Climate Witness Project Releases New Curriculum
As churches worldwide prepare for the annual Season of Creation—observed each year from Sept. 1 through Oct. 4 to celebrate the Creator and to renew the shared call to care for the earth—a newly released curriculum aims to equip young hearts for environmental stewardship.
The free, five-week unit produced by the Climate Witness Project is designed for children ages 4–10 in Sunday schools, Christian schools, and homeschool settings. Grounded in the biblical concept of shamar (caring/keeping), the resource uses Scripture, music, picture books, and hands-on activities to frame creation care as an act of joy, hope, and worship.
Grounded in Biblical Hope and Local Stewardship
This year’s theme centers on the gift and necessity of water, highlighted in Ezekiel 47:9: “Where the water flows everything will live.” Across the five weeks of the curriculum, children explore the functions of water, its role in supporting plant and animal life, the impacts of water scarcity, and ways in which young people can participate in environmental healing.
The curriculum is written by two retired Alberta educators, Barbara Barthel and Joanne Vandergrift, who bring decades of classroom experience and a passion for biblical storytelling to the project.
For Barthel, a former Bible and curriculum teacher from Red Deer, Alta., the project offers a practical entry point for children to live out their faith: "My teaching and learning have centered on biblical stories and concepts," Barthel explained. "We saw the importance of the water theme and the concept of caring and keeping (shamar) after hearing there was a need for Sunday school programs for this upcoming Creation Season. The topic is timely for children to learn about the interconnectedness of all life and to know that they can play an active part in care and restoration alongside adults."
Joanne Vandergrift, a retired teacher from Lacombe, Alta., and a regional representative for the Climate Witness Project, said that the theme hits especially close to home: "I feel passionate that we need to know and be educated about God's creation and how we are to care for it. Especially at this time in history, we see that there is a great need for nurturing and caring for all of creation.”
Equipping Congregations for Action
The initiative is part of the broader ministry of the Climate Witness Project, a group within the CRCNA that is partnered with the Centre for Public Dialogue and is committed to helping churches learn about climate change and steward their resources and voices in faithfulness to God.
"Our biggest hope is that all who walk through this curriculum will come to understand its life-giving direction," Barthel and Vandergrift shared in a joint statement. "It reminds us who we are and roots us in sustainable living. Since the Creation Season recurs each year, we’re reminded that 'The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it' (Psalm 24:1)—and we can continue to do our part."
The five-week unit is available as a free download, and everyone is encouraged to pass the resource along to educators and children's leaders across their networks.
