Clean water is a gift from God
by Ana Watts
The water brought to the communion table is a precious gift of God and
every bit as important as the cash we elevate before everyone at the service. Archdeacon Richard McConnell made these remarks at the Jan. 17 meeting of Diocesan Council in Fredericton, as an example of ways our diocese can promote and contribute to the preservation of clean water.
In his report to council on behalf of the Mission Outreach Team, the Rev. Keith Osborne said his team was unable to conceive of a way to address one of the 2007 diocesan synod resolutions calling upon the diocese to explore potential options for action in the promotion of clean water projects. “It’s hard to conceive of a response short of starting a lobby group to petition the government,” said Mr. Osborne. “We feel this lies outside the Mission Team’s mandate.”
Archdeacon McConnell was the first of several council members to 
respond with suggestions and information for the team. “We need to be passionate about this issue. For one thing we can tell the people in our churches that water brought to communion table is a sacred gift of God. Our oblations — the water and wine — are treasures and we need to show the people how important they are by making their presentation at the altar more visible.”
Securing drinking water as a right is also a consumer issue, he said. “We should not be buying water, especially in plastic containers, and we should discourage the use of bottled water in our parishes.”
Members of council also told Mr. Osborne about ways in which the church is involved in community efforts to preserve clean water.
The Rev. Bob LeBlanc of the Parish of Central Kings said the people of the nearby Parish of Upham are concerned about a threat to their drinking water by a proposed pipeline, and that the Rev. Marian Lucas Jefferies of that parish is an active member of the community’s action group fighting the proposal.
Canon Jon Lownds said a recent chemical spill in Fredericton contaminated nearby wells and asked if all the Anglican churches that have oil tanks maintain them to the highest standards of safety. “Or do we contribute to the risk?” he asked.
Diocesan Treasurer Fred Scott said two parishes have already had significant fuel leaks that spread to surrounding properties. “These leaks had a huge impact, but when we (the diocese) tell parishes they should replace their oil tanks every 25 years, we still run into resistance.” Old oil tanks are an insurance problem too. Premiums are prohibitive when old tanks are in place.
Bishop Claude Miller said he was impressed with the number of ideas generated in such a short time. “These are practical things that can be done at the local level, and they are also fodder for conversation among the team members as they struggle with ways in which to raise the profile of water issues in our parishes.”
The Rev. Gordon Thompson of Chatham said: “If this conversation is reported in our diocesan newspaper, we’re actually doing what we synod asked to do. We weren’t asked to clean up water, we were asked to promote the cause of clean water.”
Mr. Osborne said the conversation was helpful to him and his team.
The Internet abounds with information like this on water safety and preservation.
