As part of its Creation Care Environmental Initiative, the Lutheran Community Foundation (LCF) recently awarded $60,000 to Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. This grant supports a project of Concordia Seminary’s nascent Center for the Care of Creation to partner with congregations for the purpose of equipping Christians to live as joy-filled stewards of God’s creation. Dr. Charles Arand, professor of systematic theology at Concordia Seminary and chief author of “Together with All Creatures: Caring for God’s Living Earth,” heads this project.

The first phase of this project focuses on practical congregational resources for education and worship. In the second phase, resources will be introduced in a variety of pilot congregations throughout the U.S.

“This grant jump starts our Center for Care of Creation’s vision in important and long-term ways,” commented Dr. Dale Meyer, president of Concordia Seminary. “Dr. Arand brings a passion for this ministry and awareness that the conversation around environmental ethics can be challenging. Yet it’s through these conversations that we can enhance our role in caring for God’s creation.”

“Our hope for this project is to engage and equip Lutheran communities to think about care of creation within the context of our Christian story, as matters of discipleship and responsibility,” said Chris Andersen, LCF President and Executive Director. “When we open this conversation within the context of faith, it has the potential to change how we live and consume as people of God.”

The LCF is a national, faith-based public charity with a mission to help individuals and families spread joy and change lives through charitable giving. Through careful management, donor gifts provide more than $10 million annually to charities serving our local, national and global community. To learn more, go to TheLCF.org.