God requires us to preserve the Earth
Published:Thursday | November 9, 2017 | 12:00 AMRuddy Mathison
In keeping with the church's belief that God wants mankind to be stewards of the earth, the Church of Jesus Christ The Latter-day Saints recognised its annual International Day of Service last Saturday by participating in a cleaning project.
The churches in St Catherine, Kingston, and St Andrew, along with the National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA), undertook a number of projects relating to the cleaning up of the environment in the respective parishes.
In St Catherine, cleaning up a section of the beach along Fort Augusta Drive in Portmore was the main area of concentration.
"As a church, it is important that we serve, not just serve within our congregation, but in the wider community; not to involve in things of a diabolical nature, but things of good report.
"So we undertake different projects each year. This year, we decided to join with NEPA to clean up the beach area along this stretch," disclosed Georgette Johnson Grant, public affairs director of the Latter-day Church Kingston Stake.
"God wants us to take care of everything He gave us. He gave us the earth to replenish, so it is fitting that as a church, we carry out our responsibility to this purpose," she continued.
CLEANER ENVIRONMENT PLEASES GOD
She said that keeping the environment clean is a responsibility that God requires of us, so the cleaning up exercise was done to please God.
"Absolutely! The idea of cleanliness is a requirement that God expects us to fulfil. By doing this, we are in service to God," she told Family & Religion in response to how the exercise fits into the church's core responsibility of saving souls.
Maintaining that discipleship is not only achieved by the formal delivery of the gospel, and simultaneously highlighting the scripture that say 'let your light shine before man that he may see your good work and glorify your father in Heaven', Johnson said, "The church achieved this purpose by its involvement in the International Day of Service, and specifically, by participating in the adopt-a-beach project.
"Discipleship is engaging in anything that fulfils God's desire, and this does."
Grant said God wants us to observe and participate in things that are true, things that are honest, things that are just, things that are pure, things that are lovely, and things of good report, referencing Philippians chapter 4 v. 8.
By engaging in this project, we would have fulfilled what is expected of us as outlined by this scripture."
She said that the church's core mission of saving souls is achieved by service to community, endeavours that are of good report.
"Our International Day of Service is a coming together of congregations, in particular geographical areas where the church is organised."
"This is our way of helping the country to deal with some of the issues it faces by joining with NEPA in this environmental project," she told family & religion.