The Department of Ecological Concerns of the Church of South India (CSI) has come out with a 102-page book, Green Stories for Sunday School Children, to inculcate in students the absolute necessity for nature conservation.
“At Sunday School, children should be trained in eco-spirituality, so that they can lead their lives from an ecological perspective,” says D. Ratnakara Sadananda, former general secretary of the CSI synod.
The book, authored by Mathew Koshy Punnackadu, director of the CSI Department of Ecological Concerns, and his wife, Anne Susan Koshy, former English professor at St. Thomas College, Kozhencherry, is a collection of biblical stories, scientifically explained from an ecological viewpoint. The many aspects covered include biodiversity, river pollution, and judicious use of natural resources.
“The aim is to inculcate a scientific outlook on nature in children and prompt them to ask questions,” says Dr. Punnackadu, the brain behind the greening programme of the Church of South India.
12-point list
The eco department of the Church reaches out to students, teachers, clergy and the laity, educating them on healthy life, sustainable agriculture, climate change mitigation, and energy conservation. All 16,000 parishes with 43 lakh members have accepted the 12-point Green Protocol for Green Discipleship (GPGD) policy document of the department aimed at developing green congregations.
Ecology as mission
According to Dr. Punnackadu, the CSI is the only Church in India that has mentioned ecology as a mission in its constitution.
The GPGD envisages adhering to the green protocol while developing church complexes and other buildings.
Minimal use of natural resources, use of solar energy at churches and associated buildings, and encouraging people to adopt energy conservation methods, are part of the GPGD, he says.
Educating the laity on various sustainable development goals, the department has brought out a few more books, Sustainable Living, Green Miracles, and Climate Emergency.
