Westminster’s “Orange Idea” is a monthly, family-friendly, 1-page resource to help you live out your faith at home. But what is “Orange,” you might ask?

As Julie and Matthew explained, it’s not just a colour—it’s a way of thinking: Yellow represents the light of Jesus shared by the church. Red represents the blood and bond of the family. So when you put Yellow and Red together you get…

Orange!

So an “Orange idea” is when the church helps people live out their faith in their families and homes. After all, the home is the primary place where faith is formed.

So this monthly resource will help people of different ages learn about and live out their Christian faith in tangible, practical ways.

So here’s the Orange Idea for May 2018: Be a Caretaker of Creation

Here’s where we’re going with this one:

As a part of the creation story in Genesis we read: “Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.” (Genesis 1:28, NLT)

God created the world and everything in it. As the creation story tells us in Genesis 1, God created the waters, the land, the birds and animals. Psalm 95:4-5 also comes to mind: “In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.” In the midst of this beautiful world, God created humans as well. And one of our jobs is to take care of this earthly home—which happens to be suffering critically. But where do we start?

Here’s a good place: This month we challenge you to consider the beautiful creation God has given us as a home and to choose an idea to help take care of it.

Here are some helpful tips to get you started:

1. During your family time this week discuss where you feel God is leading you to help our planet.

2. Brainstorm some ideas of how you can make a difference.

3. Consider these ideas:
a. Earth
i. Eliminate single use straws, use reusable instead
ii. Use your green bin more, compost all food scraps
b. Water
i. Be a leak detective, check all hoses, connecters, faucets and toilets
ii. Trash ends up in 5 large gyres, garbage patches, in our oceans, make sure all your trash and recycling make it into the right bins and help if you see some flying around.
c. Air
i. Drive less, consider car-pooling or taking your bike
ii. Plant an air purifying plant i.e. a mum or spider plant

4. Make it happen and share the joy! We can make a small difference just in our own actions but when we share our choices it encourages others a well so don’t be afraid to share your great ideas!

In May, be a caretaker of creation. As you do that you can for the world God has made, and the world we call home.

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The orange philosophy originates with Reggie Joiner in his helpful book Think Orange.