THE NET RESOURCE FOUNDATION
  • Home
  • Give
  • About
    • Financial Responsibility
  • Covid-19
  • Civic Enagager
    • Community Garden
    • Hand UP
    • Semillas
    • The Hughes Project
    • Elder Care
    • Put The Park Back In Alton Park >
      • LETTER FROM THE PASTOR
      • WHERE TO START
      • THINGS TO DO
      • STAFF TRAINING
      • TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND
  • Feeding Program
  • Youth Programs
    • Leadership for Life
    • Westside Youth Leadership Academy
  • Contact
  • Westside Church
LETTER FROM THE PASTOR
The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. -Genesis 2:15



God has called us who bear God’s image to be faithful stewards over God’s creation.  God’s will for humanity is for us to be faithful managers in taking care of something that does not belong to us but has been entrusted to us.  God created the earth and everything that God made is good and should be used for the benefit of all humanity.  Anything else would be an injustice and a misuse of the resources God has placed in our care.

This conviction brings to the forefront the intersectionality of social and environmental justice. Both of these realities are near to the heart of God and are linked to one another for the sustainability of human flourishing.  God informs humanity in Genesis 1:26-31 that not only are we created in the image of God but that all of creation should be our ultimate concern.  Thusly, God delegated us to care for creation in a way the honors God.  From the trees that bear fruit, the leaves and the herbs of the ground, to the beast of both land and sea, God declared its goodness and requires us to treat it as such.

If we be good to the earth, the earth will be good to us.  From it we get nourishment and medicinal benefits that enable us to live healthy and whole lives.  It is clear that God gave us the entirety of creation to use for our betterment, not for our pleasures only. Using creation for personal pleasures leads to things such as greed, pollution, contamination and obesity.  Injustices begin when we use things for temporal pleasures with no regard of the future effect it will have on our environment and generations yet unborn.

Jesus marries social and environmental justice in Matthew 25 when he speaks on feeding the hungry and giving water to the thirsty.  The issue of quality food and clean water becomes a generational crisis and a question of environmental equity. Being responsible citizens of the earth requires we be good generational neighbors to ensure that the earth is inhabitable to all. The scripture speaks of leaving an inheritance to our children’s children, and what better inheritance can we leave than a legacy of care and concern for our shared spaces that enables them to live happy, healthy and whole lives. Going outside should be a safe and even a scenic experience no matter the social or economic status of the community.

So, faith communities across racial and social lines should be concerned about how we treat the earth because how we treat the earth says a lot about how much we value one another.  

Pastor Timothy D. Careathers


Picture
Picture
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND ​ STEWARDSHIP CHALLENGES
The Southside Chattanooga Park is the result of a long-term transformation with a community finding its voice. The Alton Park and surrounding communities have been under advisement from the Environmental Protection Agency for years. Alton Park has several former industrial sites that are contaminated with chemicals, and this has been a barrier to getting people comfortable spending time outside.

This particular park was built on the site of the former Charles A. Bell elementary school that was closed in the early 90’s because the buildings and land contained asbestos, lead paint and creosote. The abandoned building deteriorated for many years becoming a blight on the neighborhood. When it was torn down in 2011, the 10-acre triangular site was covered with thigh-high beige grass hiding abandoned tires, rotting wood, rodents and the animal bones. A brownfield reclamation process completed the site preparation for future use.

Alton Park neighborhood leaders along with elected officials from the City of Chattanooga held a community engagement process to create a new green space that would enhance “the vibrancy of the neighborhood and connect residents with options for recreation.” A million-dollar construction project in 2017 delivered the dream for a pavilion with picnic tables, a large open lawn for outdoor games and gatherings, surrounded by a quarter-mile walking path lined with trees. 

Alton Park learned to become a listening community and pushed for change. Regular updates from the EPA help neighbors understand that is okay to come outside after many years of fears about lead in the soil in residential lawns and chemical pollution in the air. Availability of soil testing and remediation by the government provided some of the answers the community needed.

Message to others who want to activate your outdoor spaces: Be aware of barriers that may contribute to neighborhood ideas about using outdoor spaces. Get the information for yourself. Have meetings with community leaders. Talk to local, state and federal officials if there are existing issues. Your program leader should be from the community.


RELATED ARTICLES
​Related articles:

https://www.chattanoogan.com/2017/8/23/353523/City-Opens-New-Southside-Community-Park.aspx


https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/news/story/2011/aug/23/b1-bell-school-demolition-begins/57055/


​https://noogatoday.6amcity.com/hamilton-county-approves-demolition-of-abandoned-elementary-school/
Picture

The Net Resource Foundation

4001 Hughes Avenue Suite 205 | Chattanooga, TN 37410

Phone: (423) 401-0503

Email: thenetresourcefoundation@gmail.com

​Website: www.thenetresourcefoundation.org

Contact Us

    Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Submit
  • Home
  • Give
  • About
    • Financial Responsibility
  • Covid-19
  • Civic Enagager
    • Community Garden
    • Hand UP
    • Semillas
    • The Hughes Project
    • Elder Care
    • Put The Park Back In Alton Park >
      • LETTER FROM THE PASTOR
      • WHERE TO START
      • THINGS TO DO
      • STAFF TRAINING
      • TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND
  • Feeding Program
  • Youth Programs
    • Leadership for Life
    • Westside Youth Leadership Academy
  • Contact
  • Westside Church