09/05/2026
Climate change, violent and unpredictable weather, and unsustainable agricultural practices are issues that confront our churches daily and impact their ability to grow nutritious food and access clean water. Communities located near major bodies of water are often disproportionately impacted due to more intense storms, rising sea levels, and erosion. More than half of our global Moravian Church membership lives within 120 miles of the ocean.
The Caratasca Lagoon in Honduras is part of one of the largest lagoon systems in Central America. Historically a center of Indigenous culture and population, it is also the home to many Moravian congregations and ministries. The Caratasca peninsula has few reliable sources of potable drinking water; wells that do exist regularly dry up during the dry season, and deep wells cannot be dug because the sandy soil tends to cave in. The wells that do exist require extensive maintenance and are ineffective at storing potable water. Additionally, many people collect their drinking water in the same places where they bathe and wash clothing, making it unsafe to drink. This issue has been exacerbated in recent years by climate change, which is causing increasingly frequent and unpredictable heavy rains and flooding, as well as drought. Our Moravian communities face real needs regarding access to clean water.
Stewardship of the earth is our divinely given responsibility, and as a Moravian Church, we confess we have fallen short. In our Liturgy of Stewardship (Moravian Book of Worship, p. 155), we pray the following prayer of confession:
“Merciful God, we confess that we have sinned in many ways, times and places. We have mishandled this good earth entrusted to our care, and we have misused our personal gifts, hurting both ourselves and others. Forgive our false pride which hides our negligence, and forgive our careless acts which destroy your handiwork. In your mercy correct our faults and restore us to responsible, compassionate living.”
