Christian Enrichment

SAVER COMMITTEE

Vision and Mission Statement
We envision a world that understands and values all of God's Creation so that it may be sustained for future generations. To bring this into reality, SAVER will lead our church and community in the stewardship of God's Creation through our efforts in education, sustainable food and landscapes, community outreach, building efficiency, and youth engagement.

Belief Statement
We believe the Bible is the primary authoritative guide to faith and life. The Bible declares that God created all things and that God’s creation (i.e. the natural environment and its ecosystems) is good. Humans are not separate from but are part of this creation, although humans alone are made in the image of God (Gen 1:1-2:2). Creation teaches us about God (Rom 1:20; Job 39:1-42:6). While all things belong to God, God has entrusted the care of creation to humans (Ps 24:1; Gen 1:28-29; 2:15).

The relationship between humans and the rest of creation is therefore one of interdependence and stewardship. We are creatures shaped by the same processes and embedded in the same systems as those that sustain all other life. Yet as God’s stewards we bear an ethical responsibility for the care of the Earth and the welfare of all living things.

We affirm that godly stewardship of the creation includes:
• Respect for the creation and its ecosystems as gifts from God
• Teaching and learning about creation and its ecosystems
• Wise allocation and use of creation’s finite natural resources
• Rejecting a lifestyle of over-consumption and greed-satisfaction in favor of simplicity
• An awareness that willful environmental degradation is sin and will attract God’s judgment

We deny that:
• Creation and its ecosystems are to be worshipped or venerated
• Humans have a right to exploit natural resources in permanently destructive ways
• Technological advances can be expected to solve global ecological problems “just in time”
• Christians have a responsibility to focus on “spiritual” or “heavenly” matters to the exclusion of godly stewardship of the Earth’s resources and proper care of the creation

Reference: Adapted from Statement by BAPTIST UNION OF AUSTRALIA

To view a list of SAVER accomplishments, click here.