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    St Luke Lutheran Church, Cordova TN
    stluke@stlukememphis.org
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    A Letter from Pastor Cliff on Earth Day

    4/17/2018

     
    Picture
    ​Springtime gets me thinking about the Natchez Trace Parkway and my goal to bicycle all
    444 miles from Natchez, MS to Nashville, TN. Today the Trace is preserved as a part of the
    National Park System. It once was a trail for native peoples of the southeast, and later
    transformed into a path by the European settlers. As a former park ranger, a former chaplain
    serving in National Parks, and as a current Lutheran pastor in Cordova, Tennessee, finding God
    in the cathedral of nature is a core component of my own faith. I consider protecting and
    restoring God’s creation to be an important expression of my faith. Our public lands, which are
    for our collective enjoyment, are also under our collective care.

    That is why I am deeply troubled that in the past year, our nation has witnessed the
    most significant loss of conservation protections for public lands in our history. In December
    2017, President Trump signed proclamations to drastically reduce the size of Bears Ears
    National Monument (by 85%) and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (by 50%).
    Trump’s action in December came from an Executive Order that calls for the Department of
    Interior to review of all national monuments designated after 1996. Unless people of faith and
    good conscience speak up to defend God’s creation, we will likely see the diminishment of
    more national monuments.

    Our nation’s public lands are not only places to take Sabbath; they also conserve our
    collective memory by protecting natural, cultural, historical, and spiritual heritage. The loss of
    protections for Bears Ears National Monument particularly grieves me, as this was the first and
    largest area of public land benefitting from conservation protection at the request of
    Indigenous tribes. By taking this recent protection of sacred sites away from the tribes, our
    country has set back a much-needed pathway to healing.

    On April 4, I gathered with faith leaders and concerned citizens to remember 50 years
    since the murder of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King in Memphis, TN. This modern history also links
    us to 350 years of slavery and the 150 years of struggle for full inclusion by people of color in
    our country. Many national monuments established since 1996 reflect our country’s journey
    toward healing, and reconciliation. Yet, just as the Antiquities Act of 1906 has been used in the
    past to honor the heritage of communities of color, many leaders of the current Congress and
    Administration are taking actions to diminish and undermine this law’s power. We must be
    watchful and active to protect diverse cultural heritage sites in the Department of Interior’s
    care.

    Since 1906, U.S. presidents from both political parties have designated national
    monuments under the Antiquities Act so that future generations can experience our nation’s
    open spaces, historic sites, and cultural treasures. Experience has demonstrated the wisdom of
    giving presidents this authority—nearly half of our country’s national parks were originally
    protected by the Antiquities Act, including the Statue of Liberty and the Grand Canyon.
    This Spring let us seek silence in a world of great noise. Let us respond to our yearning
    for relaxation, peace and contentment. Let us reconnect with our cultural and spiritual
    heritage. Let us also work to protect and preserve the public lands we so love and that have
    been entrusted to our care.

    -Pastor Cliff


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    Here at St Luke ...

    We seek God. We are a church that seeks to express our love for God in all that we do - with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30).
    We serve others. The St. Luke church family has a heart to serve the community, loving each other just as God has loved us (John 13:35). 
    We share our lives together. No one here is perfect - we are all ordinary people who gather together to worship God, grow spiritually, and put our faith into action (James 2:15).

    2000 North Germantown Parkway
    Cordova, TN 38016 
    Phone: 901-756-8850           
    Email: stluke@stlukememphis.org

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