Area Churches to Ring 'Bells of Hope'

On the weekend of Nov. 28, and Nov. 29, 2015,various faith communities around New Hampshire will ring church bells, play carillons, drum, etc. to send messages of hope to world leaders at the U.N. Climate Change Conference.

The Conference convenes Nov. 30 in Paris for critical decision-making on reducing global carbon emissions, thereby slowing climate change.

This Paris meeting is the next in a series of talks that began in 1989 to attempt to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. There has not been much progress made. Since the first agreement to decrease emissions was signed in 1997, emissions of carbon dioxide have increased from 6 billion tons a year to10 billion tons a year. As communities experience the increasing environmental damage from climate change, and more people understand the urgency involved in lowering greenhouse emissions, movements across the globe are demanding action from world leaders.

Many religious leaders and faith communities understand that dealing with climate change is fundamentally a moral issue critical to the continuation of life on the planet. The Green Sanctuary and Social Justice Committees of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Exeter have initiated this interfaith call to action.

Pope Francis’ encyclical “Laudato Si” is the most widely publicized statement from a world religious leader defining the issues of morality and justice involved in this critical struggle. A collective voice from many faith traditions is key to broadening the scope of the discussion --from the purely scientific, political and economic-- to the spiritual connection of a sense of belonging to all life on earth. Further, this exercise in voicing concern is meant to heighten the view of the convergence of two areas previously thought to conflict: science and spirituality.

With world leaders’ powers of decision-making in mind, many faith communities will be sounding bells and carillons on either Saturday November 28 or Sunday November 29 for 5-10 minutes during the hour from 11:00 a.m.- 12 noon to send a collective message of hope these world leaders will act for global climate justice.

All New Hampshire churches and faith communities and beyond are invited to join in ringing Bells of Hope and let their voices be heard.

Participants as of this writing include: Unitarian Universalist Church of Exeter, The Congregational Church in Exeter UCC, Episcopal Church of New Hampshire, Kairos Earth /Church of the Woods, UMC of Rochester, Unitarian Church of Montpelier VT, United Church of Christ in Durham, UU Church of Manchester, UU South Church of Portsmouth, Waysmeet Center Drum Circle of Durham.

For more information please contact: Sylvia Foster, Chair, FUUSE Green Sanctuary and Social Justice Committees sylviajfoster@gmail.com