How can we protect our oceans and waterways?
Water is central both to our Christian theology and to our survival. Sacred Water: Oceans and Ecosystems guides small groups in discerning how they can better care for the earth’s waters, as well as the creatures and communities who live in and around them.
Program Overview
Water is central both to our Christian theology and to our survival.
Sacred Water: Oceans and Ecosystems, the third program in JustFaith Ministries’ Eco-justice Series, guides small groups in discerning how they can better care for the earth’s waters, as well as the creatures and communities who live in and around them. Topics include watershed discipleship, natural disasters and the climate crisis, ocean health, clean water access, pollution, plastics, and environmental racism. Through prayer and spiritual practices, participants explore their personal relationships with water and the centrality of water within Christian theology. Participants can expect to leave Sacred Water: Oceans and Ecosystems better equipped to restore the health of our oceans, waterways, and ecosystems through advocacy, grassroots organizing, and daily decision-making.
Each program in the eco-justice series includes eight two-hour regular sessions, an optional get-to-know-you session, and an immersion experience. All regular sessions include prayer, dialogue, active listening, weekly spiritual practices, and relationship-building. You can stop after the first eight-session program, but we encourage you to take all three. You do not need to take the eco-justice programs in order.
Goals for Sacred Water: Oceans and Ecosystems include:
Learn how the health of our oceans, waterways, and ecosystems impacts our present and future and explore water as a Christian symbol and learn spiritual practices to celebrate our human connection with water.
Understand the ways in which water crises — from natural disasters to polluted drinking water — disproportionately affect communities of color.
Develop a plan to help restore the health of our oceans, waterways, and ecosystems, both within our local communities and across our planet.
Sacred Water: Oceans and Ecosystems consists of eight 2-hour sessions, an immersion experience, and an optional get-to-know-you session.
Recommended group size is 8-14.Program Framework & Session Topics
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Optional Get-to-Know-You Session
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Session 1: Watershed Discipleship
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Session 2: Caring for Our Watersheds
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Session 3: Water is Life!
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Session 4: The Water Crisis
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Session 5: Plastics
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Session 6: Ocean Health
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Immersion Experience
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Session 7: Climate Resilience
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Session 8: Action
Sessions include:
Prayer and reflection
Discussion of reading
Videos & group activities
Spiritual practices
Integration of faith
Want to know more?
An overview, sample session, and program booklet are available for free download.
What you’ll need for this program
There are two books used in Sacred Water: Oceans and Ecosystems, both available through the JustFaith Ministries bookstore. The program also uses Laudato Si which can be found at the vatican.va.
Need help inviting people to your small group?
This program promotion kit contains sample social media posts, bulletin announcements, email invitations, and more.
We believe strongly in making our programs inclusive and available to everyone
Cost should never be a barrier to participation, and we are committed to working with individuals and organizations to ensure meaningful access through flexible pricing options. Why do we use a sliding fee scale?
There are Two Registration Options:
Option 1: Individual Participant Registration
Participants register and pay individually using a sliding-scale fee of $45, $60, or $75 per person, based on ability to pay. If $45 is still inaccessible, participants can choose the Pay-What-You-Can option to choose a price that is right for them.
- There is no charge for up to two facilitators.
- A minimum of 8 participants is strongly recommended.
Option 2: Organization-Sponsored Registration
A church or organization may choose to cover registration for all participants using a sliding fee scale of $45, $60, or $75 per person, based on ability to pay.
- The organization will be billed a flat rate of the amount chosen below, which covers up to 8 participants.
- For groups larger than 8, the organization will be invoiced an additional $45, $60, or $75 per participant when the group begins, price depending on the chosen amount below.
- If the lowest fee is inaccessible to your organization or ministry, choose the Pay-What-You-Can Rate to learn about shared-cost or reduced-fee options.
What the Registration Fee Includes
- Comprehensive materials for each session (instant download upon purchase)
- Facilitation scripts, guidance, and training resources
- Retreat and immersion planning assistance
- Adaptations for virtual groups
- Direct access to program staff for ongoing support
- Books are an additional cost and may be purchased separately through the bookstore.
To ensure our programs remain accessible while remaining sustainable, we utilize a sliding fee scale of $45 to $75 for our registrations. We invite you to choose the registration tier that best reflects you or your faith community's current financial reality. Paying on the higher end allows us to keep the program affordable for all.
We also offer a Pay-What-You-Can Rate. If the lowest rate does not seem accessible to you or your church at this time, don’t let this be a barrier to participation. Contact our staff here to learn about shared-cost or reduced fee options.
What our program participants are saying
Daily I am challenged to consider how my actions and purchases impact our earth and my neighbors. The Sacred Land, Sacred Air, and Sacred Water programs have helped me, as I advocate for change. Using the knowledge and resources from these modules and from fellow participants, I can send more-informed letters to my local, state, and federal politicians and agencies for environmentally sound actions and decisions.
Before I took the Sacred Water course, I didn't realize how much I take water, and in particular clean water, for granted. The course really opened my eyes to the blessing I have and I will never take it for granted again.
As inhabitants of our beautiful planet, we have lost that important and sacred connection to the earth as it houses and sustains us. I love how these sessions help to reawaken that connection and bring a greater awareness to the issues around the land we rely on for food, the air that we breathe, and the water that sustains all life. Not only do they create a greater awareness of the effects of climate change, they also encourage spiritual growth and challenge our complacency. By bringing to light the deeply connected justice issues around climate change such as migration, poverty, food insecurity and health concerns of those living on the margins, participants are challenged to explore their own responses and advocate for more sustainable ways of living both locally and globally. This is a great series and I would encourage everyone to participate!
Sacred Water Overview, Sample Session, and Program Booklet
To get access to this program's overview, sample session and program booklet, complete the form below and you will receive an email with the downloadable materials.
Sacred Water Promotion Kit
To get access to this program's promotional materials, complete the form below and you will receive an email with the downloads.