At LMF we believe that God made the world and loves it deeply. The earth has been declared as good, and we have been entrusted with its care. In the biblical narrative we see God gifting humankind with the task of caring for the earth. (Genesis 2:15) We also acknowledge that the way we steward the earth affects the most vulnerable among us and future generations. As stewards of creation we are to reflect God's love and generosity by living lives of ecological responsibility and sustainability.
Source and sustainer of life, we cherish the myriad works of your hands. Water, earth, and sky are yours, as are all their inhabitants, wild and tame. We thank you for creatures that nourish and serve us, befriend, enrich, entertain, and protect us. May we, who are made in your image, care for them well. And may your groaning yet wondrous creation rally and thrive, revealing to all who come after us your wise, redemptive, transforming love, through Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen. (Book of Common Worship)
We respectfully and gratefully acknowledge that we gather on the unceded, traditional, and ancestral land of the Kwantlen and Stó:lō Nations. We affirm that settlers have specific responsibilities in the journey of reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. We give thanks to Creator, and to those who have stewarded this land for generations. We are grateful for the opportunity to live, work, and worship here, as we witness the reconciling movement of the Spirit and seek to live into right relations with our Indigenous neighbours and all of creation.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission and Mennonite Church Canada | PDF document
RESTORATIVE JUSTICE
LMF was a founding member of Community Justice Initiatives, and we support restorative justice as a part of our commitment to peacemaking and reconciliation. We want to support systems which seek to heal the pain inflicted by crime, not just attempt to balance the scales through blame and punishment.In the restorative justice model, accountability and reparation are key elements of the process. However, restorative justice is concerned primarily with the harm done to the victim and addresses that harm and its consequences. The offender is taught to recognize the harm done to the victim and the community. They are given the tools to identify what must be done to right the wrong, and to heal the harm they have inflicted. By developing empathy and accountability, this system promotes reconciliation, repair and reassurance for the victims of crime, the offender, and the community at large.