“The whole world is watching.”

Bishop Emeritus Wayne Miller, interim bishop of the metropolitan Chicago Synod of the Evangelical Church in America, reminded worshipers that they are under the world’s scrutiny and urged them to put their faith into action. He delivered the admonishment at the World Day of Prayer service, Jan. 24, at St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Apostolic Church, Chicago.

For the fourteen church bodies in the Chicago area that came together on Jan. 24 for the World Day of Prayer, the practice was to urge the federal government to remain committed to the international Paris Agreement on climate change and press Illinois legislators to order the removal of lead drinking water pipes from the state. The existence of hundreds of church bodies across the world indicates that there are many differences among them. But they can share “unity in the essentials,” as Fr. Andreas Garabedian said.“Caring for the world is the first commandment that God gives” in the Book of Genesis, Garabedian said.

In “A Call to Respect Life: Protect Children, Grandchildren, Future Generations by Adopting Climate Change Mitigation Strategies,” the church leaders say, “We unequivocally state that the United States has a moral obligation to take the necessary legislative and administrative actions to have the United States rejoin the Paris Agreement,” which the U.S. will leave on Jan. 27.

"A Call to Respect Life: Protect Children, Grandchildren, Future Generations by Providing Clean, Safe Drinking Water” says, “We proclaim a call to respect Life; thus, to insist Congress and Illinois representatives make every effort to replace all the lead water pipes in Illinois as quickly as possible.”

“We are not saved by our works, but we are judged by them,” Bishop Miller said. “Jesus needs us now—to be the presence of the light in a frightened world.”

The group’s call to climate protection follows the World Council of Churches' 2022 “Call to Act Together” to address the “catastrophes arising directly from an irresponsible and broken relationship with creation that has led to ecological injustice and climate crisis.”

In 2023, the then-thirteen churches of Ecumenism Metro Chicago signed the Chicagoland Christians United for the Care of Creation Declaration, which declares that “taking decisive, restorative action is a moral and religious imperative” and “we humbly and urgently call all people to address this spiritual, ecological and existential threat to our common home.”

The Paris Agreement, a legally binding international treaty to address climate change, was adopted by 195 parties at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris on Dec. 12, 2015. It became effective on Nov. 4, 2016. Its overarching goal is to hold “the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels” and pursue efforts “to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.”

Photos by Deb Winarski for Ecumenism Metro Chicago