to give thanks for all of the creator's gifts. An ecological ministry aims to protect and restore the physical world, to serve the healing processes of the land, and to aid the victims of ecological destruction. We are called to recommit ourselves, joyfully and in love, to this covenant in which both the earth and we ourselves can be sustained by God's care, wisdom, and healing power.

If we listen to the earth, we will hear it proclaim the glory of God. If we enjoy and preserve the earth, it will become our home. And as we unite with creation, we draw ever nearer to God