Join ‘Power’ parade and demonstrations for a just future

Posted 7/26/18

by Rev. Cheryl Pyrch

In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus urged his followers not to worry about their lives, but instead to strive for the righteousness of God, trusting that their needs would be …

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Join ‘Power’ parade and demonstrations for a just future

Posted

by Rev. Cheryl Pyrch

In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus urged his followers not to worry about their lives, but instead to strive for the righteousness of God, trusting that their needs would be met. He ended with the words, “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” Or, in the King James Version: “Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”

Indeed, every morning we hear of evil that’s more than sufficient for the day: the separation of immigration families, mass incarceration, the threat of nuclear war, persistent poverty. Evils that demand our urgent response as we strive for justice and peace.

But there’s an evil of today that will bring exponentially greater trouble tomorrow if we don’t address it now: climate change caused by the burning of fossil fuels. It’s already worsening floods and droughts, heat waves and storms. And the air pollution from burning dirty energy makes too many of us sick with respiratory troubles and heart disease.

Unchecked, the lives of millions globally will be threatened as they’re driven from their homes by rising sea levels, conflicts over water and loss of crops. People who are poor and future generations are most at risk. The injustice is great: those who have done the least to cause climate change will be the ones to suffer most.

But a just future is still possible, with clean air and water and good jobs for all. We can begin in Philadelphia! On Thursday, August 2, people from all faiths and walks of life will come together in Center City Philadelphia for a colorful parade to demand our city make a just transition to renewable energy. Led by artists and activists, we’ll begin at PECO Headquarters, calling for investment and new jobs in local rooftop solar, starting in North Philadelphia, so that 20% of PECO’s electricity will come from locally produced solar power by 2025.

We’ll then go to SEPTA to call for a fossil-free SEPTA and to say NO to the proposed gas plant in Nicetown, a neighborhood already overburdened by pollution and just minutes away from Chestnut Hill. We’ll end at City Hall, where we’ll call on the Mayor and City Council to “go solar” on city infrastructure to meet the Mayor’s target of 100% renewable energy for the city’s electricity by 2030, with 30% of the electricity used to be generated locally, employing city residents.

The parade will be part of the “Carnival de Resistance,” a traveling carnival, village and school for social change bringing together the worlds of art, activism and faith. To learn more about the parade and sponsoring organizations, go to Facebook and search for “Power toward a just future: parade and rally.”

The worries of today and tomorrow can be overwhelming. But with the power of people coming together in faith and hope we can have a just future for all: a future built on clean, renewable energy that takes care of creation. Join us! Thursday, August 2, 10:45 at 2301 Market St.

For more information, see the event's Facebook page here.

Rev. Cheryl Pyrch is the pastor at Summit Presbyterian Church and a member of Pennsylvania Interfaith Power & Light.

 

 

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