Resolved, the House of _______ concurring, That the 76th General Convention of The Episcopal Church reaffirms Resolutions 1979-D029 (Give Priority to Educating Congregations on Energy and the Environment),1988-D126 (Request a Statement of Policy and a Plan for Environmental Stewardship), 1991 D041 (Implement 1988 Lambeth Resolution No. 40 on the Environment), and 2003-D046 (Urge Stewardship of Water Resources), and 2003-D070 (Work for a Clean Water Policy); and be it further

Resolved, That the 76th General Convention encourages national Episcopal Church organizations, dioceses, congregations, and individual Episcopalians to study the theology of Creation and the place of water in Creation, including the entire cycle of water sourcing, storage and transport, use and wastewater treatment and disposal, and to study the ethical issues associated with individual, local, regional, national and international water-related decisions; and be it further

Resolved, That the 76th General Convention request designation and funding of a half-time position ($60,000, including salary, benefits and modest travel) within the existing Episcopal Church Center's Advocacy Center, supported by the Executive Council Committee on Science, Technology and Faith, and by the Episcopal Ecological Network, to encourage the sharing of tools that dioceses, congregations and individual Episcopalians have already developed, and the development of new tools for use when making or helping make water-related decisions; and be it further

Resolved, That the General Convention request the Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget and Finance to consider a budget allocation of $60,000 for the implementation of this Resolution.

EXPLANATION

Scripture teaches us that God made the waters as part of Creation. Throughout Scripture and in liturgical practice, water has had deeply understood sacramental roles culminating with the water of baptism. Science and everyday experience confirm the description in the Scriptures of water as life-giving for all Creation. Millennium Development Goal #7 seeks to provide adequate supplies of life-giving water for all people.
Within Creation water undergoes a cycle. Water flows from sources, is contained, distributed, sometimes purified, used and then collected and distributed for further purification before rejoining the flow. In our reality the water of Creation is the result of complicated combinations of the natural processes set in place by the evolution of Creation and by many human interventions.
As the World's population grows, global and regional climates change, and the world society's increase in technological complexities and dependencies accelerates, water availability is changing and more sources of pollution are making water unfit for sustaining Creation, for liturgical purposes or for human consumption.
Individuals, congregations, communities, regions and nations are being called upon to make difficult decisions related to interventions in the water cycle. Often the decisions are made without explicit reference to Creation or to theological or ethical considerations.
This Resolution asks that The Episcopal Church share the theologically sound tools already developed in diocesan programs and develop and share new tools that individual Episcopalians and congregations can use to help evaluate proposed interventions.