*Call the Earth Ministry office at (206) 632-2426 to order*
In 2009, PBS broadcast a beautiful 12-hour portrait of our national parks entitled The National Parks: America’s Best Idea. Shot over six years, the film describes the evolution of the national park concept and the development of the National Park System, which now protects 84 million acres. The film also features many individual stories of those who were instrumental in protecting the parks as well as those who have had important experiences in the parks.
Earth Ministry/WAIPL has partnered with PBS to offer a set of two religious study guides to complement the film: a four-session Christian education course (And God Saw That It Was Good), and a one-session interfaith course (Awakening the Spirit).
And God Saw That It Was Good
This Christian education course is designed to be taught in four consecutive one-hour weekly sessions but is easily adaptable to a number of different educational formats. Each session covers a specific theme.
Session 1 – The Creator and Creation
Session 2 – God in Nature
Session 3 – Made In the Image of God
Session 4 – A Covenant with Every Living Thing
Awakening the Spirit
In addition to the four-week course, a one-session interfaith study guide is also available. This course is designed to assist interfaith communities in exploring themes of spirituality in nature.
Since their inception, the national parks have provided places for play, for rest and for sanctuary. They are places that inspire us with their grandeur and at the same time draw us into an intimate relationship with the natural world. National parks give us time to pause, to reflect, to get outside of ourselves and yet also provide space to go deeply within ourselves. In these sacred spaces, we experience the creation and the Creator alike.
National parks also afford us the time and space to consider our relationship with the rest of creation and how our individual and collective actions have a decided impact on these complex, wondrous ecosystems that we are visiting.
We are hopeful that these study guides will not only enhance enjoyment of the film and your experience in the national parks, but will also encourage reflection upon how we are to live in loving relationship with God’s gift of creation.
The kit for purchase includes both religious study guides, And God Saw That It Was Good and Awakening the Spirit. The study guides will be emailed to the purchaser in PDF format. As a bonus for purchase, two complementary DVDs including beautiful clips from the film, one to accompany each of the adult education guides, will be mailed directly to the purchaser upon receipt of the order.