Annual institute will focus on the environment

The fifth annual institute, a two-day conference called "The Earth is the Lord's: Environmentalism and Stewardship of Creation," will start Friday at the church, located off Hikes Lane.

"It all starts primarily with 'Whose land is it?' " said the Rev. Alexander Atty, head pastor at the church. "It's God's, and it deserves to be treated as though it was God's and not as just anything disposable."

The institute's series of seminars will address a range of the Orthodox Church's environmental concerns, with talks by philosophers from the University of Kentucky, Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Fla., and Frankfurt, Germany.

The Orthodox church is "very, very, very proactive" on environmental issues, Atty said.

"When the environment suffers, so do people, and that's contrary to the creation of this world as God made it," he said.

The yearly institute, which is free, focuses on broadening the awareness of both members and non-members and educating people in the community about what the Orthodox Church is and what its members believe, Atty said.

Many people are confused about Orthodox Christianity, but its members aren't all Russian, or Greek, just like Roman Catholics aren't all Roman, he said. Past institutes have focused on topics such as virtues, architecture and art.

"We're serious about life and who gave us life and what we do with our life, so our institutes always reflect who we are," Atty said. "I don't believe the parish should be like an island. … Even though the church here is for Orthodox Christians, we still believe in being a witness to the neighborhood."

People interested in attending the institute can contact the church.

The Rev. Michael Corbin, an associate pastor at the church, said the institute can offer insight into what people can do to address an important topic. "It showcases for the community something that people don't normally think of on a day-to-day basis, and that's the importance of our role in taking care of what we're given," he said. "We talk about, as Christians, our role is stewarding all of God's creation, and so by bringing people in to address this topic, we'll create more awareness in this community."

Concern for the environment is an issue that's mistakenly become politicized in this country, Atty said.

"I'm an American that believes that it's not liberal or conservative to take care of God's creation," he said. "It has nothing to do with that. It has everything to do with love of God's creation."